WE ARE WHAT WE EAT
The old saying, “you are what you eat” is true fact. What we eat or drink become the building blocks for all the cells in our body. The purpose of eating food is not merely to satisfy our hunger or for taste but to improve our mental or spiritual health. Food is essential for the nourishment of the body and to fulfill deficiencies if any. We are completely healthy only when our body, mind and soul, all three are in coordination with each other. If any one of them is not healthy, we cannot be regarded to be completely fit. A person is believed to be intelligent who wisely chooses the food he eats for healthy and long life and avoid whatever is harmful for the body. The kind of food we eat determines our state of mind and body. By consuming live nature foods like seasonal fruits, vegetables, fresh juices, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, sprouts, fresh cooked food, the body remains free from diseases because nature has grown them according to the requirements of place and season.
FOOD AS MEDICINE
A complete and balanced diet not only helps us stay fit but also keeps us away from diseases. Just as wrong food harms our digestive system, “right food” can cure ailments. First we should know what a person should eat in normal circumstances to keep healthy & strong, and then we should know what kind of food one should take in case of suffering from any illness. Then food taken as “medicine” cures a person and discomforts are removed from the body. Classification of food has been done by Lord Krishna in GITA into three categories (Satvik, Rajsik, & Tamsik), i.e., invoking goodness, passion and mode of ignorance. It is also mentioned in Guru Granth Sahib ji by Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji - “Jaisa ann vaisa mann” - as the food so the mind.
Satvik Food – facilitates long life, strength, intelligence, freedom from disease and happiness. Such food is juicy, greasy, close to nature, fresh, live, available all the time and naturally dear to everyone. It is good for the health of body, mind and soul.
Rajsik Food – it generates heat, promotes unhappiness, worries, leads to diseases. Such food is bitter, sour, salty, very hot and spicy. It strengthens the body but is not good for spiritual growth.
Tamsik Food – the food that is half cooked, non-juicy, sticky, with a foul odour, stale and impure.
BALANCED DIET
A balanced eating pattern is a cornerstone of health. A balanced diet is the one which has all nutrition required to maintain the body. such a diet keeps the body healthy and strong and increases the life span of a person. Our diet should have enough proteins, carbohydrates, fats, roughage, water, minerals and vitamins. They are all equally important as they are interdependent for their proper working. The blood of a person is regarded to be pure if it is 80% alkaline and 20% acidic after chemical process in it. Maintaining this ratio is the primary basis of health. This means if one portion of our daily diet is acid producing, four times of that portion should be alkali producing. Only then we can remain healthy otherwise not. Alkaline part of the blood repairs the tissues, gives new life to cells and enables us to fight diseases. Hence, to stay healthy we should avoid all refined, de-vitaminised, de-mineralized food, spices, condiments, preservatives and stimulants like tea, coffee, tobacco and all intoxicants. The list of alkaline foods, acidic foods, right food combinations and wrong food combinations are provided.
HOLISTIC DIET PLAN
A holistic approach to preparing customized diet plan for every patient requires wide range of knowledge of Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Seasonal changes, physiology and psychological needs of a patient. We prepare diet chart in a way that helps a person in disease reversal and then we recommend a maintenance diet for better life. Diet should be such that fulfils the nutritional requirement of our body and give us mental satisfaction. Therefore, while designing a diet chart for any person or a patient we consider age of a person, his build, profession, season, geographical conditions, and psychology of a patient as well. Hence, after analyzing complete medical history of a patient diet chart along with lifestyle changes are recommended for disease reversal.