EVERY medical system, whether ayurveda, allopathy or homoeopathy, requires the additional support of proper diet to be effective. As conducive food can enhance the effect of medicines, inharmonious diet can equally spoil, neutralise or limit the effect of any type of treatment. Ancient ayurvedic texts while discussing various diseases have elaborately counted dietary factors responsible for their genesis and have given extraordinary weightage to ‘pathya’ which includes the suitable food plan and the lifestyle to be followed normally and during and after the treatment.
Though ayurveda treats every person according to his “prakriti” and prescribes a diet plan favourable to the inherent nature of a patient, every single person is considered a separate entity and needs further fine-tuning relating to his dietary regime.
Wrong diet is one of the main causative factors of disease and in many cases it is again the suitable diet which can be an effective treatment in itself. According to a famous ayurvedic dictum, there are two types of persons who do not require any medicine. The first one is the person who eats right . Due to the disciplined approach towards diet, he will stay healthy and need no medicine. In the second category, one with indiscreet indulgence in wrong food will always remain ill and thus is considered out of the scope of medicine or any other treatment.
Ayurveda views that the taste, energy and the post-digestive effect of every food item alter the three biological humors in its own way. Instead of giving stress to the specific nutritional requirements and the mineral, vitamin and chemical contents of food, its bigger concern is that the food we take should be in harmony with our nature. As all types of eatables either normalise, diminish or aggravate the “vata”, “pitta” and “kapha” in the body, by carefully understanding the personalised effect of a particular food item and choosing the suitable diet plan, a person can keep himself healthy and fit.
Food items, by virtue of their heavy, light, cold, hot and dry or unctuous properties, have different effects on different persons. For example, tomato is an essential part of most of our dishes, but it causes inflammation of the mouth to many persons. Apple, though a highly nutritious fruit, is also known to cause constipation to some individuals. We usually notice some persons saying that any pickle or sour and citrus eatable gives them sore throat. Similarly, some people enjoy a cup of coffee at night whereas it causes insomnia to others. This is the practical interpretation of the ayurvedic concept of “ahitakari ahara” or the unsuitability of a specific food item to a person.
Diet should also be adjusted according to the climate, seasonal variations and different stages of life. Besides the right preparation, right combinations and right amount of food, some other equally important factors of a personalised diet plan include the right frequency of meals and the right times and places for eating. Above all, it is the right emotional or mental state of a person which is essential to achieve the benefits of diet. Bad moods while eating can always negate the benefits of any nutritious food.
Proper diet is the most important factor for the maintenance of life. A person desirous of being healthy should always try to analyse and understand his suitability to various types of food. Always remember that it is the suitability and not the variety or richness of the food which determines our quality of life. Diet plan is as per your body type, click below to learn more
Diet plan for Vata Diet plan for Pitta Diet plan for Kabha