Thousands of years ago ayurvedic texts, while giving broad guidelines to lead healthy and purposeful life, dealt with the topic of food and nutrition at great length. Here are some valuable food habit tips from these ancient texts, and it seems there could no better time than the present one to recall and follow these rules.
The first thing is to choose food that is fresh, usually cooked, warm, unctuous and easy to digest. It should be seasonal and not excessively spiced. Avoid eating the food which instinctively repels the mind, is stale, too heavy, over-fried, processed or refined. The meals should include a balanced combination of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and minerals. Ayurveda specifies food according to the individual constitution of a person and directs him to study and adopt what is suitable for him.
One should take food only when the previous meal is digested. It leads to proper appetite, purified eructation and proper manifestation of urges of flatus, urine and stool. To achieve this, it is best to establish a regular eating routine, and the habitual use of restaurants and late night dinners should always be shunned. Take special care to keep your dinner lighter and there should be a gap of two hours before going to bed.
Immediately before eating, one should wash one’s hands. Chewing a thin strip of ginger marinated with lime juice and rock salt awakens the taste buds. Sit in an easy posture and concentrate on your meal only. No TV, telephone, newspaper or conversation should distract your attention. Observe silence while you eat. Chew each morsel slowly and attentively many times. Feed all senses by eating food which is attractive to the eye, tasty, aromatic and pleasing in the texture. Avoid anger, excitement or any other type of emotional outburst while taking the meals.
Moderation in diet is the golden rule as it leads to a happy and perfect digestion. Never succumb to the temptation to over-eat and also avoid taking things of a single taste too often. Acharya Charak has given a very simple rule: divide the stomach capacity into three parts. One part of it should be filled up with solid food, the second part with liquids and the third part should be left empty for body humours to function properly.