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Most of us intake food without giving
much thought to it. We have become so accustomed to
the food we eat that we hardly pay attention to its
effect on our body.
According to the Ayurvedic texts there are certain
rules to be followed regarding the arrangement of
food, eating habits, basic cleaning habits etc which a
person if follows will lead a long and disease free
life.
All these come under upayoga
samstha or the rules governing the intake of food.
The procedure one constitutes the dietetic
rules that are usually determined by the strength
of digestion of a person. Apart from that a person
should not take food
- Without taking bath, or
- Without putting on any clothes
- Without offering oblations to fire
- Without offering food to Gods
Person should take food at a suitable place and time.
Face and mouth should be well cleaned and he should
eat food that is not used by others, heated only once,
not very hot and overcooked. In general, the person
should eat food with relish for better results.
Foods that should be consumed considering the
digestive capacity and habituation are
- In the beginning, foods which are either watery
or hard to digest, sweet and fatty should be
consumed .
- Next you should have those, which are sour and
salty and lastly you should consume foodstuff that
are dry, non-fatty, liquid in nature and of other
tastes.
- Those who have poor digestive capacity should
consume liquid and warm foods in the beginning.
Then it becomes easier to digest the other foods,
which are eaten later, in a proper way as the
digestive activity gets stimulated by the heat.
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| Arrangement of food on the table |
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- Bhaksya
(eatables) are to be arranged on the right side of
the table.
- Peya (drinks)
and lehya
(lickable items) and foodstuff that require hard
chewing are to be placed on the left side.
- Bhojya (staple
or the chief food) should be placed in the centre.
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| Some basic food recipes, which are
good for our health and basic constitution, are |
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Dhana
(fried paddy and other grains) is made by frying paddy
that is soaked in water.
Benefits
- Stays long in the stomach,
- Is satisfying,
- Hard to digest,
- Cures diseases of the throat, and eye;
- Relieves hunger, thirst, exhaustion, vomiting
and ulcer.
Saktu is flour
(like fried corn flour) raw or fried, mixed with water
and consumed.
Benefits
- These are easily digestible and are usually
taken as a drink,
- It gives strength immediately,
- It is also made into a hard ball known as
Saktupindi, which becomes hard to digest,
- Its soft balls are easily digestible.
Notes:- Laja is prepared by frying paddy and
prthuka is prepared by boiling paddy for a short while
and pounding it with pestle in a mortar.
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Avalehika
is saktu mixed with water and made into a semisolid
mass. Flour is likewise made into Saskuli, modaka
etc., by different methods.
They should not be eaten
- without drinking water in between
- twice a day
- at nights
- solely i.e. without other kinds of foods
- after meals
- by cutting with teeth
- in excess quantity
Notes: - Many eatables are prepared from flour
of rice and other cereals, horse gram, bengal gram and
other legumes; with addition of spices (sour and
fragrant).
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| Bhojanottara karma (activities after
meals) |
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| After taking the meals, one needs to
clean their hands and brush properly inorder to remove
the residue of food sticking to the teeth. Gargling
the mouth helps in removing the coating, smell and
greasiness whereas chewing beetel leaves makes the
mouth smell pleasant.
Inhaling smoke helps in removing the upward
accumulation of kapha and walking about hundred steps
helps in stimulating the digestion process.
These activities may seem to be very basic but many-a
times we tend to ignore them which leads to discomfort
later in life. |
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Healthy
Living
