While we all approach this challenge in different ways, something we all agree on is the need to make healthy choices in the foods we eat.
Whenever the question of healthy food comes up, everyone thinks about specific amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats in their diet. Some will consider eating only organic foods while others may choose to eat only raw salads as a healthy alternative. However, in spite of all these efforts, people still suffer from various digestive problems such as constipation, indigestion, hyper-acidity and IBS which, if not treated, can lead to more serious health problems.
In Ayurveda, the ancient health science of India, the focus of a healthy diet is not just considering what we eat but also looking at how the food is metabolised in one’s digestive system and whether the food selected by an individual is compatible with them or not.
Ayurveda considers that the optimum state of one’s digestive power (called Agni) is the first step towards a healthy and balanced diet. No matter how balanced our diet or how organic the food we eat is, if it cannot be metabolised properly by our digestive system our cells are unable to access the nutrients they require. This partially digested food is also bound to create toxins in the body (called Ama) and it is this Ama that is responsible for health problems later in life.
Ayurveda also considers that the same food can be nectar for one person and poison for another because each of us has a unique bodily constitution (called Prakriti). Understanding of our unique make up allows us to select foods that will help to keep our digestion and body in a state of balance and health.
Another important principle from Ayurvedic science is the how we can make ‘food as medicine’. We all know the old adage, “We are what we eat” but Ayurveda helps us to understand how to take this further by making our food as medicine. Central to this principle if that each food, when cooked, release certain toxins that can impact on our health. Ayurveda can show us how to neutralise these toxins by using certain herbs and spices in the cooking process, allowing us to extract optimum nutrition from our food.
There is an old saying in Ayurveda, “When the diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When the diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” If we are eating a balanced diet and not overtaxing our digestive system then we can eat whatever we choose in the knowledge that we giving the body the nourishment it requires to function in a healthy and balanced state. (DR AJIT)
To learn more about a balanced diet, visit www.planetayurveda.co.nz or call the clinic for a consultation on T: 09 522 5390, so we can prepare a complete plan for your wellbeing.