ViRa Ayurveda has some rules or basic principles applicable to everyone. These rules guide us on how to eat food to nourish and heal the mind and body. There are 10 basic rules we need to follow while eating the food. They help in better digestion and absorption and ultimately happier and healthier life.
Ayurveda emphasizes food and eating habits as is Food is an essential need for the body. The food we eat is the primary source of energy the human body needs to perform all the physical or mental tasks. These 10 basic rules are –
- Sit in a Calm environment:- Sitting with yourself in a calm environment. No TV, no phone, and any other distraction. Acknowledging the present moment and the meal you are going to consume to nourish and heal your body and mind. If possible, sit on crisscross and try to connect with nature around your before you start eating.
- Connect 5 senses with food:- Eating food to nourish the body and mind. Ayurveda considers this process as a divine task. It is important to focus and bring awareness to the food you are going to eat. Senses feed the mind and food feeds the belly. The brain and Digestive System communicate with each other all the time. Dr. Bruice Lipton said, “The chemistry of our brain changes our biology at the cellular level.”
- Sankalpa (Vow):- Consider the food you got on your plate as a blessing. The food grows on this planet to fulfill bodily needs and contains all the five great elements in it. Close your eyes for a moment, settle down all the thoughts running in your mind. Make a vow to yourself for positivity like – “this food is going to nourish and heal my body and mind.”
- Eat Seasonal food:- This is a very important rule in Ayurveda. According to Ayurveda the food grown in a season and place is suitable to the climate conditions. Seasonal fruits and vegetables give our bodies the necessary nutrients required to survive in that particular season.
- Warm food:- Ayurveda says, eat warm food except for hot summer afternoons and highly aggravated Pitta conditions. Warm food supports our digestive fire and cold food weakens it. Weak Agni causes Ama(toxic elements) accumulation in the body and leads to several health problems.
- Combine six tastes:- Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter, Astringent, and Pungent are 6 six tastes in Ayurveda. Each taste is necessary for our salivary glands to secrete saliva. Our saliva is a very crucial part of our digestive system.
- Don’t drink fluids:- Ayurveda says do not drink fluids/cold drinks while consuming the meal because it weakens the digestive fire. You can take some other drinks with food recommended in Ayurveda as warm herbal teas and warm water. Take it less like half a cup to 1 cup and Ayurveda recommends sipping.
- Chew the food thoroughly:- Chewing is the process of breaking down the food to make it a paste-like consistency. During the chewing process, our saliva becomes a part of the food we are eating. Properly chewed food, containing saliva is easy to swallow and easy to digest.
- Fill your tummy only 75%:- Fill your stomach up to 75% of its total capacity. When the tummy is 100% full it’s not able to churn the food. The stomach breaks down the food by churning process which aids digestion and absorption.
- Eat on 3-4 hours gap:- Food stays in the stomach for some time. Then it goes to the small intestine after that it goes to the large intestine. During digestion, the body and the organs work on the food in various ways. If an individual is eating food frequently the digestion will slow down. Ayurveda has a golden rule “don’t eat until you really feel hungry”
Ayurvedic principles come from Ancient Sanskrit Texts, food is considered as a gift of mother nature. The gift containing 5 great elements in various portions to nurture 5 great elements in our body. Ayurveda suggests having home-cooked food. Food cooked at home with love and care will nurture the body tissues. That feeling of love will become part of your body at subtle levels.
