New Delhi, February 21 (IANS). It is generally believed that one should eat food whenever one is hungry, but Ayurveda says this is wrong. According to the National Institute of Ayurveda, our body is not a machine, but a part of nature. To keep it in order, the rhythm of the sun should be respected instead of medicines or strict diet. In fact the body moves according to the sun clock.
Centuries-old Ayurveda has been teaching that eating time should not be decided by the clock, but by sunrise and sunset. When we eat with the sun, the digestive system becomes stronger and the body starts healing itself from inside.
Health experts say that nowadays we live according to the clock, but the body follows the sun. When we eat heavy food even after sunset, it puts a burden on the digestive system and many diseases start occurring. The basic mantra of Ayurveda is – eat when the sun is bright; When the sun sets, relax. By adopting this simple rule, people can remain healthy without any strict diet.
According to Ayurveda, there are three main times of the day and food should be different at each time. Start the morning with light and simple food. As soon as the sun rises, the digestive fire in the body starts burning slowly, hence do not eat heavy or fried food. Instead, take foods like turmeric milk, poha, upma, idli, poha, fruits or light porridge. These give relief to the stomach, increase energy and keep you fresh throughout the day.
After this the afternoon time is most important. When the sun is at the top, the digestive fire (jatharagni) burns the brightest. Ayurveda says that lunch should be the most nutritious and rich one. At this time, one can eat pulses-rice, bread-vegetables, sambar-rice, khichdi with ghee. Heavy and nutritious food is digested only in the afternoon, because Agni is strong.
At the same time, as the sun sets in the evening, the body slows down. The digestive fire weakens, so dinner should be light and quickly digested. Soup, khichdi, moong dal, soft vegetables, curd-rice or light roti-sabzi are good options. Eating heavy, fried, spicy or overly sweet food causes problems at night – like indigestion, heaviness, insomnia or weight gain.
Ayurveda also states that the common advice like ‘eat whenever you feel hungry’ is wrong. The time of hunger is associated with the sun. One should feel mild hunger in the morning, strong hunger in the afternoon and very less hunger in the evening. If you are feeling more hungry in the evening, it means that your eating habits during the day are wrong.
–IANS
MT/DKP
