New Delhi, March 4 (IANS). In Ayurveda, food is considered the basis of health. There are clear rules given in the scriptures especially regarding eating food at night. Often people wonder whether one should eat at night or not, but Ayurveda completely accepts night food, provided it is light, digestible and taken at the right time.
Eating light food at night helps in increasing lifespan and staying healthy. Heavy food can make the mind vengeful. Eating at irregular times causes Agni disorder, which can lead to disease in the long run. Hot and fresh food also protects from infection.
Ayurveda does not recommend complete fasting for every person. Those whose digestive power is weak must take light food in small quantities. Do complete fasting only on expert advice.
Its main principle is to protect Agni (digestive power). The fire remains bright during the day due to the heat of the sun, but after sunset it becomes dim. Therefore heavy food at night can weaken Agni. There is a clear mention in Charak Samhita, “Laghu Snigdhaan Cha Ratrau Bhojanam” i.e. one should eat light, easily digestible food at night.
Similarly, it is said in Ashtanga Hridayam, “Ratrau tu Laghu Bhunjit” i.e. only light food at night is beneficial. These rules are thousands of years old, but also match today’s scientific understanding. Metabolism slows down at night, so heavy, fried, sweet or high-calorie food becomes difficult to digest. This can cause problems like heaviness in the stomach, gas, bloating, acid, weight gain and sleep disturbance.
According to Ayurveda, dinner should be light, hot, fresh and easily digestible and the quantity of food should be limited. Ayurveda experts advise to consume moong dal khichdi, thin roti or porridge with light pulses and vegetables, vegetable or moong soup and warm milk in the dinner.
Ayurvedacharya explains what kind of food should be avoided. Curd, non-vegetarian food, fried foods, sweets as well as stale food should be avoided at night.
Along with food, there is a need to take special care of the time of eating. Eat your meal within 2-3 hours of sunset and finish eating at least 2 hours before sleeping. With this, food gets digested well and one gets deep sleep. The ideal time is considered to be between 6 to 8 pm.
–IANS
MT/AS