What we eat, how we eat, what we do, how we do our routine activities have impact on our health. Even getting up and going to bed early or late affects our health. With the changing times, many trends, which are not in tune with the ideology of Ayurveda, have managed to get established as a part of our life style. For instance, it is generally advocated that leafy vegetables should be a part of our life style routine diet. Sushruta Samhita says that Shakas (leafy vegetables) are heavy and are difficult to digest. It seems that the excessive use of leafy vegetables has been advocated by western countries where non-vegetarian is the routine diet. For them excessive use of leafy vegetables may be useful.
Another deviated trend in our society is taking honey after mixing it with hot water to check obesity. Similarly some people use honey as a jam with bread, after warming it. All Ayurveda texts strongly contra-indicate the heating of honey or its use with hot things. Moreover new honey is recommended for weight gaining and old honey is advised for weight reduction.
Similarly use of curd in summer is considered good by most of the people. Ayurvedic texts strongly deny its use in summer, spring and autumn season. Its use in any season in night is a taboo. It should be used only with honey, amla etc.
Rainy season is considered as a blessing for taste lovers. Come rainy day, use of pakoda, samosa, pizza, burger or other fried foodstuff etc. gets enhanced. Ayurveda guides that the status of digestive power is weak in rainy season and only light diet should be taken.
It is believed that light diet helps to check obesity. However, according to Charaka heavy and saturating diet is useful in obesity. Use of salty snacks like bhujia etc. is increasing day by day. Most of them contain ‘soda’ or alkalis in them, which is the cause of impotency in males, according to Charaka.
It is generally said that use of excessive water clears the body internally. However Ashtang Sangreh (a 6th century text of Ayurveda) advises that use of water in diseases like thirst sleep, abdominal distension, cough, heaviness in the body, nausea, asthma, cold, piles, abdominal diseases edema etc. should be minimum. Another deviated trend is that most of people take water at the end of the meal. Water taken at the end of the meal causes obesity while before the meal checks obesity.
Mango and Banana shakes are considered as delicious drinks these days. According to Charaka, use of mango, banana with milk is an incompatible food causing various diseases. Similarly use of salt with milk is strongly restricted.
Taking bath with hot water is considered convenient, but using hot water for head bath is not good for head and eyes.
Similarly there are many other deviated trends that are flourishing due to ignorance. Checking of such trends will add life to the people.
Ayurveda postulates that the person who eats without doing exercise, in fact he kills him self little by little. The ignorance the nature of body and requirements related to body health is the fashion of modern life and this tendency is spreading over the world in addition to these activities, new diseases are being reported gradually.
Keep away from this languor and perform yoga-asana and physical exercises regularly, take healthy provisions and than enjoy a healthy life.
The Vedic life style helps to keep a person mentally, physically and spiritually fit, now this is not myth. This fact is now established as a scientific truth.
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Editor: -
JAY(Journal of Ayurveda and Yoga.)
Mail –
info@ayurvedic-healings.com
About the writer: -
Dr. Anup. K. Gakkhar,
Editor- Ayurveda For Total Health,
Reader, Dayanand Ayurvedic College,
Jalandhar.
9876124006,0181-2400688.
