The Kerala Ayurveda

Healthy Diet

Ayurveda is a very vast and ancient medical science. Unlike other medical sciences, instead of focusing on treatment of any particular disease, Ayurveda focuses more on the healthy living and well being. For healthy living, Ayurveda emphasizes on consuming right kind of diet which is healthy and nutritious. According to Ayurveda, there are positive and negative attributes of diet. Since, Ayurveda deals with a holistic approach to healing; it covers the diet factor in depth. In Ayurveda, food is considered not only as mixture of the basic ingredients like proteins, vitamins, fats and carbohydrates, but something, which serves as a source of energy for mind and soul.

Types Of Food

Diet is considered to be vital for a human body as it provides the basic nutrients, which are necessary to carry out the basic activities of digestion and metabolism. Ayurveda has categorized food into three types based on its basic quality-the Satvic or spiritual quality, Rajasic or active quality, and Tamasic or material quality. It is said that whatever food we eat affects our mind in accordance with its basic quality. Satvic food is enriching and elevating while Rajasic food has a basic tendency to provoke man to a materialistic and selfish way of living. Tamasic food is one, which leads to a devilish streak in a person.

No Single Diet

Though different kinds of diet are suggested in Ayurveda, there is no specific diet which can be said to be ideal for every human body. It is because every human being has a different body structure and digestive system. There are various factors that need to be kept in mind while working out the ideal diet for every individual as it will be distinctly different based on the person's specific constitutional characteristics. However there are certain points given below that you must keep in concern while consuming any food:

Nutritional quality of the food and benefits of in taking it.
Awareness of the alterations that might takes place in its nutritional value, with time.
The effects of combining foods - proper and improper combinations as suggested by Ayurveda
The quantity of a particular food that is healthy to intake.
Difference in the time while consumption of two different kind of food items.
The places and climatic condition where the food is grown prepared and consumed.
The effect of consuming the food in a particular season.
Use of artificial flavors, chemicals, preservatives and colors

Good Food Habits

Other than what you intake, there are certain other factors that are mandatory to be inculcated in your food habit if you want to remain healthy and active for a long time. Some of them are given below-

Skipping meal is one habit that should be strictly avoided as it strains your digestive system. If skipping meal becomes a regular phenomenon it can lead to chronic hyperacidity, gastritis and duodenal ulcers.
Eating in excess and before the normal time and interval may lead to indigestion, obesity, and anorexia.
Consuming less fluid that required also leads to indigestion and acidity.
Drinking of water between meals should be avoided.