Saptadhatu

                   HOW A PROPER AND ORGANIZED DIET SHOULD BE

                 

            Aahar means food is one of three major shafts (trayopastambha) of the body. Food is responsible for good and bad in body. We all know a healthy diet plays an important role in the maintaining of balance in body and mind too. Ayurveda has stated not only how a diet should be but the habits and manners of how one should take food also. Very small changes can give really good benefits.

              So lets see how a proper and organized diet should be :

           There are six ras (tastes) i.e.shadras of aahar. Each and everything in the universe is made of panchamahabhutas. Shadras are no option to this principle. Each ras is panchabhautik. But, a ras has higher concentration of the two  of panchamahabhutas than others.

Ras	Predominant mahabhuta
Madhur i.e. sweet	Prithvi (earth), aap (water)
Amla i.e. sour	Prithvi, agni (heat)
Lavana i.e. salty	Agni, jal
Tikta i.e. bitter	Akash (vaccum), vayu(air)
Katu i.e. pungent	Agni, vayu
Kashay i.e. astringent	Prithvi, vayu

The importance of predominance of mahabhuta in different ras is understood during the use of particular ras-dominated foods and medicines in treatment aspects. We will go through it later.

                   So, specific taste of any food item comes under these shadras.

Shadrasatmak ahaar :

Due to panchabhautik predominance, every ras has a particular function in body, without which no other can play that role. According to ayurveda a healthy diet should include all the shadras, though the changes should be done in diet according to rutu (season and climate) and  various habitats, cultures, etc. But a balanced diet is a combination of all ras.

                                                                                                                                  Appropriate ways to have food :

One should eat freshly prepared, not too spicy, not too salty, food suitable for his/her prakriti not too fast, not too slow, with a quite and cool mind and a positive attitude towards the effects of food on body in a hygienic place.

Practically this is not possible always and everywhere, but a try should be done to maintain this for ourself. Because each of the above condition has a its own impact on the digestion and so on the effects of food on the body.

Matra i.e. amount of the food

The matra of the food has got an immense importance in maintainance of health.

The food with improper amount either more or less is responsible for ruining the health. The amount of food that after ingestion doesn’t make the movements uncomfortable and doesn’t alter flexibility of body is ideal. Ayurveda has favoured Mitaahar i.e. a habit of moderate amount of diet. A diet in moderate amount holds the advantages of improving strength, restoring healthy status of body as well as of mind. Very low amount of food doesn’t provide strength and immunity and food more than enough quantity destroys healthy life slowly.

          Its not just the food that decides characters of healthy body and mind, but it depends on Jatharahagni of an individual. We will go through it later. Thank you. stay healthy.