Eat Right Food to Stay Healthy
Eat Right Food to Stay Healthy
According to Ayurveda – ‘Traya Upsta®bha iti - Âh³ra¡, svapno, brahmacaryamiti ….’ (That is, there are three supports of life - food, sleep, and celibacy.) The gross physical body is called annamaya kosha or the food body, because it is nourished by food and grows by absorbing the nutrients and energy from the food.
Therefore, food is verily the most important basis of a happy and healthy life. Srimadbhagavadgita (17/8/10) classifies food into three categories: s³ttvika, r³jasika, and t³masika. S³ttvik food has been defined as: Âyu¡ satvabal³rogyasukhaprºtivivardhan³¡ | Rasy³¡ snigdh³¡ sthir³ h•dy³ ³h³r³¡ s³tvikapriy³¡||
(Meaning – The food that enhances lifespan, intelligence, strength, good health and happiness; which augments love, is juicy in nature, which stays in the body and by its very nature is pleasing to the mind – such a food is dear to s³ttvika people.) Such a food is the best for the body. The Gita defines r³jasik food as the one that is bitter, sour, salty, very hot, full of chilly, dry and acidic; it produces sorrows, worries and diseases. Similarly, half cooked, foul smelling, without natural juices, stale, left over and rejected food is called t³masik food. In the present times, s³ttvik food has become rare and t³masik and r³jasik food have got proliferated everywhere. Most food products available today are prepared to please taste buds; there is no consideration given to how unhealthy they may be for people who consume them.
The markets and hotels are inundated with food products which are instilled with ingredients to augment taste. Even foreign companies are now investing huge amounts of money in food industry. These products are extremely attractive to look at and are very tasty as well but are harmful for health. Food has also become a matter of prestige now. People like to show off their wealth by consuming only branded foods.
These food products get a lot of publicity through advertisements on TV which entices the viewers to get addicted to these. In the Encyclopaedia of Junk Food and Fast Food Andrew Smith has described junk foods as the products which are basically created for commercial purposes and are very low on nutrition. These products are high on calories and have excessive fat, sugar and salt content. The latter are added to enhance taste. Candies, fried bakery items, pastries, cakes, different types of namkeens, ice-creams and drinks are some of the popular junk foods. These also are very low on nutrition and contain excessive fine flour (maida), due to which they stick into intestines and create constipation. And, Ayurveda says that constipation is the genesis of all kinds of diseases. These modern foods have become very popular, but people are totally unaware of the harmful effects they have on our body.
A latest scientific study has found that excess of junk food causes a great damage to neurons in our brains. These brain cells once damaged cannot be replenished and their destruction creates a number of diseases related to the brain. Excessive consumption of junk food leads to loss of memory, headache, heaviness in the eyes, fatigue, obesity, constipation, acidity etc. A research study was published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2011 related to junk foods.
In this study healthy people were given junk food for 5 days and were subjected to tests thereafter. It was found that there was a clear reduction in their cognitive abilities like memory and attention. In order to make junk food tasty, several specific chemicals are added and these affect the hippocampus region of our brain. Since hippocampus is related to memory and attention, it gets severely affected by such food products. In a research study conducted by Brown University it was found that junk foods contain excessive amounts of fats and sugar.
Both these reduce the activities of Brain Derived Neuropeptic Factors (BDNF), alternatively known as brain peptides. These peptides play an important role in the ability of brain to learn and remember. Since junk foods affect these peptides, learning and memorizing functions of the brain are adversely affected. Professor Suzanne de la Monte, a famous neurologist at Brown University also conducted a study to understand the effects of junk food. She has found that eating junk foods is a very strong causative factor for diabetes and also results in the Alzheimer’s disease.
They also cause other mental ailments like depression, stress etc. Polluted foods are the main reasons for reduction of our life spans. Our eating habits too are in disarray. If our food is good, our brain will develop well and mind will get steady and balanced. Our Rishis of yore had given this sutra – May you live for hundred years.
And they said not just stay alive, they added – may your eyes see for hundred years, you ears hear and your voice speak for hundred years, may you maintain good health for hundred years. This is possible only when our eating habits and life styles are refined and balanced. Our kitchens are amazing chemical laboratories to try out various experiments. In this laboratory we prepare many nutritious food items rich in medicinal values as well. We must cook foods here that satiate our hunger, give us good health, increase our lifespan, and calm our minds. It has been proven that homes where pure and good s³ttvik food is prepared regularly and family members feel happy after eating, in such homes fights are infrequent and love grows steadily.
A hungry and dissatisfied person remains disturbed and also troubles others. He gets angry easily and remains irritated, but when he gets good food he becomes calm and balanced. So we must eat food that increases our life expectancy, gives us a balanced mind, gives energy, nutrition, health, and increases happiness and love. Such foods are the best.
In this regard, Pujya Gurudev has given us a right advice [1]: In order to maintain good health, there is need to consciously make it a practice to (1) select proper eatables (2) eat in a proper way (3) do appropriate physical exercise and (4) manage the daily routine properly. If the mind is kept alert and the routine is practiced carefully, it will become a habit; and once a person becomes habitual of these four activities, it should be considered that she / he has conquered her / his health.
References [1] Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya: ‘Rejuvenation without medicines’ (Pub: Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust (TMD), Shantikunj, Haridwar (2011)
According to Ayurveda – ‘Traya Upsta®bha iti - Âh³ra¡, svapno, brahmacaryamiti ….’ (That is, there are three supports of life - food, sleep, and celibacy.) The gross physical body is called annamaya kosha or the food body, because it is nourished by food and grows by absorbing the nutrients and energy from the food.
Therefore, food is verily the most important basis of a happy and healthy life. Srimadbhagavadgita (17/8/10) classifies food into three categories: s³ttvika, r³jasika, and t³masika. S³ttvik food has been defined as: Âyu¡ satvabal³rogyasukhaprºtivivardhan³¡ | Rasy³¡ snigdh³¡ sthir³ h•dy³ ³h³r³¡ s³tvikapriy³¡||
(Meaning – The food that enhances lifespan, intelligence, strength, good health and happiness; which augments love, is juicy in nature, which stays in the body and by its very nature is pleasing to the mind – such a food is dear to s³ttvika people.) Such a food is the best for the body. The Gita defines r³jasik food as the one that is bitter, sour, salty, very hot, full of chilly, dry and acidic; it produces sorrows, worries and diseases. Similarly, half cooked, foul smelling, without natural juices, stale, left over and rejected food is called t³masik food. In the present times, s³ttvik food has become rare and t³masik and r³jasik food have got proliferated everywhere. Most food products available today are prepared to please taste buds; there is no consideration given to how unhealthy they may be for people who consume them.
The markets and hotels are inundated with food products which are instilled with ingredients to augment taste. Even foreign companies are now investing huge amounts of money in food industry. These products are extremely attractive to look at and are very tasty as well but are harmful for health. Food has also become a matter of prestige now. People like to show off their wealth by consuming only branded foods.
These food products get a lot of publicity through advertisements on TV which entices the viewers to get addicted to these. In the Encyclopaedia of Junk Food and Fast Food Andrew Smith has described junk foods as the products which are basically created for commercial purposes and are very low on nutrition. These products are high on calories and have excessive fat, sugar and salt content. The latter are added to enhance taste. Candies, fried bakery items, pastries, cakes, different types of namkeens, ice-creams and drinks are some of the popular junk foods. These also are very low on nutrition and contain excessive fine flour (maida), due to which they stick into intestines and create constipation. And, Ayurveda says that constipation is the genesis of all kinds of diseases. These modern foods have become very popular, but people are totally unaware of the harmful effects they have on our body.
A latest scientific study has found that excess of junk food causes a great damage to neurons in our brains. These brain cells once damaged cannot be replenished and their destruction creates a number of diseases related to the brain. Excessive consumption of junk food leads to loss of memory, headache, heaviness in the eyes, fatigue, obesity, constipation, acidity etc. A research study was published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2011 related to junk foods.
In this study healthy people were given junk food for 5 days and were subjected to tests thereafter. It was found that there was a clear reduction in their cognitive abilities like memory and attention. In order to make junk food tasty, several specific chemicals are added and these affect the hippocampus region of our brain. Since hippocampus is related to memory and attention, it gets severely affected by such food products. In a research study conducted by Brown University it was found that junk foods contain excessive amounts of fats and sugar.
Both these reduce the activities of Brain Derived Neuropeptic Factors (BDNF), alternatively known as brain peptides. These peptides play an important role in the ability of brain to learn and remember. Since junk foods affect these peptides, learning and memorizing functions of the brain are adversely affected. Professor Suzanne de la Monte, a famous neurologist at Brown University also conducted a study to understand the effects of junk food. She has found that eating junk foods is a very strong causative factor for diabetes and also results in the Alzheimer’s disease.
They also cause other mental ailments like depression, stress etc. Polluted foods are the main reasons for reduction of our life spans. Our eating habits too are in disarray. If our food is good, our brain will develop well and mind will get steady and balanced. Our Rishis of yore had given this sutra – May you live for hundred years.
And they said not just stay alive, they added – may your eyes see for hundred years, you ears hear and your voice speak for hundred years, may you maintain good health for hundred years. This is possible only when our eating habits and life styles are refined and balanced. Our kitchens are amazing chemical laboratories to try out various experiments. In this laboratory we prepare many nutritious food items rich in medicinal values as well. We must cook foods here that satiate our hunger, give us good health, increase our lifespan, and calm our minds. It has been proven that homes where pure and good s³ttvik food is prepared regularly and family members feel happy after eating, in such homes fights are infrequent and love grows steadily.
A hungry and dissatisfied person remains disturbed and also troubles others. He gets angry easily and remains irritated, but when he gets good food he becomes calm and balanced. So we must eat food that increases our life expectancy, gives us a balanced mind, gives energy, nutrition, health, and increases happiness and love. Such foods are the best.
In this regard, Pujya Gurudev has given us a right advice [1]: In order to maintain good health, there is need to consciously make it a practice to (1) select proper eatables (2) eat in a proper way (3) do appropriate physical exercise and (4) manage the daily routine properly. If the mind is kept alert and the routine is practiced carefully, it will become a habit; and once a person becomes habitual of these four activities, it should be considered that she / he has conquered her / his health.
References [1] Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya: ‘Rejuvenation without medicines’ (Pub: Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust (TMD), Shantikunj, Haridwar (2011)
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Page Titles
- Amrit Chintan
- The Need for Conservation of Shakti : The Creative Energy
- Earth is Indeed Our Mother
- Eat Right Food to Stay Healthy
- Astonishing Power of the Eternal Element of Sound
- Astrology - The Science of Planetary Influences on Human Life
- Foundational Values and Tenets of Indian Culture
- Abandon Blind Faiths and Customs
- Establish yourself in Yoga and perform action as per Yugadharma
- Reflections on the Pilgrimage - 2
- Let’s Resolve to Fight Air Pollution
- Akhand Jyoti’ Begins Its Journey - 3 Place of publication shifted to Mathura
- Live in the Present and Shape the Future
- Rhythm of Life should be Harmonious
- Theism, Spirituality, and Religion - 2
- Rejuvenation of Our Rivers: A Dire Need
- The Quartet of Inner Senses and the Science of Atma-S³dhan³
