The Golden Rules of Ayurvedic Eating
Do’s
- Choose wholesome foods that look fresh and colourful, and try to buy organic where possible.
- Eat only when hungry
- Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly
- Eat only ¾ of your capacity
- Eat calmly and consciously and only when emotionally balanced
- Allow time in between meals so that you can digest the last meal properly before you eat again.
- Mid-day meals should be the main meal of the day as this is when digestive ‘fire’ is at its peak. Allowing 4-6 hours between lunch and dinner and eating a light evening meal.
- Take time to relax after eating.
- Sip room temperature water with meals.
- Eat fresh local grown foods whenever you can.
Don’ts
- Avoid eating stale and leftover food, as it is the biggest source of oxidants
- Do not eat fruits immediately after meals.
- Do not drink large amounts of water just before/after meals; take a little amount of water with food if required.
- Avoid overeating as well as under eating
- Do not skip meals because it can aggravate the liver and bile secretions. And do not eat if you don’t feel hungry, and if it is during meals time – you can have fruits or water.
- Do not eat food too quickly; chew it properly.
- Avoid swimming, running, stair climbing and sex just after having food (any physical activity).
- Do not divide your attention by reading, watching TV, working while eating food.
- Regular daily elimination is must.
- Avoid taking milk or yogurt with sour or citrus fruits.
- Avoid eating fruits together with potatoes or other starchy foods.
- Avoid eating melons and grains together.
- Honey should never be cooked. Honey digests slowly when cooked and the molecules become a non-homogenized glue which adheres to mucous membranes and clogs subtle channels, producing toxins. Uncooked honey is nectar. Cooked honey is poison.
- Do not eat meat protein and milk protein together. Meat is heating and milk is cooling so they counteract one another, disturb agni and produce ama.
- Milk and melons should not be eaten together. Both are cooling, but milk is laxative and melon is diuretic, and milk requires more time for digestion.