Nine tips for healthy eating

Nine simple rules of healthy eating from the Ayurvedic texts that are still relevant today:

1. One should always eat food in proper quantity. The quantity depends on your power of digestion. (therefore it will be different for each person)
2. Food taken in proper quantity gives strength, good complexion, happiness, and longevity.?
3. Eating too little when digestive power (Agni) is high or overeating when it is low both create imbalances/diseases of the body and mind.
4. Digestive power (Agni) is most robust during winter and weakest in summer. Not eating enough when the weather is cold, and overeating when it is hot can disturb the equilibrium of the body.
5. If the food is heavy, it should be eaten to 3/4th of the stomach capacity. You can consume light foods until satiety, but one should not eat them excessively just because they are light.
6. Diet should be pleasing to the person taking it. Only diets and foods whose colour, smell, taste, and touch are pleasing to the senses are conducive to good health and promote mental and physical health of that person.
7. Foods which a person does not like are called Viruddha Ahara, and their continued use can be detrimental. Especially in people who are old, sick, unwell, and don't exercise.?
8. Eating foods you are not habituated to can create imbalances too. Instead, one should make any dietary change gradually by systematically adding/systematically foods.
9. Eat per your personality – the body first creates healthy cravings to maintain equilibrium and balance. Ignoring/suppressing such urges or unmindful living eventually turns them into unhealthy or wayward cravings like the desire for food that has taste but no nutrition. For instance, a Pitta personality on a low-carb diet will have much stronger sweet/sugar cravings than a Kapha personality

I hope this was some helpful food for thought.?

Someone recently asked me how they can improve concentration, which will be my next article's topic. If you would like me to take up any specific topic, please share in the comments, and I'll take it up in one of these articles.

Namita Piparaiya?is a former corporate executive, she spent over a decade, from management trainee to business head, with leading MNCs including Citibank, Aviva, and Generali. She is now the founder of Yoganama Wellness. The Well-Balanced Newsletter is her initiative to bring practical wellness tips to the workplace.