Fitness Through Healthy Eating 

For more than five thousand years, Indians have been practicing ancient Indian healthy habits. But with the modernization of the global world, which focuses on success in different fields such as science and technology, and modern education, we have moved away from ancient Indian healthy fitness habits. 

In today's modern world, due to mental pressure to achieve the goal, and an unhealthy lifestyle, we have all forgotten to pay heed to our health, fitness and nutrition, which are very important for healthy  living. As a result, people are suffering from different kinds of ailments in every age group, whether they are children, young men, women or the elderly.  Keeping in mind all these health issues, we have to bring back the ancient practice of healthy living and healthy eating for a healthy life.

Healthy eating is very important to remain fit and healthy. In fact, the ancient Indian way of eating is indeed helpful in improving overall fitness. If it is not clear whether you are hungry, consider doing either of the following before you begin to eat in the morning:

1. Drink Amala juice (Gooseberry in English) with warm water on an empty stomach in the morning.  It boosts the immune system and promotes overall health.

2.  Drink Allovera Juice with water on an empty stomach in the morning, flushes out the toxins from the body, boosts digestion, and is beneficial for overall health.

3. A brisk walk in the morning is beneficial for physical strength, flexibility and overall health.

4.  Do yoga regularly in the morning at home, preferably in the park, for a healthy body, mind, and soul.

5.  Sit in sunlight in the morning for at least 30 minutes  for a healthy immune system and the body.

• These healthy habits will help to clear your palate, allowing you to better assess your hunger level.

• If you are hungry but you sense your digestive fire is weak, consider having an Ayurvedic appetizer. An appetizer increases your appetite while stocking the digestive fire, thereby improving the digestive capacity. Especially if made fresh and with high-quality ingredients, a couple teaspoons of chutney (an Indian recipe) can add a beneficial supply of antioxidants and zest to your meal. In addition, it can bring elemental balance to your meal by introducing most, if not all, of the six tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent, and astringent) required. Not only will you find your cravings subsiding, but your meal will also be more satisfying.

 

• Try nibbling on a thin slice of fresh ginger root with lime juice and a sprinkle of rock salt to get your digestive juices flowing. Alternatively, consider preparing the chutneys (an Indian tasty recipe) with the following ingredients:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons of fennel seeds.

• 1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin seeds.

• 3 teaspoons of ground coriander.

• 2 tablespoons, minced fresh ginger root.

• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.

• Salt as per taste.

• 1 cup of dates, pitted.

• 3/8 cup of orange juice.

• 1 1/2 cups of raisins.

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to the desired texture.  This Chutney can be eaten with bread and rice.  It is very helpful for digestion and improve overall health.

Healthy Balancing (Chutney) Recipe 

• 1 teaspoon of lime juice.

• 1/3 of orange juice.

• 3/4 cup of chopped peeled ginger root.

• 1/2 cup of raisins.

• Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to the desired texture.

This Chutney can be eaten with bread and rice.  It is very very energetic, helpful for digestion and improve overall health.

Reduce  Stress to Increase Digestive Power Ayurveda, Yoga and Herbs 

• Ayurveda teaches that our bodies contain the wisdom to move balance. A smoothly functioning nervous system aids in the efficient digestion of food. Practicing meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga postures as part of your regular daily routine is exceedingly beneficial for the reduction of anxiety and stress in the body. Consequently, these interventions help to optimize digestion.

• An additional intervention involves making a written or mental record of your energy level and emotional state before and after eating a meal. Healthy food choices will sustain your energy and impart a calm, pleasant mental state. Being able to reflect back on your food choices from today is a good way to discover which ones were nourishing to the body and which were the product of detrimental eating habits.

  A Tasteful Way to Balance Emotions

• Our digestive system speaks to our physiology using tasteful language. The point of the conversation is to access the energetic qualities that the food will bring to physiology. The physiology recognized six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Each taste has a particular effect on the physiology. Every aspect of nature, including taste, is composed of a unique elemental, or biological, distribution. According to Ayurveda, a meal must contain all six tastes in order to keep the physiology in perfect balance. 

• Ayurveda also evaluates food qualities such as temperature (Hot or Cold), density (Light or Heavy), and texture (Oily or Dry) to assess the energetic impact on our bodies.

• According to Ayurveda, taste  conveys and induces emotions. Sweet taste transmits nurturing emotions, which soothes an airy depression.  Pungent taste stimulates the nerves, helping a person break out of an earthy depression.  Sour and salty tastes bring warmth to the physiology, which is why people with an airy depression often reach for food with the power of these tastes.  Bitter and astringent tastes diffuse intensity and add lightness to the physiology; these two tastes, along with sweet taste, benefit individuals who suffer from burning depression.  All of us need all six tastes in various amounts to maintain a balanced physiology.

 Herbs as a Healthy Diet

• In Ayurveda, with a proper diet and lifestyle, there is no need for medicine.  With an improper diet and lifestyle, medicine is of no use.  The importance of nutrition in bringing balance and health to physiology cannot be over emphasized. Food imparts the healing properties of nature.  Food is one of the main ways to keep our physiology in balance and maintain our physical integrity and optimal functioning.

• The body's natural inclination to heal remains active even in the face of disease. Herbs, a particular category of food, are of great help when the healing forces of the body are at their peak.  Herbs can be enlisted to help the physiology achieve its desired goal: wholeness. Herbs support the various systems of physiology and assist the mind-body in moving toward balance. A favorable diet provides the foundation on which the herbs can work; without this foundation, the herbs will have only a limited impact.

• Whether synthetic or natural, most medicines are inspired by nature. 

• Plants have a natural state of balance. They are composed of active and inactive substances. Properly prepared herbs utilize the entire intelligence of the plants.  Herbs work more slowly, but they correct underlying imbalances rather than remove systems.

• How an herb affects the physiology of an individual is intimately related to that individual's physiological imbalances. You should always speak with a health professional who is knowledgeable about the subject before you commit to an herbal regimen. The right herb, taken correctly, can be immensely powerful in helping your physiology move in the desired direction.

• When we are in a state of imbalance, we suffer from a lack of mental clarity and a degree of physiological unrest. Herbs have the ability to bring mental clarity, increased insight, and physical strength so that an individual can engage in undoing stress and depression. Attaining physiological balance allows the unfolding of the finer aspects of our being courage, insight, compassion, and happiness. These qualities will lead a happy and healthy life.

• The people who buy the ayurvedic products, some will benefit from it, others will not, and some will actually be harmed by it. Taking herbs without knowledge is dangerous. Just because something is natural doesn't mean that it cannot have ill effects. Poisonous plants are natural too.

• Herbs are Mother Nature's primary medicine; Ayurveda understands the energetic qualities of herbs in depth. As medicine, herbs are used to fine-tune our nutritional intake. Like food,  they demonstrate their efficacy over time, usually in less time than food, of course.  Herbs also make our immune system strong and healthy.  Unlike food, however, herbs are intended to be used for a limited period only.

Herbal medicine should always be taken with the prescription of an Ayurvedic Doctor.  If you take a prescription from an Ayurvedic Doctor who examines your body first and then prescribes the medicine, it will be really helpful to overcome the disease. So we always keep in mind that we should not take any herbs or herbal medicine without the prescription of an Ayurvedic Doctor.