Can food increase “natural immunity” in a person?
The concept of Balanced diet in Ayurveda is totally different from modern scientific methods. Ayurveda system has widely described the concept of food and nutrition as it considers that the root cause of every disease is due to low digestive power of our body. One cannot comment that a particular food is good or bad considering their functional effect as it depends on the factors such as constitution of the food, constitution of the person who consumes it, circumstances, volume of consumption, age, time of consuming, geographic area, climatic condition, way of consumption and
mode of preparation. The same food item can be nourishing or pathogenic or medicinal depending upon the above-mentioned factors.
According to Ayurveda “Food is the greatest medicine in the universe”. Human body needs food to maintain positive health and also to prevent diseases. Man is also a part of nature consists of five elements i.e. Aap, Teja, Vayu, Prithvi, Akasha. So, the food taken by that man should also consist of the same elements which means it should be natural to have a proper digestion. It directs people to avoid artificial food items to gain the best benefit of the food.
Next important point regarding food is “Proper quantity”. It varies from person to person and depends on the power of digestion and metabolism as well as heaviness or lightness of the food. The food which is consumed in the proper quantity and quality helps in giving strength, beauty and longevity. If someone consumes food without proper quality and quantity, it causes a toxic substance called “Ama” which decreases the body’s natural immunity. Modern scientists have discovered a toxic substance in the body called “Free radicals” which causes the degeneration of body cells and causes many diseases which are major health hazards in the present world i.e. Arthritis, Heart diseases, obesity, hypertension, Autoimmune diseases, Degenerative joint disorders and various types of cancers. According to the Ayurveda, all the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are aroused due to “Ama”. Ayurveda introduces very simple and effective theories about Food and Nutrition and emphasizes the importance of proper digestive power as low digestion causes “Ama” which leads to diseases. There are many factors which help to cause “Ama” & ultimately cause various disease i.e overeating, frequent consumption of dairy products & food items containing more animal fat, eating food which are void of vitamins, minerals & fibers, over consumption of red meat and deep fried foods, living in a stressful situation, leading a sedentary life are few of them.
According to Ayurveda, proper quantity of food is prescribed to be taken depending upon the stomach capacity and it depends on the person. One third of the stomach should be filled with solid food, another one third should be filled with liquids and rest should be kept empty. If the food does not causes flatulence, distended abdomen, if there’s no any discomfort in the chest area after eating, if the food relieve the hunger, if the person is comfortable with all body functions like sitting, standing, walking, sleeping, inhaling, exhaling, laughing and talking after eating, that quantity of food said to be the proper quantity for that person.
There are more factors to be considered when consuming food. The rule of a Balanced-diet is on the top of the all. The food should be composed of all six tastes i.e. Madhura, Amla, Lavana, Katu, Tikta, Kashaya are said to be the Balanced-diet. And the other factors are warmness of food, nctuousness of food, taking food only on digestion of previous meal, not in a hurry, not too slow, neither with talking or laughing, intake with full concentration, eating in a proper place and circumstances and consuming food which are non-antagonistic. A good proper diet is worth more than a hundred medicines and no amount of medication can do good to a person who does not observe a strict regimen of diet.
Dr Sachini Aththanayaka BAMS (Hons), Adv. Dip. In Natural Beauty Therapy
Ayurvedic Medical Practitioner
