Relaxed Meals for Good Health

The following tips on healthy eating are simple and yet very effective. If your eating and dietary habits are substantially different from these, introduce the Ayurvedic guidelines gradually. These tips are for educational purposes only and should not be used to treat, diagnose or mitigate a disease. If you are under the care of a doctor check with her/him the suitability for you of these suggestions.

• Eat only when genuinely hungry and when your last meal is fully digested (about 3-6 hours after a main meal).
• Eat in a quiet and relaxed atmosphere. While eating you should not read, work or watch television. Always sit down to eat.
• Do not over eat. After eating, the stomach should be only up to 3/4 full.
• Sit quietly for 5-10 minutes at the end of each meal
• Lunch should be the main meal of the day. Breakfast and evening meals should be light. The evening meal should not be taken too late.
• In the evening avoid heavy foods such as meat, fish, yoghurt, cheese, buttermilk and fromage frais.
• Try to be regular in your meal times. Eat at the same times each day.
• Avoid eating between meals. Instead drink hot water, or if necessary eat ripe sweet fruit.
• Food should be freshly prepared; it should be wholesome and should taste good. Avoid reheated or stale food.
• Most of one's food should be cooked, as the body can more easily absorb cooked food. Raw food should be eaten only as a side dish (e. g. salad).
• Make use of culinary spices. They not only make the food tasty, but support the digestive processes as well.
• Include all 6 tastes in each meal: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. The tastes also have their own influence on the subtle inner balance of the physiology.
• During meals you may sip liquids such as water, juice or lassi. Do not drink a lot and avoid ice-cold drinks - they dampen down the digestive processes.
• Milk should not be drunk with the main meal. It can be taken alone or with a light meal of sweet tasting foods (e.g. toast, cereals etc). Minimise food of other tastes.
• Honey should not be heated above body temperature (40 degrees C) and therefore should not be used in cooking or baking.
• Take appropriate food supplements as required.