This Ancient Ayurvedic Diet Plan Is More Scientific Than You Think
The 5000-year-old approach to healthy eating
Whenever my family members mention anything hocus-pocus and present their baseless religious assertions as universal truths, I am quick to rebel. And as a medical student raised in a Hindu family, my normal reaction when anyone suggested anything related to Ayurveda was to shrug it off as pseudo-science. Even now, I find it difficult to believe in anything that lacks scientific evidence.
After ‘literally’ drinking gallons of turmeric milk upon my mother’s insistence during this pandemic, I felt compelled to do my own research on the topic. Interestingly, I stumbled across a 5000-year-old diet plan which somehow convinced me of the richness of Ayurveda.
The Three Types of Diets as per Ayurveda
Ayurveda has classified diets into three categories:
- Sattvic diet- ‘Sattvic’ in Ayurveda refers to qualities of purity and non-violence. So, a vegetarian diet consisting of fresh fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and herbs is considered Sattvic. Surprisingly, dairy products also come under a Sattvic diet in Ayurveda. It is because Hindus worship the cow as a ‘mother’ because she gives us milk. Hence, Ayurveda considers ‘fresh’ milk obtained from a cow ‘treated with love and respect’ as Sattvic.
- Rajasic diet- ‘Rajasic’ means king-like qualities. Rajasic diets consist of energy giving foods. Fried vegetables, pickles, spices are some foods that come under this category.
- Tamasic diet- ‘Tamasic’ means full of dullness or inertia. All junk and processed foods, meat, fermented products, and alcohol come under this category. These foods are considered to deplete one’s energy. Ayurveda advises against consuming these foods.
Ayurveda on The Right Time To Eat
Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. — Ayurveda
This ancient Hindu text claims that the digestive ‘fire’ of the human body is maximum when the Sun is at its peak. It recommends not eating anything after the sun has set as it claims that the digestive fire burns low after sunset. While there is clearly no scientific evidence backing this claim, this way of eating does have its benefits.
Eat breakfast like a king
While most people get confused that eating like a king means making breakfast the biggest meal of the day, Ayurveda has a slightly different connotation to this statement. A king is usually old (provided that there is already a mention of the prince). So a king has to take special care of his diet plan. He has to consume rich sources of protein and nutrition-dense foods like fruits and nuts. So our breakfast should comprise nutrition-dense foods, rich in protein and low in carbs as per Ayurveda.
Even scientific research suggests that avoiding carbohydrates and consuming protein for breakfast is linked to better attention, improvement in glucose levels, and improved mood. Eating like a king and being selective about breakfast could thus be beneficial in the long run.
Eat lunch like a prince
A stereotypical prince is usually young and energetic, is involved in intense activities, and requires high bouts of energy. For lunch, Ayurveda recommends eating like a prince and consuming foods that are rich sources of carbohydrates. Further, if you’re thinking of giving yourself an extra-treat by having that slice of pizza or that black-forest cake, Ayurveda says the lunch is the best time to do it.
One reason for this might be to provide us with glucose to keep up to high energy demands during the day. And even if we tend to over-eat in lunch, the constant activity in the day can use up the extra energy and prevent weight gain.
Eat dinner like a pauper
Ayurveda advises against consuming anything after sunset. Therefore, in an Ayurvedic diet, dinner is consumed right before sunset. An example of eating like a pauper could be having just a bowl of soup for dinner. Ayurveda strictly advises against overeating or consuming high calorie-diet for dinner.
Lavish dinner right before sleep could overwork our digestive system at night. The food content is likely to regurgitate at night and this can lead to feelings of heartburn and acid reflux disease. Further, the spike in glucose levels after a sumptuous meal can interfere with our sleep quality. Thus eating like a pauper for dinner is probably one of the best dietary advice that Ayurveda imparted ages ago.
Obviously, we have our own timetables for everything. This ancient diet plan is easy to follow for a morning-person. But, if you start your day at around 9 A.M, and have your breakfast later in the day, this diet plan might not be the best for you.
However, there is no one perfect diet plan that doctors claim to work for everyone. In fact, dietary advice has changed a lot over the past few decades. The idea for what works and what doesn’t is bound to change over the years to come as researchers unveil more secrets about how our body operates.
Anyway, this ancient advice on healthy-eating challenges skeptics like myself to let go of preconceived notions about Ayurveda. While I know for sure that turmeric alone doesn’t ward off the coronavirus, I am somehow compelled to respect our ancestors for the insights they possessed as early as 5000 years ago.
