Are u Healthy.

in our last article I asked you to question yourself am I really healthy??. And to differentiate between what u perceive about yourself and what is the truth about yourself a small questionare was provided to you. These questions were about the 8 barometers of your health as defined according to Ayurveda

8 BAROMETERS OF HEALTH which can be easily monitored by yourself. These

indicators helps to be aware. Raising self-awareness about these benchmarks will surely help you to determine am I really healthy?? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Do you feel hungry after about 3-4 hours. Do you experience sound uninterrupted sleep. Do you fresh after getting up in morning Is your skin Soft, clear, fresh. Is your Flexible body without any stiffness. Do you feel energetic and positive. Is there regular and complete clearance of excretory systems i.e stools, urine and sweat. 8. Do you experience balanced state of mind. Answer each question by detailed critical observation. Give yourself 1 mark for each yes and 0 marks for each no. SCORE CARD : 1. Alarming : If your score is less than 4, its alarming !! you need to consult a good doctor. 2. Be aware : if your score is about 5, u are on right path but need to be more aware of what your body says 3. Maintain it : If u find that you are aligned with more than 6 indications, then congratulations to you!!!you need to maintain it. If after the self assesement of your 8 barometers of your health, if you find that your score is less than 4 then you urgently need to get urself a good health guide.

The problem lies here the health guide. This authorative figure varies from person to person. For some of you it might be a friend, for some it might be article, for some it might be internet and many consider themselves as health experts. Some more smart people like you prefer to have such a guide in form of a doctor. Even in such case the problem amplifies, an allopathic doctor will suggest something which might be very different from

a homeopath, similarly a naturopath will advise which might be inappropriate for an allopath. For example : if u are very much troubled by back pain and decides to get advice from the authorities u will surprisingly get different advises for same aliment. Eg; a allopath will advise a operation, a natrupath will advise you a massage, some will say there is imabalance in the bioenegries . I can completely understand your plight. U might have gone through similar experience also. Its really tough to assess what is actually beneficial and what is not. Too much of information available has made everyone informative but very few have gained knowledge from it. And as rightly said half knowledge is always dangerous. So it is very very important (n also challenging) to find a genuine health guide for you. your guiding person should have a holistic approach towards your health and must have deep understanding. If in above test you score more than 5 then I would suggest certain changes in your lifestyle to restore your health. The changes need to be implemented on all three aspects of your life the physical, mental and spiritual aspects. The important physical aspects which need to be considered are food, sleep and lifestyle You might have came across varied kind of opinions and advices regarding food. Again mostly they might be confusing for you. So what is needed is a definite and time tested and proven system of healthcare. Ayurveda has simplified the aspects of food.

So what is an Ayurvedic Diet?

Ayurvedic diet is not really a diet in the typical sense of the word. It does not offer you quick fixes, neither does it have long lists of haves and have nots. Instead, Ayurveda suggests that, to be healthy you need to change your relationship with food which will help you to achieve a healthier life. Ayurved considers eating to be a divine act. Eating is akin to doing a yagna. The digestive fire, Jataragni, is the Lord Krishna himself and while eating we should feel that we are feeding the internal divine within our selves. Lord Krishna in Bhagavad-Gita says:
Aham

vaishvanaro bhutva praaninaam Pranaapana samaayuktah pachaamyannam

dehamaashritah chturvidham

( I stay in all living beings as vaishvanaragni or Digestive fire and digest all four types of food i.e., eatables, chewable, drinkables and likable).

The

Vedas

proclaim

that,

Annam

brahmeti

vyanjanat

Meaning, food is Brahman or the Lord of creation. It is from food that living beings are born. It is with the help of food that living beings are nurtured and stay alive.

Effect of healthy eating:

When one eats the proper measure of the right kind of food, it is digested in a timely manner, thus promoting energy, healthy complexion, strength and complete health. A fesh mind and sharp cognition However, the method by which we eat food determines its effect not only on our body but also our mind.The Jataragni (digestive fire) digests the food that we eat, and is divided into 3 parts. The Sara bhaag (essence) nourishes the dhatus (tissues.)The mala bhaag (the waste) nourishes the mala (the waste of our body).The 'sukshma bhaag' (subtle part) nourishes the mind.Inappropriate eating habits results in damaging sara bagh and sukshma bhaag which ultimately affects body and mind adversely Similarly there are few of the important suggestions for you in ayurveda regarding the eating habits 1. Eat only when genuinely hungry and when your last meal is fully digested (about 36 hours after a main meal) 2. Eat in a quiet and relaxed atmosphere. 3. Do not over eat. 4. Sit quietly for 5-10 minutes at end of each meal 5. Lunch shduld be the main meal of day. Dinner must be the lightest. 6. Avoid meat, fish, yoghurt, cheese after evening. 7. Try to be regular in your meal timings. 8. Eat freshly prepared food avoid stale, reheated food. 9. Raw food should be eaten only as a side dish. 10. Include all 6 tastes in each meal ( sweet, sour,salty,pungent,bitter and astringent) to make it wholesome. 11. Avoid milk and fruits along with main meal. 12. Use pure ghee regularly in food.

If you still are confused try ignorance !! and do exactly opposite of what is written above for 7 days and see the detoriation of your health. But if you are really concerned about your health follow these for 7 days and just experience the positive change.

These are few of the important suggestions regarding food. U will start feeling the difference within few days as soon as you start practising what is preached in Ayurveda. in simple words Ayurveda suggests that you are part of nature and if you need to back to your own best start following nature.

be healthy,