Prevention of diseases through healthy Food habits

Nutrition plays a very important role in maintaining over all good health. Following a healthy diet promote healing with out medication and helpful in prevention of diseases also. Siddhars like Thiruvalluvar considered and equated food to medicine decades back to create the importance of nutrition. But today due to life style changes people are prone to diseases and sufferings. Even after consuming numerous pills daily they are unaware of the importance of nutrition and healthy food.

Food should always be regular and balanced. Irregular dietery habits leads to derrangement of three humours (Vatha, Pitha and Kapha), Seven physical constituents (Saram, Chenneer, Oon, Kozhuppu, Enbu, Moolai, Sukilam, or Sronitham), Three excretas (Faeces, Urine and Sweat) hence diseases occur. This is the basic concept of Siddha Medicine regarding food habits. A diet containing all six tastes (Sweet, Astrigent, Pungent, Bitter, Salty and Sour) is a balanced diet.

Similarly digestion is very important aspect. It is well highlighted in the Pathartha Guna Chinthamani that we should consume food only half of stomach, liquid qaurter of stomach and always leave qaurter stomach empty to promote proper digestion of food. Fasting once a week or practicing of taking meal once a day atleast once a week is very good for digestive system and removes indigestion.

“Food as medicine“, is well explained in Thirukkural, about healthy eating habits and prevention of diseases. Siddhar Thiruvalluvar through his vision and experience explained specific rules or habits for the benefit of mankind, the value of which is realised only now in the present generation when Life style diseases have created havoc everywhere.

The amount of food should always be according to a persons appetite. One should always consume food only after the compete digestion of previously eaten food. Food should never be consumed during excessive hunger, anger or grief. Food should never be taken full stomach. Excess food, untimely food, overcooked food, illcooked food, unhygienic food, over fried food and very light fried foods should be avoided for people of all age groups. A person who wishes to reduce weight should always drink a glass of water before food to prevent over eating even if he or she is very hungry.

People never bothers about the utensils used in cooking and serving food. There are traditional healthy ways of cooking and eating formulated by our Siddhars and ancestors, but are replaced by chinawares and fork as seen on dining table in every house today. Eating in plantain leaf gives good health. It cures indigestion and improves apetite. Eating in plates of Gold, Silver and pure bronze are good but earthen plates are the best. Food of sour tastes should not be cooked in copper and brass vessels as they cause metallic toxicity. Copper and brass vessels should be coated with tin to prevent toxicity.

Healthy food and Avoidable ones :

Food including fruits, high fiber contents, vegetables, cereals, pulses, fish, meat etc should be a part of our meal. Rice varieties like Mani samba is good for diabetic patients, Jeeraka samba and Kuntrimani samba are good for Vatha ailments. The gruels prepared from Rice, Wheat, Oats, is a very important part of diet. Various gruels like Jeeraka Kanji, Uluva kanji, Pal kanji, Nalikera kanji, Kanji with medicinal powders, Nei Kanji, Njavara Kanji etc are enriched with medicinal values and very healthy for patients during medication and pathiyam.

Greens have always played a major role in providing health. Today with Urbanisation, a trend of fast food and spicy taste has influenced so much that majority of people dislikes eating greens, weather old, men or woman. But one of the healthiest friendly food is greens. Packed with nutrients and vitamins, low in Calories, greens provide beauty and health to all age groups. When taken raw, the nutrition value doubles. Greens like spinach, lettuce, basil (Tulsi), Mint etc are a store house of medicinal values. Lettuce contains Folic acid, Manganese, Chromium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Vitamin E which is very healthy. Mint is helpful in kapha ailments and abdominal ailments. Spinach has high antioxidant values.