Diet (PDF)

Diet Therapy

Very few know the relation between diet and health. Allopathy has a casual attitude towards diet. If a patient during illness asks a doctor, the doctor replies ‘eat everything _____ within reason.’

Vegetarian diet from the health point of view has lot of good points. Some choose it because of their religious belief; they feel that animals should not be killed for food but the fact is that; vegetarian diet is highly beneficial for human being. As compared to non-veg, vegetarian diet is easily digestible and contains less fat, sugar and calories. Because of the emphasis on fruits, vegetables and grains, medical experts and nutritionists everywhere in the world now recommend non-vegetarian diets. Some believe that vegetarians are prone to diseases and weaker but the fact is that they are healthier than non-vegetarians. Considering this fact and after experimenting, many omnivorous people throughout the world are now switching over to the vegetarian style of eating.

Ayurveda has stressed the importance of diet in the management of health. According to Ayurveda foods are of three types-phlegm promoting or phlegm destroying, bile promoting or bile destroying and gas promoting or gas destroying. These foods are related to three humors of the body viz. Vata, Pitta and Kapha doshas. According to Ayurveda, proper diet has to be consumed during a particular season. Naturopathy has made a detailed study of merits and demerits of each food and drink. Proper diet is a veritable elixir of life. A proper food must serve two purposes.
The food should supply all essential nutrients to the body and it should maintain the acid-alkali balance in the blood. The essential food elements are water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins and fibers. A balanced diet contains all the food elements needed by the body to keep one healthy. Proteins build tissue, fats and carbohydrates produce energy and heat. Minerals and vitamins are needed for growth, to maintain tissues and regulate body function. A diet lacking in any of the needed food element may cause certain deficiency disease. Both the energy value of food and the energy spend in daily activity are measured in units of heat called “Kilo Calories”. Diets for gaining or losing weight are based on the amount of calories taken into the body in food, and the amount of calories used up in activity. Special diets may be prescribed for people suffering from certain diseases. For example the healthy body needs fruits, vegetables, sugar, but a person with diabetes must limit the use of sugar. Children need special dietary because they grow rapidly and need food not only to replace worn out tissues but also to provide energy and built new tissues. Older people need as many nutrients as children and young adults.