The Pillars of Ayurveda: Nutrition or Aahara!

We told you about the three pillars of Ayurveda, which form the foundation of this ancient science. So let's start with the most obvious one of the three, which many would consider as the most important one - The food we eat.

Aahara might be interpreted as what we eat, but in reality, it is much more than that. It includes everything that we take in or ingest - which might not only be food. Everything - the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the thoughts we think or the water we drink - all this form the Aahara to our body and mind.

• As far as the food is concerned, Ayurveda has one simple rule - eat only when you're hungry and don't chew more than you can swallow.
• Also, one should preferably eat Sattvik foods as opposed to Rajasic or Tamasic.
• Foods should be eaten as per the season or the climate, as well as considering the predominant Dosha of the person.
• Food isn't good or bad - but what we need to figure out is what's good for us and what's bad for us! What's nutrition to one person might create Ama or toxins for another.
• Everyone has a different digestive fire, and one should work their diet according to their body - not the other way around.

How the food is eaten is also very important. Ayurveda says that food should be eaten in a calm and composed manner, with no distractions. That is the reason why Ayurveda does not recommend eating while reading or doing some other activity, like maybe watching television. One should also not talk too much or laugh during eating food. Yes, our senses also have a role to play while we eat. We should be able to smell, taste and feel the food - which is the proper way to ingest it in a wholesome manner.

Along with proper food and meals, intake of water is also a very important factor. Staying hydrated aids our bodily functions and also helps us cope with the season or the weather. This also comes under Aahara. We should make sure that the water we drink is pure, and Ayurveda strongly recommends drinking lukewarm water instead of refrigerated, which can lead to trouble in the body.

Like we mentioned earlier, the air we breathe also comes under Aahara, and like the food and water, we should make sure that the air is clean and not polluted. While the pollution in the air is out of our personal control, we can make sure that we do not willingly pollute our bodies through smoking.

Our thoughts come next. What we see, what we perceive and what we think of situations also come under Aahara. Ayurveda warns us not to watch or read too many things that are violent, gory, stressful or upsetting. These increase the Tamas Guna, which as we mentioned earlier, leads to ill-effects in the body and the mind.

So that was the first pillar of Ayurveda –Nutrition or Aahara. Now let's focus on the next pillar which is Sleep. Stay tuned.