Here are some essential guidelines to help you maintain good gut health and avoid the build-up of “AMA” or undigested toxic waste. Ayurvedic healthcare emphasizes the importance of the right food combination as it forms the cornerstone of healthy living.
First Rule: ensure that each meal is well-balanced with all six tastes – sweet, salty, sour, pungent, astringent, and bitter with no excesses of any kind.
Second Rule: make sure that your meals are light and regular. Fill half your stomach with food, one-quarter with water, and leave one-quarter empty to aid digestion.
Third Rule: maintain an eating schedule that aligns with your body’s natural rhythm. Have breakfast before 0900 hours, lunch between 1200 to 1400 hours, and dinner before 1800 hours, consumed at least four hours before going to bed.
Fourth Rule: always prefer freshly prepared food over canned or frozen food.
Fifth Rule: Avoid eating when angry, irritated, or emotionally disturbed. Additionally, stay away from TV, loud music, arguments, and internet surfing while eating.
Sixth Rule: avoid having ice-cold water before, during, or after meals as it can lead to joint pain.
Seventh Rule: Never eat food you don’t like.
Eight Rule: Avoid incompatible food combinations such as
- hot noodles with ice-cold drinks,
- milk with sour fruits,
- fish, meat, and yoghurt, potato with eggs,
- milk, banana or melons with eggs,
- yoghurt with sour fruits,
- meat, fish, cheese or hot drinks,
- and lemon with cucumber, milk, or yoghurt.
Ninth Rule: Cold salads should neither be consumed before a hot meal nor along with it. Moreover, eating fruits after meals can lead to a sluggish metabolism and weight gain.
Tenth Rule: Keep the meals simple. Create recipes that are well-balanced and easy to digest, with no excess of any kind. Avoid overdoing proteins as it can lead to intestinal discomfort, indigestion, dehydration, headache, exhaustion, and irritability. Start with fewer ingredients and take note of how each meal makes you feel.
Eleventh Rule: always show gratitude for your food. Know that when prepared with love and joy, it becomes an important source of nourishment and strength for you. A good, healthy meal should always give you energy.
