Aarogya - The Wellness Site

Diet
Diet is divided into three kinds

1. Eliminative Diet.
2. Soothing Diet.
3. Constructive Diet.

According to Naturopathy, the root cause of most of the diseases is the accumulation of morbid matter in the digestive system. It is essential to cleanse it by diverting the energies of the body by fasting. Fasting is essential in almost all diseases. Ayurveda states that it helps not only in cleansing the digestive system, but also all the seven ingredients of the body (lymph, blood, muscle, cartilage, bone marrow, bone and sperm). Fasting is not recommended for very weak patients, pregnant women, persons of advanced age, infants and TB patients. During the fasting the following symptoms may occur: tastelessness, bad odor in the mouth, coated tongue, vomiting, slight pain in the stomach, giddiness, exhaustion etc. All these symptoms appear because of the beginning of the process of elimination of morbid matter from the body. It is advisable to continue the fast until the tongue gets cleared, appetite becomes normal and the patient feels energetic again.

No patient should experiment fasting without proper guidance. It is always advisable to fast under the supervision of an expert naturopath. During fasting, the patient should not involve in strenuous mental activities like business, official work and should be free from worries. Only tolerable physical activity in the form of treatment light yogasanas and walking are permitted.

In soothing diet fruit juices, gruels, buttermilk, vegetable soups, vegetable juices, raw salads, boiled vegetables, wheat and rice preparations in limited quantity are recommended. Vegetables such as cabbage, celery, lettuce, roots like carrot, string beans, gourds may be used in the diet. Ripe fruits of all sorts are of great value because they contain germ–destroying acids. Sometimes, patients are put on fruit diet consisting of seasonal fruits and raw vegetables. Fruits and vegetables should be well chewed while eating. This helps the body in digesting the fruit sugar in the mouth itself. Intestinal asepsis may be promoted by fruits and buttermilk. If raw diet is not masticated well, it may lead to production of gases.

In Constructive diet a full meal is given, which consists of curds, milk, boiled vegetables, chapatis, rice, dal etc. Meats of all kinds, beef, tea, coffee and animal broths are strictly excluded because of the presence of tissue wastes, uric acid, creatinine and other substances which are the products of putrefactive changes. The diet should consist of vegetables boiled without adding any type of irritants.

The satwic diet is good for all, whether sick or not. The diet should be well planned for treating fever, obesity, nutritional disorders, indigestion, jaundice, hepatic cirrhosis, all forms of auto–intoxication, bight’s disease, malaria, tuberculosis, eczema, anemia, acute infections and inflammatory disorders of all types and acute and chronic ailments of the body. Diets such as pickles, preserved, fried food, coffee, tea, cocoa, alcohol and condiments consisting of mustard, pepper, and hot sauces should be avoided.