“We are what we eat,” So often we have heard this oft-repeated sentence and which probably holds true about the kind of food that we take during the day. What we should or shouldn’t eat can be fodder for thought in making for an endless debate as it hinges on what is considered toxic or not that may reflect as external factors.
Yogic diet today has gained significance in a world afflicted by maladies where there is a thin, fine line between food defined as, “Anything about or what we eat” and Diet called, “Modification or customised or for that matter anything that we go or speak about hinges on the need for dietary changes needed in our body.”
This is according to Assistant Professor at SYVASA Yoga University Bengalaru Dr Bharati Devi on an online talk hosted at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture (IGCIC). “Today’s talk will be centered on the diets we are seeing and supposed to follow as we see the connection between what is a yogic diet and modern nutrition.”
Director at IGCIC Padmashri Balwant Thakur doles words of appreciation on the Teacher for Indian Culture (TIC) Yoga: “Sowmya always comes up with new ideas and does certain things to promote yoga at the centre with experience where she brings variety while working every single day whether it’s the bringing experts from India in facilitating such talks. She keeps bringing outside rewards to the centre through such talks. To the audience, he told, “Keep promoting Sowmya, Keep promoting yoga.”
He added: Mauritius can become a health resort where yoga has seeped into our daily lives and has seen its growth globally since the start of my career with the MEA. Being Indian, our mandate is to keep promoting yoga on the global front with the kind of growth I’ve seen everywhere I have gone. Yoga will have to become part of our daily routine.”
Earlier, the Teacher for Indian Culture (TIC) and affectionately called Sowmya Ji at the centre introduced Dr. Bharati Devi and her numerous achievements such as internal quality assurance coordinator at the University as well as Ph.D. holder food and science nutritionist. “We all know that there are so many diets such as Keto and intermittent fasting laden with numerous diet plans present. So let us be serious about our diet and listen to what the Yogic diet is all about.”
She quoted from the Bhggavad Gita 6.17:
“uktāhāra-vihārasya
yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu
yukta-svapnāvabodhasya
yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā”
The Sanksrit verses translate into: “The one who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system”, while adding, “What we eat is what we are.”
Dr. Bharati Devi emphasised that in any country including India or Mauritius, one goes ahead with basic food called cereals where the latter should constitute a strong foundation for eating such as combining cereals with millets, encompassing pulses. A Healthy Food Pyramid makes for all the constituents of healthy food, from Eat Sparingly, Eat Moderately, Eat Liberally and Eat Adequately. “The purpose of the pyramid is to show the quantity of how we eat and what we eat,” she told.
Yogic diet can be categorised into sattvic Foods, Rajasic Food and Tamasic Foods. In short, Satvic is all about connecting with the mind to help nurture and develop the Sattvic gunas (character) ringing in human values; Rajasic-Strong food such as raw onions, raw garlic, pulses and radish-it can leave a bitter taste for days where it is important to know if the food changes its quality we are not supposed to consume. There are several examples such as eggplant, tomatoes sugar, coffee, tea, and spices while Tamasik-Here’s the catch where all of us tend to eat such kind of food where all the refrigerated ones come under this category. We tend to refrigerate, remove and eat.
“What we want to say here is that the food that we eat matters in the kind of character that we develop,” she emphasised while speaking on the three types of characterisation in terms of Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic food.
How much food is too much food?
As much as the debate hinges on the mind of the health conscious on how much to eat, Dr. Bharati explains the right quantity of food to consume as she compares the stomach to the grinder and the tongue craving for more.
“There comes a point to get the brain putting a stop for the food craving where the trick lies in keeping the stomach half full which helps to exercise restrain. The composition of one-quarter water and one-quarter empty space with half stomach gives ample belly space in grinding the food, helping it to flow straight to the bloodstream,” Dr. Bharati says.
Water remains an important constituent for healthy life where we tend to neglect its consumption in the humdrum of daily life what we consume would lead to more long-term problems. She tells that the right quantity of water matters, advocating three to five litres a day and taken into account climatic conditions, she recommends between two and half and 3 litres of water a day to beat dehydration.
Dr Bharati Devi also advocates on the need to chuck out gadgets such as mobile phones and while eating will go a long way to boost food concentration, stay relaxed and curtail the risks of diseases. There are three kinds of things that matter, she says, Patr Suddhi-Hygiene of cooking vessels; Patardha Suddhi-ingredients used for cooking; Paka Suddhi-cleanliness in cooking.
A colourful plate
Cooking with innovation and colors makes for the right mixing of what is desirable to make and eat. No, the food expert doesn’t advocate buying a rainbow plate with a different color palate. Colorful plate is a must to be filled with antioxidant food made of different shades. You name it, you get it! Orange, banana, apple and pineapple, she tells.
“Each color of food and fruits consumed adds zing for healthy living. When you think of any disease be it arthritis, diabetes or cancer, anti-oxidant food must be consumed and so simply adorn your plate with raw food and raw vegetables to make the plate colourful,” Dr. Bharati tells.
Adhering to the practices of Bhagavad Gita postulating Mita AHara or a balanced diet constitutes the right mix of nutrients, time, and quantity. “Any food imbalances create or reduce stress level and reason why we need to opt for low or moderate carbohydrate depending on our lifestyle and of course, whole millets or grains matter lots,” Dr. Bharati advocates.
The quality of protein in the form of legumes, sprouts, raw fruits and vegetables coupled with physical exercise and adequate sleep matters a lot. Remember, the old age rule, food consumed must be equal to output which goes a long way in helping us keep cholesterol in check with an increase in Omega 3 and Omega 6. During the interaction session, Dr. Bharati advocates that there is no harm if the food indulgence doesn’t exceed 5 grams of food and workouts can go a long way in cutting the slack.
Of course, the nutritionist recommends for women witnessing physical and physiological changes in the body such as puberty, menopause and pregnancy should adopt a healthy lifestyle rather than good for diet reduction. Good quality of food matters, she signs off.
