Daily 3 meals at fixed times
What to do?
Ayurveda recommends eating just 2 times a day - first balanced meal after sunrise between 8 - 9 am and second before sunset between 5 - 6 pm. The third meal at 12 - 1 pm can be any fruit or vegetable to satiate midday hunger is optional. Strictly no munching between these 3 meals. This is the Vedic secret to lead a healthy life.
Why is it important?
The digestion process takes 8 hours from the time food reaches the stomach, nutritional juices get absorbed in blood to reach body cells and residual waste ends up in the intestines. Eating in between compromises this digestion process and food is eaten before a gap of 8 hours is poorly digested leading to the formation of sticky toxins called AMA in Ayurveda.
Eating frequently is not a treatise in Ayurveda. Eating 5 - 6 times a day is popularized by new-age dieticians who study western world food science not compatible with tropical Indian climatic conditions. Western research & health publications are also backdoor funded by food lobbies to increase consumption & profits.
If you observe, people are dying eating more instead of less. The leading cause of death worldwide including metro-India is no more malnutrition but excess nutrition or obesity leading to lifestyle disorders like high bad cholesterol, blood pressure, heart ailments, diabetes. Eat less. Live more.
Also remember
- Don’t mistake thirst for hunger. Every time you feel hungry between 3 meals, drink 1 glass of warm or room temperature water. This will help you beat away the false hunger signals.
- If burps after drinking water have a taste of the food you last consumed, it clearly indicates undigested food still sitting in your stomach. Never, never eat in such a state.
- Balanced Ayurvedic meals high in nutritional content keeps you fulfilled longer to avoid hunger pangs.
- Casual munching any time of the day adversely affects natural body rhythm
- All hunger doesn’t arise from the stomach but indulgent food cravings are mind games. Empty mind is the devil's workshop..
Fun fact
Vedic folklore suggests, Indian sages in search of nirvana ate plant-based food just once a day yet led a healthy life for 100+ years. When it comes to food, less is more beneficial.
