India is the home not only of vegetarian cooking, but also of the
science of healthful living. The scripture known as the Ayur-veda, is the oldest known work on biology, hygiene, medicine, and nutrition.
This branch of the Vedas was revealed thousands of years ago by Sri Bhagavan Danvantari, an
incarnation of Krishna.
The Vedas consider the human body a divine gift, a chance for the imprisoned soul to escape from the cycle of birth and
death. The importance of healthful living in spiritual life is also mentioned
by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. One who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working, and
recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system. Proper eating has a double
importance. Besides its role in bodily health-over-eating, eating in a
disturbed or anxious state of mind, or eating unclean foods causes indigestion,
"the parent of all diseases"-proper eating can help the aspiring
transcendentalist attain mastery over his senses.
Here are a few guidelines for good eating taken from the Ayur-veda and other scriptures.
Spiritualize your eating
The Bhagavad-gita (17.8-10) divides foods into three classes: those of the quality of
goodness, those of the quality of passion, and those of the quality of
ignorance. The most healthful are the foods of goodness. "Foods of the
quality of goodness [milk products, grains, fruits, and vegetables] increase
the duration of life; purify one's existence; and give strength, health,
happiness, and satisfaction. Such foods are sweet, juicy, fatty, and
palatable."
Foods that are too bitter, sour, salty, pungent, dry or hot, are of the
quality of passion and cause distress. But foods of the quality of ignorance,
such as meat, fish, and fowl, described as "putrid, decomposed, and
unclean," produce only pain, disease, and bad karma. In other words, what you eat affects the
quality of your life. There is much needless suffering in the world today,
because most people have no other criterion for choosing food than price and
sensual desire.
The purpose of food, however, is not only to increase longevity and
bodily strength, but also to purify the mind and consciousness. Therefore the
spiritualist offers his food to the Lord before eating. Such offered food
clears the way for spiritual progress.
Eat at fixed times
As far as possible, take your main meal at the solar midday, when the
sun is highest, because that's when your digestive power is strongest. Wait at
least three hours after a light meal and five after a heavy meal before eating
again. Eating at fixed times without snacking between meals helps make the mind
and tongue peaceful.
Eat in a pleasant atmosphere
A cheerful mood helps digestion; a spiritual mood, even more. Eat in
pleasant surroundings and center the conversation around spiritual topics.
According to theKsema-kuntuhala, a Vedic cookbook from
the 2nd century A.D., a pleasant atmosphere and a good mood are as important to
proper digestion as the quality of the food.
Look upon your food as Krishna's mercy. Food is a divine gift, so cook
it, server it, and eat it in a spirit of joyful reverence.
Combine foods wisely
Foods should be combined for taste, and for efficient digestion and
assimilation of nutrients. Rice and other grains go well with vegetables. Milk
products such as cheese, yogurt and buttermilk go well with grains and
vegetables, but fresh milk does not go well with vegetables. The typical Vedic
lunch of rice, split-lentil soup, vegetables, and chapatis is a perfect balanced meal. Avoid
combining vegetables with raw fruits. Also avoid mixing acidic fruits with
alkaline fruits, or milk with fermented milk products.
Share prasada with others
Srila Rupa Gosvami explains in the Upadesamrita a five-hundred year-old classic about devotional service, "One of
the ways for devotees to express love is to offerprasada and accept prasada from one another." A gift from God is too good a thing to keep to
oneself, so the scriptures recommend sharing prasada with others, be they friends or strangers.
Be clean
Vedic culture places great emphasis on cleanliness, both internal and
external. For internal cleanliness, we can cleanse the mind and heart of
material contamination by chanting Vedic mantras, particularly the Hare Krishna mantra. External cleanliness includes keeping a high standard of cleanliness
when cooking and eating. Naturally this includes the usual good habits of
washing the hands before eating, and the hands and mouth after.
Eat moderately
Vitality and strength depend not on how much we eat, but on how much we
are able to digest and absorb into our system. The stomach needs working space,
so instead of filling it completely, fill it just halfway, by eating only half
as much as you think you can, and leave a fourth of the space for liquids and
the other fourth for air. You'll help your digestion and get more pleasure from
eating.
Moderate eating will also give satisfaction to your mind and harmony to
your body. Overeating makes the mind agitated or dull and the body heavy and
tired.
Don't pour water on the fire of
digestion
Visible flames and invisible combustion are two aspects of what we call
"fire." Digestion certainly involves combustion. We often speak of
"burning up" fat or calories, and the word "calorie" itself
refers to the heat released when food is burned. The Vedas inform us that our food is digested by
a fire called Jatharagni (the Fire in the Belly). Therefore, because we often drink with our
meals, the effect of liquid on fire becomes an important consideration in the
art of eating.
Drinking before the meal tempers the appetite and, consequently, the
urge to overeat. Drinking moderately while eating helps the stomach do its job,
but drinking afterwards dilutes the gastric juices nad reduces the fire of
digestion. Wait at least an hour after eating before drinking again, and, if
need be, you can drink every hour after that until the next meal.
Don't waste food
The scriptures tell us that for every bit of food wasted in times of
plenty, an equal amount will be lacking in times of need. Put on your plate
only as much as you can eat, and save any leftovers for the next meal
If for some reason prasada had to be discarded, then feed it to animals, bury it, or put it in a
body of water. Prasada is sacred and should never be put in the garbage. Whether cooking or
eating, be careful about not wasting food.
Try an occasional fast
It may seem unusual for a cookbook to recommend fasting, but according
to the Ayur-veda, fasting strengthens both will power and bodily health. An occasional
fast gives the digestive system a rest and refreshes the senses, mind, and
consciousness.
In most cases, the Ayur-veda recommends a water fast. Juice fasting is popular in the West because
Western methods encourage long fasts. In Ayur-vedic treatment, however,
most fasts are short-one to three days. While fasting, one should not drink
more water than needed to quench one's thirst. Jatharagni, the fire of digestion, being freed from
the task of digesting food, is busy incinerating the accumulated wastes in the
body, and too much water inhibits the process.
