Introduction
The new year is coming, and everybody is thinking about the 2023 resolutions. Weight loss, health & fitness are on top of the list, and why shouldn’t they be, after all, health is wealth. Let’s achieve this resolution in a simpler way, which means you don’t need to do heavy workouts, spend hours in the gym, and don’t have to follow a diet. I know what you are thinking that this will disturb your daily routine but in fact, it won’t, you will be amazed by the results when you follow what’s written in this post.
This post is from my personal experience and study, I can say that this human body has so much power, energy, and potential that you have never imagined. So, let’s start to understand our body science, and live to the fullest with this amazing mechanism.
Body Science
Nature has created many things, but the creation of the human body is the most wonderful and amazing. The human body is a very complex machine and the driver of the machine lives in it. Usually, we say that this is “My Body”, which means “I” is different from the “body”. It is so surprising that the driver of this machine does not know how to run it peacefully and gracefully, and this is the reason that the driver of this machine runs it in an erratic manner and damages it, then he approaches to doctor and Vaidya’s to set it right. If this human machine runs properly, the country will also run properly.
It is necessary to gain some knowledge about the factors which help to run this human-machine properly for a long time, without falling ill. The three major factors are:
- Food
- Fasting
- Mental Health
Food
The purpose of eating food is not merely to satisfy hunger or taste, not also the purpose to fatten the gross body. When we take food, our purpose should be to improve our mental and spiritual health, besides nourishing the body. We are completely healthy when our body, mind, and soul are all healthy. If any of them is not healthy we cannot be regarded to be completely healthy.
The diet we take should be such that fulfills the nutritional requirements of our body, such a diet can also be tasty, but we should know that those foods, which are tasty but have no nutritional value are injurious to our digestive system and body must work and spend a lot of energy to expel such useless stuff from the system. Just the wrong food harms our digestive system, “Right Food” can cure any ailment. Our diet should have enough proteins, carbohydrates, fats, roughage, water, minerals, and vitamins.
Categories of Food
Keeping this in mind our food is divided into three categories, Satvik, Rajasik, and Tamasik. Satvik food is good for the health of the body, mind, and soul, Rajasik food strengthens the body, but is not good for spiritual growth. Food like onion and garlic, are good for the health of the physical body but have a bad effect on the mind and spirit, such food is known as Tamasik.
Principles of Food
After a long research expert has laid down some principles about food combinations that are good for health. These principles should be known and followed by everyone for better health, digestion, and disease-free life. These are as follows:
Protein Rich Food
When you take protein-rich food like eggs, meat, fish, gram flour, etc., it is helpful to take bitter or sour items with them, they help in digesting protein-rich foods. You can include curd, sour or bitter fruits like oranges, lemons, tomatoes, and grapes. Here are some examples:
- Gram bread with tomato or any sour fruit.
- Curd with vegetables.
- Soybean with sour fruits.
- Milk with lemon.
- Pulse with sour fruits.
The reason to take lemon or sour fruits with milk is that to digest milk, it is necessary that its water is separated from solid matter soon after it enters the stomach. The saliva of the mouth does not have enough acidity to do this. That is why eating sour fruits along with milk enhances the process of digestion.
Starch Rich Food
When you take starch-rich food like maize, barley, rice, potato, millet, etc., it is good to take uncooked vegetables, salads, and fresh fruits. Here are some examples
- Whole meal bread and salad
- Rice and sweet mango juice
- Rice with raisins
Fatty Foods
Fatty foods are not digested in the stomach, they are digested in the intestines, therefore they should be taken with protein-rich foods or starch-rich foods. Here are some examples.
- Whole-grain bread with butter.
- Pulses with ghee or butter.
- Soybean with coconut or peanut.
- Rice with cream
Starch Rich Foods
Starch-rich foods and fatty foods should be taken with sugar-rich foods and green vegetables. Here are some examples.
- Whole grain bread and butter with salad and dried grapes.
- Rice and cream with green vegetables and honey.
- Potato with oil, raw sugar, and green vegetables.
Fasting
In India fast has been given much importance since ancient times, in our religious books fast has been regarded as a means for the purification of mind and body. The purpose of the fast is to give complete rest to the digestive system. Fasting is a natural condition, birds and animals also do fast, and a sick animal has a greater perception of its health than a sick person.
Fast is a powerful tool to get rid of foreign matter, which is the cause of illness, during fasting all vital forces are engaged in curing disease. Fast not only removed impurities but also purifies the mind and soul, we can say that it is the best means for physical and mental purification.
It is wrong to regard fast as the intake of a reduced quantity of food than is required, it is against the natural law that one eats less food than is needed to extinguish hunger. Fast also helps to reduce weight and manage it, there are different types of fasting which are based on time.
Types of Fasting
Morning Fast - 18 Hours Fasting
This is the easiest way of fasting, in this, you must give up only your morning breakfast, lunch, and dinner are taken. This is known as the “No Breakfast System”. Your first meal should be at 2 pm and the second meal should be at 8 pm. You can easily reduce your belly fat by following this fast. Snacking and Munching is prohibited. Start this fasting by following the food combinations I have mentioned.
I followed this method and reduced 6 kg weight and 5 inches of my belly fat in 1.5 months, I also avoided sugar and carbs foods at that time.
Afternoon Fast - 12 Hours Fasting
In this fast only one food item is taken at a time, for example, if bread is taken in the morning, only vegetables are taken in the evening. The next day one kind of fruit is taken in the morning and only milk is taken in the evening. Snacking and Munching are prohibited
Evening Fast - 24 Hours Fasting
This is known as a Half fast or one-time fast, in this only one meal is taken during the day and no dinner is taken. Those who are suffering from chronic disease benefit greatly from this fast. One should take natural food during this fast. Snacking and Munching are prohibited
Meal Skipping OR Complete Fast
In a complete fast one takes only clean water and no food, either solid or liquid, during a complete fast.
Benefits of Fasting
Just as when we eat too much, its effect is seen on the stomach, similarly when we do fast its effects are also seen on the stomach. During fasting, the body’s power for self-treatment is at work, it is a powerful means to get rid of foreign matter, which is the main cause of sickness, it also burns belly fat and body fat. That is why when you do fast the results are showing on your belly.
The fast also affects the intestines, the cells of the intestine must work less, and their power is regenerated.
Our body is made of five elements (Air, Water, Fire, Earth, and Ether) out of which ether is the most valuable. Our body derives strength from ether during fasting, from this point of view also fasting is most effective in the treatment of diseases like high fever, diarrhea, dysentery, loose motions, cold, cough, boils, and smallpox. It is very beneficial to fast at the very beginning of these diseases.
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Mental Health
Mental health is more important than physical health because mental is more dangerous than physical illness. It is surprising that mental health aliment arises because of very ordinary things which can be taken care of. Mental illness not only affects other parts of the body but also increases weight, but there is a spiritual weapon that can change the very fate of an individual and that is “Prayer”. It is a fact that there can be favorable changes in things and circumstances through prayer. Through prayer, the mind is cleaned of all impurities and tensions, and the purified mind then can establish contact with God or the supreme power and realize peace and bliss.
Meditation has also an important function in prayer, through meditation, we meet our Aatma or Soul. Our prayer is more effective if we do so while we are meditating. Then no words are spoken outwardly, the prayer is in the mind when we are meditating. While in meditation our consciousness is focused inside, away from the senses or “Indriyas”.
To have a good meditation one should observe silence or “Maun” and live alone for some time is a great form of austerity. This helps in our spiritual progress and gives us moral strength. When we observe silence, we are free from all worldly bondages and establish contact with God.
Final Words
In this post, I have explained the scientific and spiritual benefits of food, fasting, and mental health, you can live a blissful, healthy, and energetic life, if you maintain the balance between them, believe me, you will never fall ill and the results are amazing, I hope that this post will help you to achieve your desired goal.