Research Paper
Ayurveda
E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 8 | Issue : 8 | Aug 2022
A REVIEW ON AHARA VIDHI VIDHANA WITH PRESENT ERA FOOD HABITS Dr. Anjitha VS PG Scholar, Department of Samhita Samskrita and Siddhanta, Government Ayurveda College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. ABSTRACT Ahara, the most essential requirement of all living beings is looked upon by Ayurveda with great relevance in causation and treatment of disease. Ahara vidhi vidhana are the do's and don'ts regarding diet intake as food should be taken warm, unctuous, in due measure etc. In the present era, least importance is given to dietary rules which leads to impairment of digestive functions. Proper maintenance of digestive process depends upon ahara and method of its intake. The present era witnessing of alarming increase in lifestyle diseases due to irregular food habits need to be studied under the purview of aharavidhividhana. The literary data collected from classical texts were reviewed for gathering information and the concept has been viewed with present era food habits. Ahara vidhi vidhana comprising what, when and how to take food are presented by acharyas as dietary and dining rules. Non-compliance of dietetic rules are the irregular eating habits noticed largely as the present era food habits. Thus complying to the dietetic rules as told in ahara vidhi vidhana can be applied for vikara prashamana in the form of pathya sevana and nidana parivarjana. KEYWORDS: Ahara, Ahara vidhi vidhana, present era food habits. INTRODUCTION: Ayurveda, the science of life is holistic in its approach towards prevention and cure. The curative aspect is correcting the imbalance of doshas through the major constituents like ahara, vihara and oushadha. Ahara and vihara which cause disease, themselves produce the increase or decrease of doshas also. Among the rational ayurvedic treatment principles, nidana parivarjana like avoiding the causative factor is important in this era, as we witness alarmingly increasing lifestyle diseases. Ahara is the best preventive medicine and is solely responsible for the health and disease. Adequate emphasis is given in Ayurveda for the right way of taking food such as what, when and how to eat in an ordered way ensuring all the appropriate hygiene methods. There are many guidelines on rules of consumption of food in the name 'Aharavidhi' mentioned in ayurvedic classics which are the do's and don'ts regarding the diet. Acharya Charaka has comprehensively presented these rules in specific sequence under the title 'Aharavidhividhanam' which gives directives on food intake, as food should be taken warm, unctuous, in due measure etc1. In the present era, dietary habits have changed drastically leading to the impairment of digestive functions. Irregular dietary habits leading to ama is the cause for many diseases particularly digestive disorders. Food habits in present era has drastically changed from the diets of a few generations ago. Lifestyle is substantially changed with increased sedentary habits, which has direct impact on the individual's health. Dietary habits particularly focus on what people eat, how people eat and the way they eat. Nowadays, the diet pattern is mostly influenced by the western diet, which is linked to the lifestyle diseases such as obesity, type 2 Diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Fast food consumption has increased significantly as fast food industry is expanding at the rate of 40% every year. Ultra processed foods are increasingly prominent in the diets all over the world. Such global dietary changes are compatible with nutritional transition. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To collect and prepare data regarding dietary methods of food intake ( Ahara vidhi Vidhana ) documented in ayurvedic texts with their utility comprehending different classical texts and under the aspect of present era food habits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The literary review data of ahara vidhi vidhana collected mainly from classical ayurvedic texts mainly Charaka Samhita, Susrutha Samhita, Ashtanga Sangraha and Kasyapa Samhita and relevant information were included. Data regarding present era food habits collected from international authorised data bases were considered for this purpose. Ahara vidhi vidhana: Ayurveda emphasizes dietary guidelines in particular apart from focussing the nutritional benefits of food components. Diet and dietetic rules are basic factors among the maintenance of health and cause for disease. These rules are specified for how to eat and when to eat, which is a swasthya aspect indicated for maintaining the wellness. While, there are many diseases in which ahara vidhi vidhana is mentioned as hetu. So the advice of pathyapathya sevana in the form of ahara vidhi Vidhana can help for vikara prashamana. Also in the curative aspect, Ahara dravya can be considered as dravya bhuta oushadhi and dietetic rules are adravya
bhuta oushadhi. Dietary rules to be accompolished while food intake are described below. Ushnam asniyat: Food should be eaten as warm and freshly prepared as the taste is relished better. Eating warm stimulates the digestive fire and helps for easy digestion. Consuming ushna ahara cause vata anulomana, pitta gets stimulated and thereby increase the power of digestion2 . The term “ ushna” means the temperature of the food, not the potency of the food material. Food consumed should be not very hot and hence it can be taken as samyak ushna, the optimum. Consuming extreme opposites of ushna results in delirium, giddiness, irritation of tongue, throat, lips and palate, chest region and stomach. Further it diminishes the strength, alters the taste perception, suppurates the mouth, oral cavity and stomach, bleeding disorders, erysipelas, dehydration, fever and even severe diseases3. Atisheeta annam causes debility, anorexia, loss of appetite, nausea, horripilation, and constipation. It even leads to abdominal distension, inflammatory bowel diseases, respiratory symptoms like cough, hiccups and disorders of vata and kapha4. In contexts explaining about nidana of diseases, atiushna and atisheeta are described as ahara nidana for the dosha vitiation. Food which is cooked long before, cold and reheated is also prohibited. So it is the samyak ushna(warm) to be considered for the rules of diet intake. Snigdham asniyat: Consuming snigdha ahara causes anulomana of vata and secretes bodhaka kapha which aids for the taste, sneha stimulates the pitta and enhances the agni and digests the food quickly by stimulating the secretion of kledaka kapha5. Snigdha guna brings about moistness and softness of the food thereby promotes nourishment and complexion and provides strength and firmness to sensory organs. Snigdha dravya promotes madhura avasthapaka and increases the bala and which rejuvenates the body by delaying the ageing process. However extreme snigdhata( atisnigdhta) and asnigdhta(rukshata) hampers the agni and disturbs the digestive process. Atisnigdhata ahara delays the digestive process causing great increase of kapha and medas, thereby leading to excessive salivation, loss of taste, heaviness of heart, and disease of abdomen and throat 6. And also dry food substances are avoided as it causes balavarna nasha, twak rukshata, vata, shakrit and mutra nirodha. The term snigdha includes Sneha dravyas like ghee, oil etc as well as godhuma, shali, rasa etc. Among nitya sheelina dravyas, it is advised to include ghee as only sneha in daily diet consumption to use as balanced diet7. Matravat and jeerne asniyat: Food taken in proper quantity gets digested comfortably and bestows normalcy of dhatus. The amount of food taken without disturbing the equilibrium of doshas and dhatus of the body, gets digested as well as metabolized in proper time is regarded as proper quantity. Food eaten in such a way gets digested without any difficulty, helps for the easy elimination of fecal matter through guda marga and nourishes the body and mind8. Quantity of food is determined upon the digestive capacity and nature of the food substances. By following this principle, the diseases caused by the intake of improper quantity of food can be prevented. Appropriate quantity of food intake are known with the respective symptoms such as there should be no feeling of pressure of food on stomach, no interference in the proper functioning of hridaya, no pain in the flanks and no excessive heaviness in the abdomen. It does proper nourishment of the senses, relief from hunger
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