In the recent times, when beauty is often equated with ‘fair’ complexion or a fashionably thin figure or a particular shape of nose, it is interesting to look back to an era when beauty was defined in holistic terms, and that beauty was within every woman’s reach.
Positives thoughts, clear speech, consonant actions, regulated and refined body language are all essential parts of true beauty.
Ayurveda, the most ancient healing system of India, has a unique perspective on beauty. It is holistic and all-encompassing. The Ayurvedic definition of beauty thus reads –Roopam, Gunam, Vayastyag - Iti – Shubhanga Soundarya Kaaranam.
According to Ayurveda, there are three foundations of beauty:
Thus, Ayurveda does not focus only on cosmetics to achieve the state of true beauty.
Roopam does not specify a type of figure or the color of the skin or the length or style of the hair. Outer beauty, according to Ayurveda, is a reflection of good health – Mental & Physical. The frame of the body is what you are born with. Each type of body structure can be beautiful as long as good health exists.
"You are what you eat” - Ayurveda takes this notion very seriously. In fact, it goes a step further to say - “You are what you digest and assimilate.” A radiant clear complexion begins with proper nutrition, efficient digestion and assimilation of nutrients by the body and regular elimination of toxins. Ayurveda states Yadha Bhojanam, Thadha Vyakthithwam meaning - the way you eat is the way you become!”
There are simple Ayurvedic principles you can follow. Some of the Ayurvedic tips that we strongly recommend are -
1. Never eat when not hungry
2. Never skip a meal when hungry
3. Eat slowly; chewing, tasting & nurturing the food
4. Stop eating as soon as the hunger is pacified
5. Serve very small but never large quantities on your plate
6. Never feel obliged to clean up the plate by consumption
7. Relax for a short while after eating
8. Drink enough water in between meals
9. Totally avoid aerated waters & colas
10. Try and sweat as much as possible with workouts
11. Never control and postpone urination or defecation
12. Make sure you get a minimum of 7 - 8 hrs of good sleep daily
13. Learn something new every day
14. Try to see only what is good in the people you meet
15. Love as many people as you can
The new question that’s gaining momentum all over the ‘health-starved’ world is “Can Nutrition cure?”
What is nutrition? Is it not the same as food? No! Junk food is not nutritious! Food is the combination of nutrition and waste. Nutrition is that which is absorbed by the body for utilization to build and sustain the body and waste is excreted to prevent buildup of toxins in the body. The study of Nutrition as a prophylactic or as a medicine is called ‘Nutriceuticals’ or ‘Nutraceuticals’ and is the fastest growing sector for healthcare in the western world. Based on the above definition of nutrition, does water becomes a nutrient? Yes it does! Thus the evolution of the concept of hydrotherapy and the reason there are so many moisturizers in the global market! But water is not only the most important nutrient but also the sole carrier of nutrients inwards and wastes outwards in the body.
In the contemporary medical world, ‘Cure’ is explained and understood as the apparent diminution or removal of symptoms. This is established not by dealing with the cause, but only by reducing or removing the capacity of the patient to perceive these symptoms. Hence the cure is illusory and not real. Often, it transforms one disease into another – and that is wrongly perceived as the cure of the former and the latter as the side effect. Often, side effects cause more sufferance than the original disease as in cancer treatments through chemotherapy & radiation. ‘Cure’ is the complete elimination of the symptoms (not suppression) thereby restoring the body to normalcy with a sense of well-being.
A disease is a ‘Vector’, which is a qualitative identity with a quantitative force. Where it originates and how it progresses has never been thoroughly understood. Effects are interpreted as causes, generating limitless confusion in the path of understanding the true origin of a disease. This sub-optimal understanding led to the concept of treating a disease by developing another ‘vector’ (drug) that squarely opposes the original ‘vector’ (disease) in order to nullify its perceived existence or dynamic manifestation. This results in the two vectors being at logger-heads and invariably in the suppression of symptoms and not in the elimination of them. In addition, the two interacting vectors engender several small component or large resultant vectors which are easily explained as side-effects and brushed away!
The only way to ‘cure’ is to deal with the cause rather than the symptoms; to dissipate the disease vector rather than to oppose it. This is exactly what ‘Nutrition’ can do - the key word is a ‘Harmonious Nutrition’. In Ayurveda, it is called ‘Sameekruta Aharam’ or integrated food. The most important part of an integrated diet is ‘Probiotics’ which is the exact opposite of ‘Antibiotics’. Our traditional routine of consuming dahi (curds or yoghurt) in India with every meal is a practice of probiotics. The microorganism Lactobacillus in the yoghurt helps keep the intestines very clean by aiding digestion, consuming the unwanted byproducts of digestion while proliferating and depriving food for the harmful bacteria, thereby preventing their proliferation and causing disease. A healthy stomach is the foundation for a healthy body!
Probiotics enhance the vitality of living cells in the intestines to a great extent that not only are they capable of enhanced self-survival, but they are also able to overcome exposure to chemical toxicity or harmful bacteria due to consumption of unhygienic food. Modern drugs are self-limiting due to their inherent nature – application for a specific condition and causing drug-resistance. Probiotics as a nutrient can act on a much wider and varied spectrum of diseased conditions when consumed singularly or in combination, as they are not inherently self-limiting in nature or self-defeating (causing any kind of resistance) upon long usage.
Nutrients are simple substances like Turmeric, Ginger, Pepper and Coriander that are routinely used as taste enhancers or modifiers that possess curative and/or prophylactic properties for varied disease conditions and act as ‘medicines’.
There is little quantitative space owing to the large number of health care products flooding the market; but there is a large qualitative gap between the demand and supply of health care products in terms of efficacy and effectiveness in providing relief and complete cure. This sincere and honest observation should propel the healthcare industry to commit to developing new products that can act as a ‘medicine’ without being a ‘drug’.
Good nutrition and what you put into your body is the foundation for good health. “Food is Medicine” is a term which was originally coined by Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine. It was his belief that eating wholesome food is the basis for good health. Hippocrates said almost 2500 years ago “Leave your drugs in the chemist's pot if you can heal the patient with food."
Here are some useful tips-
Hay fever? Eat yogurt! Eat lots of yogurt before pollen season. Also add honey from your region to it!
To prevent a stroke drink tea! Prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea! Actually, tea suppresses appetite and keeps the pounds from invading. Green tea is great for our immune system too!
Insomnia? Have some honey! Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative.
Asthma? Eat onions! Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes (packs of onion placed on the chest help respiratory ailments and actually make breathing easier).
Arthritis? Eat fish! Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis (fish has omega oils which are good for our immune system).
Stomach upset? Bananas & ginger! Bananas will settle an upset stomach. Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea.
Bladder infection? Drink cranberry juice! Highacid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria in the urinary tract.
Bone problems? Eat pineapple! Bone fractures and osteoporosis can be prevented by the manganese in pineapple.
Memory problems? Eat oysters! Oysters help improve your mental functioning by supplying the muchneeded zinc.
Regular colds? Eat garlic! Clear up that stuffy head with garlic (and remember garlic lowers cholesterol too!).
Coughing? Use red peppers! A similar substance found in cough syrups is naturally found in hot red peppers. Use red (cayenne) pepper with caution it can irritate your tummy.
Breast cancer? Eat wheat, bran & cabbage! Helps to maintain estrogen at healthy levels.
Lung cancer? Eat dark green and orange veggies! A good antidote is beta carotene (Vitamin A) found in dark green and orange coloured vegetables.
Ulcers? Eat cabbage again! Cabbage contains ingredients that help heal both gastric and duodenal ulcers.
Diarrhoea? Eat apples! Grate an apple with its skin, let it turn brown and eat it to cure this condition. (Bananas are good for this too!)
Clogged arteries? Eat avocado! Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA) in avocados helps lower cholesterol.
High blood pressure? Eat celery and olive oil! Olive oil has been shown to lower blood pressure. Celery lowers blood pressure too.
Blood sugar imbalance? Eat broccoli and peanuts! The chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps regulate insulin and blood sugar levels.
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