1/3 – 1/3 – 1/3 Rule For An Ayurvedic Diet and Lifestyle

Ayurveda is the Veda for the age. Veda is the pious and spiritual knowledge. This text is helpful for human beings in all times and ages. For people who want to attain good health Ayurveda is PURE GOLD! It is invaluable information difficult to find anywhere else. It is an amalgamation of science and spirituality.

The Proportion of Food Intake: The most important thing to remember is that the food should be eaten in an appropriately moderate quantity; it generates otherwise vitiation of all three Doshas; does not get properly digested and is also not converted into feces if it doesn’t undergo digestion; but interferes with the maintenance of the body heat and causes diseases.

1/3-1/3-1/3 Rule of Ayurveda:

In Ayurveda, the ancient texts say that one should eat only so much of solid foods as it will occupy one third space of the stomach; the next third should be filled with liquids in the food or the liquids and the remaining third of the stomach should be reserved for the generation of the Vata, Pitta and Kapha Doshas. 

As this arbitrary advice is not sufficiently clear, Ayurveda mentions that the proportion of food eaten by a person, should not cause any uneasiness in stomach, should not throw any reflex pressure on the heart, should not cause a visible expansion of ribs or should not make stomach feel any unusual heavy feeling. 

Eating food should cast a pleasing influence on the action of the organs. It should satisfy hunger, thirst and should not generate more thirst later. After eating the food, the person should feel natural ease in carrying out the work, in the sitting position or during conversation; or while the person is moving for business, during the natural breathing or laughter. 

The person should find their food easily digested by the evening or in the morning and should find the strength and skin hue maintained by it. When the food is taken in a quantity smaller or larger than then the above, the result that ensue are as follow: 

Food is taken in Less Quantity:

When person eat less quantity than the necessary, less physical strength is experienced by him. Less brightness of the skin, a feeling of dissatisfaction and upward or reverse moment of gas or air element (Udavarta) appears in such a case. 

The person thereby lessens the strength of life, power of procreation, the vital power of body – Ojas; lowers the working capacity of body, mind, intellect, and various organs. The person thus loses all eight substantiality points – skin, blood, flesh, fat, bones, marrow, semen, and health of mind. Person appears to be wretched and renders self-liable to any one or more diseases due to the vitiation of Vata Dosha.

Food is taken in Excess Quantity:

When food is taken in excess, it causes vitiation of any Doshas. When person takes plenty of solid foods and drinks liquids, the three doshas in their stomach get suddenly upset to an excessive degree. Doshas enter in the undigested balance of the food and get locked in a part of the stomach or begin to throw it out by vomit or the stools. Each of them further generates some peculiar diseases of its own:

In Vata (Air Element) Imbalance:

Shooting pain, Epistaxis, Aching of whole body, Excessive dry feel in the mouth, Swooning Delirium, Derangements of digestion, Loss of movements in the back, the sides and the waist, Contraction of blood vessels, Blocking of the blood vessels, etc.

In Pitta (Fire and Water) Imbalance:

Fever, Diarrhea, Heating sensation in the whole of the body, Thirst, Unconsciousness, Delirium, Random talk, etc.

In Kapha (Water and Earth) Imbalance:

Vomiting, Loss of taste for food, Stagnation of digestion, Fever with shivering, Loss of liking for any work, Heavy feeling in the body parts, etc.

Eating food that is digestible with great difficulties, unsubstantial, cold, dry, unpleasant to taste or sight, indigestible, causes a burning sensation during digestion or is impure; brings about the same types of diseases as described above. If food is eaten in a mental condition dominated by anger, grief, insensibility, a challenging spirit, shame, dejection, fear, it fails to get digested and can produce the same diseases described above.

Hence, Ayurvedic Lifestyle encourages to rejuvenate and preserve the health of the healthy and alleviate the disease of the sick. 

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