Vat Constitution

Vat constitution - वातप्रकृतिः।

Each constitution is based on the physiological power or dosh from which it is formed. Vat constitution has influence of vat dosha. All the qualities of vat dosha will be manifested in vat constitution. So first of all it is better to know the properties of vat.

Vat is dry, light, cold in nature and fast in movements, So, these qualities will be seen in each entity of vat constitution. The person having vat constitution has dryness on his skin, voice etc. Due to this their voice becomes harsh as like of voice of older aged man. His skin is quickly affected by dry and cold climate due to which it becomes cracked in cold season. His body looks generally lean and thin. Due to dryness in tissues it is difficult to achieve weight gain in spite of having more diet. 

Due to lightness and fastness vat constitution have fast velocity in walking, talking, and also in day to day movements of hand etc. Even his mind thinks very rapidly. Arrangements of his organs i.e. nose, eyes, eyebrows etc. is generally irregular. He will prone to occur diseases rapidly. He quickly becomes irritated or angry and quickly becomes calm and cold. His grasping is good but his memory is generally weak. 

Due to coldness he does not tolerate the cold season environment. He generally experiences stiffness like difficulties in his joints. His hairs are dry and short. The typical sound from his joints while seating and standing is generally listened. 

His body strength is generally weak, his life span is medium or low, he generally have less number of children. Due to all these properties it is possible to have less amount of wealth towards him. 

He generally have less number of friends. 

So This is about vat prakriti or constitution. This is general description regarding constitution. Diet which should be consumed and should be avoided by these people will be discussed in next upcoming posts. 
  

Constitution : Prakriti

Role of Constitution in Deciding Personal Diet i.e. Pathaya and Apathya !

Constitution is Prakriti ( प्रकृति )

Before some days you have been informed that there are multiple factors on which concept of pathya and apathya is dependent. You are requested to revise that post quickly for better understanding of this ongoing concept of  'constitution' and it's relation with diet. Here is the link for quick revision....

http://ayurvedbrahm.blogspot.in/2016_10_21_archive.html

Constitution is prakriti; ones own physiological state of body acquired since birth which continues still death and which is applicable to ones own personal health only. 

Ayurveda accepted Seven such types of constitution and named them on the basis of dosha or the regulatory power behind that constitution. 

These seven types are

1. Vat Constitution  (वात प्रकृति ) 
2. Pitta Constitution  (पित्त प्रकृति )
3. Kapha Constitution (कफ प्रकृति)
4. Vat-Pitta Prakriti ( वातपित्त प्रकृति)
5. Vat-Kapha Prakriti ( वातकफ प्रकृति)
6. Pitta-Kapha Prakriti  (पित्तकफ प्रकृति)
7. Vat-Pitta-Kapha Constitution. ( वात-पित्त-कफ प्रकृति )

Each constitution has its own peculiarity in terms of so many factors right from like and dislike up to diseases to which they become more prone than that of others.

Each constitution should be served with different type of food and drinks.

Each prakriti is unique and requires special attention towards health in staid of generalized attention. 

For example, Vat constitution is having dryness in body and hurry in its mind. So he should take more care in cold climate that pitta prakriti. 

Pitta constitution is hot in nature and becomes ill in hot climate and hot season and requires special personal heath care in such conditions which is not applicable to other constitutions. 

From tomorrow we will discuss every thing about each constitution with special emphasis on diet. 

Do you feel it interesting? 

Please continue reading and get knowledge. 

Questions should be asked for better understanding of concept.

Queries are welcome. 

Use the comment box bellow for the same or simply mail on -

vidyadhishkashikar@gmail.com      

Hazardous Effects of Hostile Diet (Viruddha Aahara)

Hello friends !
Namo namah ! (salute to all of you) !

We discussed about types and examples of hostility. Now it is must to know the bad effects of hostility that will occur on our body, mind and on overall health. 

How this viruddha i.e. hostile diet hampers our health is mentioned in classical texts of ayurveda. But here I am saying all this matter to common non medical people. So, by keeping this point in mind I am writing all this matter in a very simple way, i.e in the language of lay man. 

Hostile diet may cause major skin problems. Skin becomes prone to many fungal infections. Etching all over the body, visualization of eruptions, boils, pustules is very common due to continuous consumption of viruddha aahara. 

Fever, rhinitis, throat problems are observed as a bad effect of hostile diet.

Fistula or other ano-rectal problems including piles are also very common due to eating of viruddha.

Hostile diet could even cause major problems like sterility and blindness.

It can disturb your health badly if you are eating hostile diet in day to day life in heavy quantity. 

So, by reviewing these hazardous effects of hostile diet, it is greatly advised to all of you that please avoid such viruddha anna i.e. hostile diet when and where ever possible. 

Eat pathya ! Eat wholesome ! Avoid unwholesome ! Enjoy health !  

Some common hostile diet (Viruddha Anna)

Some Common Viruddha (hostile) Diet

Namaste to all !

Hostility is a very big and complicated subject. There are so many types of diet which come in this concept of viruddh. For sake of convenient reading and understanding the matter, I am providing the list of some common viruddha anna i.e. hostile diet which we generally tends to consume as I have published the list of some common apathya in previous posts. 

• Cold water before or after hot tea, coffee etc.

• Milk and all fruits i.e. all fruit juices made up with milk.

• Especially Banana and milk i.e. traditional sweet dish called as shikarana.

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• Salt and milk or milk products (Eating milk and rise or milk with chapati when there is added salt while making rise or roti)

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• Khichadi and milk (khichadi made up of black gram, rise and sesame) 

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• Milk and all types of fishes.

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• Milk along with sore things.

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• Curd and chicken.

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• Muli and black gram (Udad dal)

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• Banana along with buttermilk, curd etc.

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• Honey and Ghee in equal quantity.

So this is a general list of viruddha diet which people commonly consume. 

Eating this hostile diet continuously leads to some serious disorders. 

Tomorrow the hazardous effects which could occur due to consumption of this viruddha anna, will be published.

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Time hostility (Kala viruddha)

Time hostility (Kāla Viruddha)

          Kāla is time. This is basically of two types Hot and Cold. According to concept of ṛtucaryā (Ritucharya the seasonal regimens) in hot season we should eat foods having cold properties and vice versa. If we eat cold food in cold season then it will become time hostile. If we eat hot food in hot season then also time hostility will occur.

        Cold and hot nature of different food articles should be known from texts of ayurveda only. As by observing its external features it is not always possible to know the same. Following example will clear the matter.

          

          Curd (Dahi) is advised to be eaten in cold season. Curd is hot in nature. Although refrigerator processed curd resembles as cold from its external appearance it is hot in nature as it has gone through the process of fermentation. So, it should not be eaten during hot seasons like Grishma, Vasant and sharad.

          Buttermilk is hot in nature and not at all cold as per common myth. So, it is advised to drink it in cold season and to avoid it in hot season. Generally, all are used to eat buttermilk in summer assuming that it is cold in nature. But classical texts of ayurveda like sushrut clearly states that curd is hot hot and hot only.

          There is no limit for examples. I will try in some other time to provide a wide comprehensive list of hostile food in later posts.

          Did you know these concepts previously? No ? Then you might have questions in your mind.

         Keep reading…………..keep asking…………keep following ayurveda life style.

Viruddha Anna ( Hostile Diet)

Viruddhāśana/Viruddha Anna / विरुद्धाशन/ विरुद्ध अन्न

Viruddha  literally means opposite or hostile. The diet  which is hostile in terms of guna (quality), Desha  (place), Kāla  (time), Mātrā  (quantity), Sātmya ( wholesomeness), Sanskāra (processing), Krama (order) and so many others, is termed as viruddha anna. Let us see one by one with examples for the sake of well understanding.

Quality hostility –

         All the food items are having some qualities in them on the basis of which their overall effect on health is decided.  Such qualities include hot or cold, light to digest or heavy to digest, unctuous or non-unctuous, soft or hard etc.  Each food have only one quality from above mentioned pairs. So some foods are cold like milk, rise, wheat and other some are hot like black pepper, asafetida, ginger etc. Here coldness is not one which is cold in feeling but it is that one which is cold in effect. Thus even a milk which is made hot by boiling effects as cold in body. This rule is applicable to all food materials. Thus every food item is having some natural qualities in it. If we eat two food items having opposite qualities as mentioned in above said pairs, then it is considered as viruddha or hostile diet in terms of quality.

          Milk is hostile with fishes as milk is cold and fish is hot in quality. Drinking cold water before or after tea is hostile. All fruits are hostile when eaten with milk.

          Upcoming posts will be dedicated to other types of hostility with more number of examples. So keep reading this blog ayurvedbrahm.blogspot.in

            Let me know whether you are feeling this blog useful to you or you are facing some difficulties in understanding the matter. Your valuable feedback will increase the quality of this blog.

Samashana : Mixing Pathya and Apathya together !

Samashana (Samaśana/ समशन)

Namaskar to all !

We are discussing about different aspects of Apathya. This post will tell about Samashana. The word is made up of two small words viz sama and ashana.

Sam (सम्)  – along with, together

Ashana (अशन)  – diet

So the meaning of samashana is ‘the diet in which both pathya and apathya are mixed’ or ‘the diet in which pathya is consumed along with apathya.’

Samashana is very common verity of apathya as we unknowingly consume mixed type of diet good and bad or edible and non edible or pathya and apathya.

Example will enlighten the concept clearly.

If anyone eats fast food along with his/her routine diet then it is samashana; like eating farsana (farasāṇa) with khichadi or Sev with rise or samosa in routine diet.

For a diseased person -  if a pitta disordered person is eating sweet and spicy together it is samashana for him. Because sweet is pathya and spicy is apathya to his disease.

If anybody is consuming curd or dahi in night along with khichadi ( diet made up  of rise and green gram) then it is also samashana as dahi is apathya to all in night.   

So eat only pathya and do not mix any apathya in it.

Don’t drink cold drinks with pathya breakfast like upamā.

Know your disease and constitution and decide your pathya accordingly.

Feel free to contact and comment.

Vishamashana (Irregular diet)

Vishamashana / विषमाशन / Viṣamāśana

This is also one of the type of Apathya in terms of timings and quantity of food. If we are eating too more than our need or someone is eating too less than his/her need then it is vishamashana. If We are eating before the usual habitual time or after then it is also apathya included in vishamashan only.

Here, the word Vishamashan is made up of two words as that of Adhyashana.

Vishama (विषम) = irregular, or other than usual

Ashana (अशन) = Diet.

So, Vishamashana (विषमाशन) is the diet which is taken in irregular quantity or at irregular timings.

 Quantity of food depends on ones prakriti (constituent) and type of agni (digestive fire), which further depends on season, body strength, exercise one performs and previous diets etc. Pitta prakriti, higher digestive fire, cold season, great body strength are causing higher demand of food. On contrary, Kapha prakriti, lower or irregular type of agni, hot or rainy season results in less demand of food.  

Exercise has a big role in regulating quantity of food. If previous diet is heavy, it will hamper upcoming diet quantity.

Timing of diet is either our usual daytime or physiological time for consuming diet.

Usual daytime is the time of your meal habitual to you. Physiological time of diet can be known with the help of symptoms like lightness in the body, feeling of cleanliness in heart, pure belching, feeling of hunger etc. This physiological time may fluctuate due to factors discussed above.

In short following situations could be named as vishamashana –

1.     Eating in too much quantity than body demand.

2.     Eating in too less quantity than body demand.

3.     Eating when there is no huger sensation.

4.     Eating few hours after hunger sensation.

Vishamashan plays a vital role in generating metabolic disorders including obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, skin problems, muscular and bone and joint problems.

So for avoiding the hazardous effects of vishamashana we should know following things

1.     How much quantity of food should be consumed in accordance with season ?

2.     In which constituent which type of diet should be preferred ?

3.     In which type of Agni which type of diet should be consumed?

4.     How to understand physiological timing of diet ?

5.     How to change diet according to exercise ?

6.     How to change diet according to disease?

These issues will be discussed in later posts.

So, eat in proper quantity and proper times.

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Do you have any queries regarding this?

Let me know through your valuable comments.     

Taking Diet upon Diet ! Adhyashana !

Adhyashana /अध्यशन / Adhyaśana

As we have discussed earlier, there are certain types of apathya as this concept is much broad.

In today’s post we are discussing about one of such type viz Adhyashana.

The word Adhyashana is made up of two basic words 1. Adhi (अधि) 2. Ashana (अशन)

Adhi = above or over and above

Ashana   = Diet

Thus, Adhyashana is the diet which is consumed over previous diet.

Here meaning of ‘over’ is before complete digestion of previous meal.

So, Adhyashana is the diet which is consumed before the complete digestion of previous diet.

Generally, for complete digestion it will take approximately 5 to 8 hrs depending on status of your digestive fire i.e. ‘Agni’ in terms of Ayurveda.

Here for sake of convenience I will take average figure - ‘6 hrs’.

So, if we take another food before 6 hrs of previous one then it is termed as Adhyashana.

If we had our morning eating on 8 Am then it is better to take another food on 2 pm. If we eat before that it will be considered as Adhyashana.

Ayurved advises to take only two diets a day in general with the distance of 8 hrs. So, it is better to take morning diet on 11 Am and evening diet before 7 am.

It is ideal !!!

Observe in nature birds, animals do not eat anything after sunset.

We should not eat anything after the sun set. Our ancestors used to take their evening meal before sunset and experienced full fledge health throughout their lives.   

So, in short, take your morning diet on or up to 11 Am max and evening one on or up to 7 Am max.

Mean while you should not eat anything neither fast food nor the snacks.

Hazardous effects of Adhyashana include –

1.  Digestive system disorders.

2.  Obesity.

3.  Metabolic disorders.

4.  Possibility of Diabetes.

5.  Skin problems.

6.  Acidity.

7.  And so many others depending on what type of diet you are eating.

Thus, Avoid Adhyashana i.e. diet upon diet. Diet before digestion of previous diet.

Take only two diets in day.

You may have many questions regarding this topic.

Please fill free to ask questions through comment box bellow.

Let me know whether you like the post or you have some suggestions for my blog.

It will encourage me for further writing.

Other Types of Apathya.

Other types of  Apathya 

Good Morning and Namaskāra to all !

In previous posts, we learned about Pathya and Apathya. I provided list of Apathya in last post. But, concept of Apathya is not strictly adhered to type and name of particular food only. It is very much broad concept which includes methods of preparation of food, timing in which you are eating food, your mental condition while eating food, mixing of one food with another one, Status of your hunger before meal, Status of your digestive system before meal and so on. So kindly read it carefully ones again –

1.     Methods of preparation of food

2.     Timing in which you are eating food

3.     Your mental condition while eating food,

4.     Mixing of one food with another one,

5.     Status of your hunger before meal,

6.     Status of your digestive system before meal

7.     And many more factors including seasonal issues, place factor, constitution, personal unwholesomeness and particular diseased condition.

Considering these points, concept of Pathya and Apathya becomes more comprehensive and needs to explain under more clear headings.

So, here are some points under which I will explore this matter through the eyes of ayurveda.

• 1.     Adhyashana
• 2.     Vishamashana
• 3.     Samashana
• 4.     Viruddhashana
• 5.     Constitution i.e. Prakriti
• 6.     Allergy or personal unwholesomeness
• 7.     Diseases

Remember !

Nothing is said to be Pathya to all in each codition.

And Nothing is said to be Apathya to all in each condition.

It requires basis of consideration of above said points and much more.

Let us discuss one by one in following posts.

List of APATHYA (Food : Not to be consumed daily)

Some common Apathya

Here is a list of some common apathya.

It is not so easy to common people to decide whether they are eating Pathya or Apathya.

So for sake of their convenience here I am giving list which includes common food items entitled as APATHYA.

Remember these food items could be rarely eaten and may not harm when eaten in limit.

Eating these food articles ones in a fortnight is not so harmful to health.

But problem is that we eat one of the bellow food item daily.

If we eat panipuri ones a weak, and pavbhaji ones a wk, Pizza ones a wk, Bhel ones a wk, and so on. Then actual calculation is that we are eating apathya daily.

So you can eat any one food article as a change ones a while and not at all on daily basis.

It is highly recommended to avoid these food items as far as possible to maintain health.

REMEMBER – ONLY RICE, WHEAT/BARLEY/JOWAR ROTY, MUNG DAL AND FRUIT VEGITABLES ARE PERMITED TO BE CONSUMED DAILY.

OTHERS CAN BE CONSUMED BUT NOT FREQUENTLY.

So, here is the list of apathya  .......

Bread	Pav	Samosa	Kachori	Burger	Pizza
Chinese	Snacks	Pani puri	Bhel	Pav bhaji	Pulav
Biryani	Non veg itoms	Dahi	Dosa	Uttapa	Idali
Toast	Cold drinks	Soda	Sweet	Paneer	Milk shakes
Puri bhaji	Dahi vada	Dhokla	Khaman	Shev puri	Dahi puri
Bhaji/Pakode	Other Chats	Dabeli	Poha/pohe	Vada sambar	Hotel meals
Party meals	Excess tea	Excess coffee	Biscuits	ALL OTHER SIMILAR FOODS ……

So friends think !

How many food articles from above list are being eaten daily?

Is it good for health ?

My advice is please avoid these foods as far as possible.

Eat only healthy and daily consumable food which I listed out in previous post under the heading Pathya Part II

What if unavoidable situation occurs ? lets discuss tomorrow……