Abstract

A REVIEW ON NITYA SEVANIYA AAHAR AS A BALANCED DIET IN AYURVEDA

Anand V. Kalaskar, Shivani R. Bhawarekar* and Ruchira S. Virkar

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Abstract

Background: Ayurveda is science of life which describes three pillars of healthy and long life that need to be balanced viz Aahar, Nidra, Brahmacharya, which are also known as traya-upasthambha. The progressive sedentary lifestyle is leading to many non-communicable diseases (NCD) namely hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cancer, heart diseases and stroke. According to WHO, these diseases by far have the highest mortality, representing 71% of all deaths worldwide. These are also known as lifestyle disorders, which are caused due to faulty dietary habits, wrong behavioral patterns, disturbance in circadian rhythm and stress. Ayurveda has given the concept of santarpanjanya vyadhis which can be related to the lifestyle disorders, the causes are consumption of guru, snigdha, madhur, piccihila aahar, excessive consumption of milk and its products, less physical activities and day sleeping patterns. The first upasthambha Aahar, plays an important role in preventing lifestyle disorders and maintaining good health. Hence, it’s important to review the significance of food modalities described in ayurveda like nitya sevaniya aahar. Nitya sevaniya aahar is the complete, balanced foods described in ayurveda which can be consumed regularly by everyone as it completes the nutritional demands of body.

Keywords: Nitya sevaniya Aahar, Diet, Non-communicable diseases, Lifestyle disorders.