Ayurveda says 'lunch is the important meal of the day': Here's why
New Delhi : When it’s about taking controlled diet, most of us question about the quality and quantity of food to be consumed in a day. We stay in a state of confusion on when should we take heavy meals, in breakfast, lunch or dinner? Some health experts say that our morning breakfast should follow the king-size plate since it fuels our body for the entire day work. While some believe that we should take small meals in regular intervals of time. Though there are many theories for morning and noon meal, one rule of thumb almost all the dieticians suggest is to keep our dinner light.
Going throuh the several theories of diet, we lastly had words with our Ayurveda experts. They say that the ancient Hindu discipline of healthy and natural living recommends considering lunch as the biggest meal of the day. According to the eating rules, proper digestion is key to our healthy life. People suffering from unhealthy digestion is said to cause weight gain, constipation, bloating, acidity etc
Ayurvedic science say that body during lunch time gets tired according to the movement of sun and digestive agni is naturally high when the sun is the strongest. Therefore, as the sun goes down, we should also gradually reduce your heavy food intake.
Ayurvedic expert Dr. Dhanvantri Tyagi say "your body has its own body clock, disrupting which can cause imbalance in doshas or the energetic forces of nature. In Ayurveda, a healthy state is defined as the state when all your doshas, vata, pitta, and kapha are balanced. Vata, pitta and kapha increase and decrease in different time intervals of the day. For healthy digestion, pitta is said to play a crucial role. During typical lunch hours, say from 10 am to 2 pm, your pitta rises. Since your pitta is naturally at an enhanced state, whatever you eat is digested easily. Pitta is present through other parts of the day too, but during these hours it is at its peak, so it is recommended that you eat most of your heavy, greasy or sugary food around this time. So, that it is digested well."
Dr. Tyagi added, "It needs to be understood that these guidelines are meant for a person who is in his natural healthy state. If there is some prevailing disease or you are on some medications. It is not recommended that you eat heavy at all, be it at any time of the day. If a diabetic, eating desserts in lunch could also potentially cause blood sugar fluctuations."
As the day progresses, our metabolism power tends to slow down and digestion of food becomes increasingly tough. Therefore, we should reduce quantity of food during the evening hours. Heavy meals in the later part of the day not only affect digestion but also lead to sleepless nights. So, it is advisable to take light food at night like soups, salads, grilled or boiled foods.
Take care, stay healthy!
