Ayurvedic Approach to Functional Foods

The article is presented in the following parts
1. Introduction.
2. Reductionism and Modern Nutrition
3. Diet and Nutrition: The Functional Approach to Ayurveda. On pages 461-6 read how much food to eat, when to eat, what to eat, sequence of eating ie what to eat first etc, diet by season, a balanced diet,
4. Diet, Nutrition and Diseases in Ayurveda pg 469
5. Approach of Modern Nutrition and Ayurveda
6. Conclusion.

Hippocrates said, Let food be your medicine and medicine be thy food. Ayurveda declares, You are what you eat. In modern theories of nutrition, food is generally understood in terms of calories and components carbohydrates, proteins, fats, etc.). These classifications, however, do not address questions such as which foods can help in digestion, which ones improve appetite, which properties of foods can prevent diseases, or what should be taken and avoided in the different seasons. Answers to these practical questions can be found in ayurveda, which is why the ayurvedic perspective becomes important.

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Article Copyright ©2013 by Food Science Publisher/ Dr. Danik M. Martirosyan where it was first published. Author has obtained permission for its reproduction on www.esamskriti.com

About Author: Dr. Rama Jayasundar is a Professor in the Department of NMR, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. She has an unique and unusual carrier trajectory. A PhD from University of Cambridge (UK), she is trained in physics and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). While pioneering biomedical NMR work in India, she enrolled as a full time student, in the 5 1/2 years ayurvedic medical course at the age of 41, after obtaining official permission from AIIMS. What is striking is the fact that she did plus two biology (a pre-requisite for medical entrance) at the age of 40 to gain eligibility for medical admission in India. Despite securing admission for MBBS from top medical universities in India and abroad, she opted for medical degree in Ayurveda (BAMS - Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery).

She has many publications and awards to her credit in the field of biomedical NMR. Her current research interests harness the distinctive facets of her expertise to shed light on the scientific basis and working of ayurveda. Utilising her training in physics, experimental science, ayurveda and allopathy for innovative research in ayurveda, she is its most powerful advocate at national and international levels.

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