Quantitative diet and three types of diet

Tach nityam prayunjit svasthyam yenanuvartate. 
ajatanam vikaranamunutpattikaram 
ch yat.. (ch. su .5/13)

   There are 2 benefits of a balanced diet (Benefits of BALANCED DIET) – Maintenance of health, absence of congenital disorders – The necessity of diet for survival is known to everyone. It is necessary that the food which nourishes the body enhances health and does not cause any kind of disorder. This is the reason why special emphasis has been laid on quantitative diet in the Samhitas and texts. Even in western culture, Balanced Diet has been given special importance. There is a phrase in English - Diseases Starts from the Kitchen, if the food is sattvik and as per the quantity, then most of the diseases caused by consuming excess food (like constipation, indigestion, obesity etc.) can be avoided.

Food for the mind
In the Gita, Krishna has clearly explained the Satvik, Rajasi and Tamasi diets and also explained their effects on the body, mind and intellect. Those who aspire for spiritual progress and are on the path of spiritual practice are instructed to adopt only Satvik diet and make its Satvikta also capable of helping spiritual consciousness more by adding emotions to it. Prasadam, Charudravya cooked in the sacrificial fire are such substances which do not have visible physical characteristics but their subtle power is very high. In Ayurveda, food is used to enhance and support the three gunas of the mind. Food that increases Sattva is called Satvik food. Food that expels Rajas is called Rajasik food and food that increases Tamas is called Tamasik food.

Satvik diet
The diet in which Sattva Guna is predominant is called Satvik diet. In Yoga and Ayurveda, it is said that consuming a Sattvic diet makes a person's life Sattvic.
The category of Yogic and Sattvic diet includes such food that purifies, strengthens, heals and fills the body and mind of a person with happiness. In other words, a Sattvic diet provides a person with a balanced healthy body, peace, harmonious coordination skills and intellectual personality. Sattvic diet represents a calm and clear mind. Sattvic food is based on the ancient rules of Ayurveda, which is prepared by common and traditional methods. Yogashastras and Sadhana texts have advised to adopt Sattvic diet to purify and refine the inner being. According to Ayurveda, it is the best diet for physical strength, good mind, good health and longevity. And it calms and purifies the mind, enabling it to function at its maximum potential. Thus a Sattvic diet leads to true health. A Sattvic diet is excellent for individuals who want to live a calm, peaceful and meditative life. Sattvic foods include sprouted whole grains, fresh fruits, land and sea vegetables, pure fruit juices, nuts and seeds, milk and cheese, beans, nuts, seeds, sprouted seeds, honey and herbal teas etc. Sattvic foods are those foods that do not agitate your stomach at all.

Rajasic diet
Rajasic is placed on the second position. According to Ayurveda, foods that aggravate the Pitta and Vata doshas and those that increase anger and restlessness are called Rajasic foods. They stimulate more agni, outward movement, creativity, aggression and passion and it gives a person a lot of energy. It includes a lot of spicy, salty and sour foods. People who eat this kind of diet are overly enthusiastic, short-tempered, restless and suffer from insomnia. These people are very active and always worried about something. Rajasic diet motivates your mind and body to work. Delicious food that is cooked thoroughly comes under the category of rajasic substances. Sour and spicy dishes, pickles, tea, coffee, alcohol and vegetables like onion, garlic etc. are considered to be of rajasic nature. Excessive consumption of rajasic foods will destroy the mind-body balance and make the mind restless and uncontrolled.

Tamasic Diet
Foods that increase inner darkness and confusion are called Tamasic food. Tamasic foods include fried and frozen foods, fast food, microwaved foods, processed foods, overnight leftovers, meat, fish, eggs, onions, alcohol, etc. These tend to slow us down, numb us, make us depressed, and increase inertia. Tamasic food is the most unhealthy of all foods.
Tolerance to food, drink, environment depends on the type of doshic composition. By understanding the doshic composition of the individual, one can choose the appropriate food, drink, and environment.

Diet for Vata Prakriti
The functions of Vata dosha in the body include movement in the body, process of excretion, controlling the nervous system, etc. Individuals with Vata Prakriti have dry, light, cold, sharp, irregular, and rough qualities. Hence they need smooth, heavy, hot qualities which are opposite to their own qualities. People with Vata Prakriti should take fresh, warm food with sweet, sour and salty taste. They should avoid too much fasting and consumption of spicy food to control their digestion. The diet of people with Vata Prakriti includes warm drinks, sweet fruits, raw nuts, milk, butter, warm cereals, etc.

Diet for Pitta Prakriti
Persons with Pitta Prakriti have hot, pungent, flowing liquid, slightly oily and light qualities. These persons should take food and drinks that are opposite to these qualities- maintaining cold, light, dry and heavy qualities. Pitta accumulates in the rainy season and increases in October. A balanced and strong diet consisting mainly of sweet, bitter and astringent will be perfect for this nature. Cold foods and drinks, especially in hot weather as well as mostly vegetarian food that is in harmony with the nature, are preferred. Adequate intake of raw food and juices is indicated. One should drink cold water and avoid coffee, alcohol, black tea, pickles, vinegar, chillies, vegetable oil, bakery products, canned foods, instant food, hybrid cereals etc.

Diet for Kapha Prakriti
The functions of Kapha dosha in the body include protection, controlling body structure, providing immunity, holding cells together, building muscles and bones etc. Kapha persons have stickiness, cold, heaviness and softness. They require foods and drinks that are opposite to their own qualities. Hence they require hard, hot, light foods with astringent, pungent and bitter tastes. They should prefer low carbohydrate, low fat diet without sugar. Kapha Prakriti people should avoid frequent eating, frozen foods and cold water.

If you want to stay healthy, change the way you cook food
Along with eating, most of the nutrients of the food are destroyed by the wrong method of cooking. Due to frying and adding spices, it does become tasty, but from the health point of view, it proves useless and worthless. Apart from this, vegetables and fruits are often used for eating only after removing their peel. Due to this, most of their nutrients are of no use to us. Current discoveries in dietetics have proved the fact that most of the ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is available in the peel of potato. On removing it, 12 to 35 percent of vitamin C is destroyed. Similarly, sufficient amount of vitamin B complex, thiamine, riboflavin is found in carrot peels. Ascorbic acid is found in apple peels. The amount of ascorbic acid in apple peels is 10 times more than in its pulp and niacin and riboflavin are also available in relatively higher amounts. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is known to play a role in preventing scurvy, bleeding in the skin and tissues, anemia, tooth decay, etc. It is usually available from fresh fruits and vegetables and every person needs 70 mg per day.
Wherever pesticides are sprayed, they get absorbed in the peels - hence it is advisable to eat them only after washing them thoroughly or washing them with salt water. Most of the nutrients in cereals are present in their outer layers and top portion, but cereals have also fallen prey to the current fashion. They are grinded in mills to make them look clean and shiny like stars. The situation is the same with rice, pulses etc. The process of grinding wheat in a mill and separating the bran from its flour at home is very unfortunate. Rice is washed repeatedly before cooking and after cooking, its excess water (starch) is thrown away. As a result of all these processes, truth be told, we eat only dung devoid of nutrients.
Usually vegetables are cut and peeled and immersed in water for a long time, due to which a large amount of its nutrients dissolve in water. For example, by cutting and washing cabbage, 9 to 15 percent of its ascorbic acid, 1 to 5 percent thiamine and 3 percent riboflavin are destroyed. If they are left as they are for 1 to 3 hours, then 8 percent and 11 percent ascorbic acid are destroyed respectively. By peeling radish and leaving it in the same condition for 24 hours, 27 percent of vitamins are destroyed. In a cut apple also, 20 percent ascorbic acid is destroyed in 1 to 2 hours and 35 percent in 3 hours. It is destroyed by reacting with oxygen in open air. However, in its entirety, it performs the functions of organizing the metabolic process, helping in the formation of collagen, healthy skin, bone, supporting tissue and wound healing, synthesizing protein, maintaining the structural strength of blood vessels, metabolism of some amino acids and protection from infection. To preserve nutrients in food, instead of boiling, frying or roasting, steaming should be used. Food should be cooked at low temperature, it should be prepared in less time and it should be cooked in a narrow vessel.
In ancient times, saffron, coriander and other herbs were used to add colour to dishes. But today, artificial colours have taken their place. At present, artificial colours are being used in most parts of the world. Many artificial colours are commonly used in India itself. The surprising thing is that even after these colours have been proven to be dangerous, their use is increasing. As a result, many diseases are being found to be occurring, such as damage to reproductive organs, stomach and liver, stunted growth of the body, lack of red blood cells, ulcers on the liver, etc. It is wise not to consume these unsuitable and unnatural substances.
Along with eating, fasting is also of special importance. It gives the body machine a chance to rest a little and during the same period it is also cleaned. Ayurveda says about fasting - "Langhanam Paramaushadham" i.e. "Fasting is the best medicine." To remain healthy and disease-free, eat by chewing properly when you are very hungry. Only by regularly following this valuable condition, digestion takes place properly and there is no possibility of any kind of complaint in the stomach. For this, it is often instructed - fix a time for eating in the morning and evening and avoid eating whenever you want. Food is never digested properly by moving the mouth repeatedly and sending food items to the stomach in an uncontrolled manner. Also, chew the food item properly so that it is the job of the teeth to include the appropriate amount of digestive juice in it. If it is not used and food is thrown into the furnace of the stomach in a hurry, then its result can be experienced in the form of indigestion, diarrhea and gas production.

Health is natural.
It should be considered a gift of nature, which is easily available to every living being. Weakness and illness are unnatural, which have been invited by the foolish people who are considered wise by disturbing their food habits. Along with exercise and a balanced routine, consume satvik food in the quantity according to your nature, to remain healthy. Those who want health, should start living a natural life.