Diet

“The disciplined man who takes a wholesome diet, lives for a period of 36,000 nights or a hundred years, blessed by good men and free from disease”
 Acharya Caraka had an extensive familiarity with and knowledge of food and drinks of varied sources. Historically, we can have an insight in to the food habits of the people in his time through his Samhita. Medically, his doctrine that food plays a vital role in the practice of medicine, holds good even today. The great Acharya recognised that all human activities are rooted in food. He gives elaborate descriptions of Dietetics, Taste, wholesome and unwholesome foods, seasonal foods, varieties of meat, fermented drinks etc. Whenever he prescribed a meat diet for treatment, he was careful enough to suggest an alternative vegetarian dish. Let us see some points he made to underesand his versatility.
• Food (Anna) supports life and it is life itself.
• He classifies four types of oil separately.
• Black pepper was prefered for flavouring food and in preparing formulations
• Coconut was used
• He indicates the social preferences of his day – like Rice among cereals, bird meat among meats, cow’s milk among milks and sesame oil among oils.
In most of the Ayurvedic texts, the acharyas describe the specific quality of the food and their curative value. ‘Pathya’ (Diet regimen) forms the integral part of Ayurveda. Without ‘pathya’, medicines alone will not completely cure the disease.