MEDHYA YOGA & WELLNESS

In an era dominated by information, our quest for health and well-being is often akin to sailing through turbulent seas, where the tides of advice and recommendations are constantly shifting. The conflicting and ever-changing nature of health information can be perplexing, leaving us questioning what to believe and how to chart our course towards a healthier life.

This is primarily on account of a fragmentary view of modern medicine and nutrition science, where an individual is simply seen as an aggregate of parts, and so, the approach used in treating any condition/disease is to treat the symptoms, without going to the depths of understanding the root cause of the problem. Modern medicine also ignores the numerous interactions and interrelationships of this complex human body which leads to other complications and side effects.

Contrast this with the 5,000 year old tradition of Ayurveda, whose fundamental principles were cognized by enlightened rishis. They say that when something is cognized from such a high level of consciousness, it is a siddhanta, or a truth that will never be unproven. So you can rest assured that the knowledge of Ayurveda will be sound and not have to be changed for future generations.

Here are five health fads that that are circulating around now and shows you why it is best not to follow those guidelines and instead listen to the very sound and solid information which has always been there within the ancient Ayurvedic tests. These truths are still relevant even for this modern era.

Fad #1: Avoid cholesterol and so consume vegetable / seed oil which does not contain cholesterol

Fact: The truth is quite the opposite. When we heat vegetable oil it turns into plastic which clogs the arteries, causing heart attacks and strokes. Instead Ayurveda suggests consuming ghee, which contains cholesterol, and protects the lining of the arteries so that no plaque is built up, keeping you free from heart diseases even in old age.

Fad #2: Milk is bad for health, stop drinking it completely or switch to plant based milk

Fact: At first glance this might seem true because of the current levels of adulteration in milk and cows being fed grains instead of grass. Also, the way we consume milk is often wrong. We consume pasteurised milk and have milk with incompatible foods which cause more problems, for which we blame the milk. Ayurveda, however says that if we fix our digestion and consume good quality grass fed cow milk, spicing it with right ingredients or cooking with grains and nuts, milk not only becomes nourishing but a nectar for the body, almost instantly producing ojas.

Fad #3: If you want to lose weight the Cut out dairy and fat from your diet

Fact: It turns out that the opposite is true. If you take good quality milk in the right way and consume ghee, which is the the easiest of fats to digest, you will nourish your body so well that the appetite control centers in the brain will be satisfied, and you would crave less food in general, making it easier to lose weight. If instead you avoid fat and dairy, you will constantly be thinking about food and end up overeating because the brain needs large amount of cholesterol each day to function properly.

Fad #4: Taking curcumin or flax seed supplements are good for your health

Fact: Well, this is a nutraceutical fad which most people buy into. Ayurveda argues against the process of isolating active ingredients out of foods and spices and says it should be avoided. Food and spices contain all the synergist activators and co-activators and isolating the active ingredients out of the whole foods can cause more side effects in the body than benefits as the synergistic nutrients of the whole foods are no longer there to maintain nature’s balance.

Fad #5: Cooking with Honey as an alternative to refined sugar

Fact: Many health foods (pastries, cookies etc.) are now cooked with honey as an alternative to sugar. Ayurveda says that Honey when processed or even put in hot teas/ beverages creates a compound which is extremely channel clogging and hard to remove from the body. Instead better alternative to refined sugar is the use natural sweeteners (raw cane sugar, jaggery, date sugar, maple syrup, palm candy etc.) and use honey as a topping on fruits, yogurts and foods which are already cooked and cooled off.

By following these fundamental principles of Ayurveda we can bypass all the incorrect fads which could be quite harmful to our health and rest assured with confidence that what you will be learning will be true now and for generations to come.