Change diet with season – The Economic Times

Every year, as spring paves way for summer and autumn breaks the ground for winter, we celebrate Navratri festival. With the change in seasons, widespread changes happen in the peripheral prakriti. These fluctuations influence the human body as well. It is important for us to be in-sync with the sweeping changes in prakriti so as to remain healthy.

In order to achieve this in-sync state, we can follow the ancient, twin-pronged approach: reduce the matra, quantity of food intake; and, second, eat sattvic food, thus giving our jatharagni, the digestive fire, enough time to prepare for the change.

Reducing the matra leads to induction of autophagy. Autophagy is the body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells, in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells. Japanese scientist Yoshinori Oshumi got the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2016 for proving the concept of autophagy.

Food with sattvic guna offers psychological benefits, maintains gut health and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. Essentially a vegetarian diet, it promotes digestion, bolsters metabolism and strengthens immunity. Cooked in a simple manner by boiling/steaming, nutrition is retained in the food, and it facilitates easy absorption of nutrients.

With less redundant cellular debris flowing through the body, mental clarity occurs. With more time devoted to prayers during the Navratri, we are able to relieve stress and become more positive in life.