Food, clothing and shelter are the basic needs of life. Food comes first as it is the most important thing for survival. We know very well that “Food is fuel”. Today people are suffering from so many diseases. Obesity stands top in the list and risks of other diseases like cardiovascular disease, hypertension. Type II Diabetes, cancer are increasing. There is  a segment of people who have enough money to spend on good food but they  suffer more from such chronic diseases. The reason is we are not eating food in the right way and in the right amount. There are so many apps nowadays which calculate how much carbohydrates, fats and proteins you have consumed. But just calculating carbs and proteins is not enough. Most importantly one should know what he is eating is good for his body. As per Ayurveda Nutrition, food is far beyond carbs, proteins and fats. It says food should have “Prana” (Life) that gives energy to the body. But in today’s time, most of the food which we are eating is either low in prana or almost dead food  we are consuming.

In this article, I would like to share the importance of pranik food and how pranik food provides energy to your body and regular consumption of pranik food will keep you away from diseases thereby leading a healthy and happy life.  Pranik food is divided into three categories :

1.     Positive Pranik Food  ( gives energy)

2.     Negative Pranik Food (these have medicinal benefits but may have harmful effects if consumed for a very long period of time)

3.     Zero Pranik Food ( creates lethargy in the body)

To begin with the negative pranik food, the list consists of all the food items that human beings like the most. Example : garlic, onion, asafetida, green chillies, coffee, tea. Tea and coffee addiction is at its peak now. People cannot imagine their lives without a cup of tea/coffee right from getting up in the morning till evening. Some people keep drinking coffee even at night while working because coffee is a great stimulant and it keeps you awake to work efficiently. Anything in excess is harmful for health and do not make coffee and tea as compulsion. Garlic has lot of medicinal benefits but It should not be consumed daily as it stimulates the nervous system. We should not make food as religion or not associate food with religion. But all these negative pranik food, even though have medicinal benefits, is not suitable for daily consumption.

On the other hand zero pranik food are tomatoes and potatoes. They are extremely good to taste but they create lethargy. Your tongue would be very happy with the zero pranik food but you stomach would not be happy with it. Ultimately your stomach is going to take care of your whole health as all the ailments start from improper digestion or weak digestive power.

Now let us look at the positive pranik food list. Ash Gourd, honey, nuts, dry fruits, leafy vegetables, black pepper, sprouts.  These foods have a very positive effect on our body. They are high energy foods. Include more of the positive pranik food in your diet. Most importantly cooking destroys a lot of enzymes and the nutritive value of the food goes down. Hence make a practice of including 40-50 percent of raw food in your diet. Non vegetarian foods have excess protein which may cause cancer. Even vegetables and fruits have protein but when cooked most of the protein gets destroyed. Hence to get a good amount of protein consumption of raw food is good.

Let us go more deeper to understand the pranik food. Freshly cooked food is considered as satvik food. It means consume cooked food within 1.5 hours after it comes out of the stove. If you refrigerate it and reheat and eat it after 8-10 hours then the properties of food will change. It becomes tamsik food which means it is not going to provide positive prana rather it will have a negative impact. Eating properly is also an important aspect of health. Eating properly means eating in a good and peaceful environment keeping away all the gadgets and just concentrating on the food which you are eating. Also eating in a happy state of mind.

Remember: “Our body is the accumulation of food, not just protein, carbohydrate and vitamins”.