Modify your health through your diet

November 19, 1:31 PMPhiladelphia Health ExaminerThomas Hartmann

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Map of India:  web.mac.com/sevanti

Do you have a persistent headache that you seem to have developed out of nowhere? Or a cough that comes at a particular time of the year? Experimenting with the food you eat is one of the best ways to change unwanted health symptoms, from a rash to obesity. Last week’s article presented the idea that not all people have the same dietary requirements.

The maxim “medicine is food and food is medicine” has been part of the Indian Ayurvedic tradition for five thousand years, and is becoming more widely recognized in Western culture more recently. Indian scientists have even recently compiled a formidable book on the scientific basis of Ayurveda, adding further credence to the traditional belief that the way one eats affects one’s health.

Ayurveda is all about maintaining balance in the human organism. According to Ayurveda, your type is determined at birth and influences many sorts of things about you, including what kinds of foods aggravate or alleviate health conditions.

Perhaps the greatest unknown in today’s American diet is probably the overabundance of artificial foods like high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. If you are bothered by any particular symptom, try cutting out a particular food item 100% for an entire week and seeing its effect on your system.  Note that sometimes you might have to undergo a brief withdrawal period.  Often your intuition can guide you as to what to cut out. 

If your intuition is no help, try avoiding the artificial. Then remember that eating too much of any one thing is probably questionable for your health. And if that fails, check your Ayurvedic balance. You can probably heal yourself with your diet before you run to the doctor for medicine.