aTalk on Ayurveda

byDarshana Thacker

What is Vegan Diet?

A vegan diet is that which does not use any animal product (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy) and any by-products derived from them. Many people turn to a vegan lifestyle for better health, ethical and environmental reasons.

AYURVEDA

Ayurveda medicine follows the principles of health and prevention of diseases with the aid of intensive knowledge and study of physiology, pathology, different diseases, and their treatments with diet, herbs remedies, cleansing therapies, exercise, meditation.

Divisions in Ayurveda

There are 3 body constitutions (doshas)

•Vata (air)

•Pita (fire) •Kapha (earth)

Taste (rasa)There are six tastes - sweet, sour, salt, bitter, pungent and astringent.

Qualities (gunas)

Vata

Dryness, cold, rough, light, subtle and movement.Primary is cold

Pita

Sticky, deep, hot, light, bad odorous, free flowing and liquid. Primary is hot.

Kapha

Sticky, cold, heavy, smooth, slimy and static. Primary is cold.

A well-balanced Ayurvedic diet has a lot of variety

Vegan Diet

Three main reasons to choose a vegan diet:

• Health

• Ethical

• Environment

HEALTH• The modern man is facing an epidemic of chronic diseases and there is a constant search to find a cure and a preventive measure for these diseases.• Cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity etc. • According to the World Health Organization - Overall, 2.7 million deaths are attributable to low fruit and vegetable intake.

How does a vegan diet help YOU!

Many of the health risks of meat, dairy and poultry.

• Diabetes• Cancer• High Cholesterol• Heart disease• High Blood Pressure• Obesity• Hormonal disease

Diabetes

• Diabetes is increasing in India at an epidemic rate

• India is believed to have the highest number of diabetics in the world, as high as 20 million.

• Rapid increase in weigh, obesity and lack of exercise are the main causes

Cancer

• The World Health Organization has determined that dietary factors account for at least 30 percent of all cancers in Western countries and up to 20 percent in developing countries

Many of the health risks of meat, dairy and poultry.

• Diabetes• Cancer• High Cholesterol• Heart disease• High Blood Pressure• Obesity• Hormonal disease

Where do you get your protein?Sources of Protein

100 gm Soya 36.49

100 gm Mug beans 23.86

100 gm Masoor (Lentil) 26

110 gm Chicken 28

110 gm Lamb 30

100 gm Eggs 12.6

110 gm Fish 20-25

The Ethical Reason

The Environmental ReasonDeforestation

Unsustainable pressure on land

Harmful impact from the manufacture of pesticide, herbicide and fertilizers

Unsustainable use of water including groundwater extraction

Pollution of soil, water and air from fertilizers and from manure

Land degradation

Loss of biodiversity due to single crop farming for feed crop.

The Environmental Reason

Deforestation Water waste due to animal waste

Ayurvedic Vegan Food uses a variety of natural ingredients

FruitsVegetables Nuts

SeedGrains

Suggested reading onAyurveda and Veganism

Veganism• The China Study

By T. Colin Campbell PhD. & Thomas M. Campbell

• Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

by Eric Schlosser• Mad Cowboy

by Howard Lyman• Being Vegan

by By Joanne Stepaniak• Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D.• Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing

Diabetesby Dr. Neal D. Barnard, MD

• Dr. John McDougall's Digestive Tune-upwww.drmcdougall.com

Ayurveda• The Ayurvedic Diet

By Dennis Thompson• Ayurveda - A Life of Balance: The Complete

Guide to Ayurvedic Nutrition & Body Types with Recipes

By Maya Tiwari• Ayurveda: Science of Self-Healing: A Practical

GuideBy Vasant D. Lad

• "The Complete Illustrated Guide To Ayurveda" By Gopi Warrier & Deepika Gunawant, MD