Ama = Autophagy
Something that has been neglected by Modern Medicine for years.But now then Nobel prize in Medicine has been given in 2016 for discovery of mechanics underlying “Autophagy “
Autophagy is body’s ability to digest
Auto if self , phagy Is to eat .Autophagy has been identified as a mechanism to purify the waste physiologically.Helps in the elimination of Viruses, Bacteria and Funguses.
Modern medicine recognizes the problem of accumulation of waste material.The main cause of amyloid deposits in the cells.Basically the waste product of neurons which doesn’t get purified.eg.in Alzheimer’s
Phages eating cells form a part of the immune system become active on 12 hours of eating.When we start to be hungry our stomach and small intestine start to activate this process.Autophagy starts when we are hungry.
Ama concept is now entering the Modern Medicine which now understands it is something that accumulates in the cell interstitium.Cell waste is same as Ama in Ayurveda.Every cell has its Agni.All the cell discharge ( waste ) is called Ama has to be cleared.Sometimes this accumulates in the body and the body can be overwhelmed leading to a strong foundation for many diseases.
Autophagy counteracts the negative effects of aging.Ayurvedic Routine stimulates Autophagy ( Hunger gap between dinner and breakfast )
AyurVeda offers a wide range of purification methods called Ama Pachana & panchakarma.
AyurVeda mentions Golden rules of Diet
Ayurveda always considers this Gap after dinner approx 12 hours before breakfast that stimulates Autophagy.( Ama pachana)
- Regular meal times;
- Eating only when hungry,
- avoid binge snacking between meals,
- Avoid overeating,
- having only an early light dinner.
- Six tastes must be included in the food
- eating and drinking with attention to maintain a healthy gut and digestion.
- Mind has an effect on digestion so it’s not advisable to eat food watching TV , playing video games etc.Different emotions like anger, grief have a direct impact on hunger.So it’s good to focus on food while eating.
- Eat food hot , with some ghee , not in excess ( half the stomach) chewing properly, not too fast or slow.
- We begin eating with sweet and sour tastes , salty , spicy and astringent in the middle and bitter at the end.
- Salt intake should be restricted as it may trigger the aging process.
- Wrong food combinations & stale food should be avoided.
- The gap of 12 hours between dinner
- Spices in the diet
