Article by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa S, B.A.M.S
Overeating is such a habit that it eventually pulls the person into the dungeons of many health issues. Many people do not eat healthy quantities of foods and even more people do not know the limits of taking food. Where and when to stop is a big issue. People eat happily without even taking pity on the poor stomach which faces immense stress of digesting whatever is provided to it at time and also out of time. The digestive system finally wears and tears and also gives up after a certain period of time is what many people do not know or do not want to know. Overeating habitually leads to chronic indigestion of food which can become a silent killer and foundation for hundreds of scary diseases to manifest in future.
Related Reading – ‘Understanding Overeating – causes, effects and solutions’
Overeating: What Ayurveda says?
Ayurveda too condemns overeating. Ayurveda classifies the stomach into three portions. One portion should be reserved for solid foods. The second third should be reserved for liquid foods. The final one third of the stomach should be reserved for the movement and action of doshas. This is a clear statement that one needs to take solid foods to one third of the capacity of his or her stomach. This will help in balancing the doshas in the gut, enable easy digestion of food and will also keep us healthy and is a shield against metabolic disorders.
Atimatra Bhojana and Agnimandya
‘Sarve api rogah mande agnau….’. Almost all diseases have their origin from ‘weak digestive fire in the gut’. This weak fire will be designed to digest a particular quantity of food in our system. Food is the fuel for our digestive fire, it needs to be satisfied and satiated, but not put off. Imagine putting a large quantity of fuel over a small flame of fire! The same happens when we overload our stomach with food. The large quantity of food will not act like fuel for the fire, but will act as a fire extinguisher. When this is supplied very regularly by a person who is accustomed and habituated to eating large quantities of food, it leads to manda agni. This manda agni is the chief reason for all metabolic disorders including those mentioned above.
So, the quantity of food should be determined following the compartmentalization done by Ayurveda, as said above. Even with this, the quantity of intake of food differs from individual to individual and should be customized as per one’s prakriti. One should eat consciously and should have ‘food awareness’.
Ati ashana
Ati ashana – means excessive eating or overeating. It is one of the bad practices according to Ayurveda and is one of the causes of dosha prakopa – aggravation of doshas. Adhyashana wherein the person eats food even before his previously consumed food has been digested can also be considered as excessive eating.
Ati Santarpana
Acharya Charaka has dedicated a chapter to discuss Santarpanottha and Apatarpanottha Vyadhis. Among these, Santarpanottha Vyadhis are diseases caused by over-nutrition or over-saturation of the body caused by overeating of food. This is also a case of ‘over eating’ and related disorders. Similarly, chapters like ‘mata ashitiya’ emphasize on eating foods in proper and balanced quantities.
Pashuvad Bhojana
Ayurveda also explains ‘the animal instinct’ of eating in the context of ‘Ajirna’ i.e. indigestion of food. The Acharya says, ‘a person who does not have self-control eats anything and everything with an animal instinct, without looking or considering the quantity of food falls victim to serious type of indigestion of food, which is responsible and is a root cause for many systemic and metabolic disorders’. This reflects the need for meaningful and conscious eating.
Manasika Karana
Modern medicine contributes to overeating to stress responses and release of cortisol which can increase craving of food.
Chinta – overthinking or stress, shoka – grief, bhaya – fear or stressful situations, krodha – anger or our reaction towards stressful triggers, irshya – jealousy, lobha – greed or craving for food, ruk – pain etc have been mentioned amongst the causes of ajirna i.e. indigestion of food. This shows that Ayurveda too has linked different mental behaviours to indigestion of food. Master Charaka further tells, in presence of these mental disturbances, even the healthy food consumed in proper quantities would not get digested properly, then what to tell about food whose quality and quantity have not been monitored.
Modern medicine also says that the speed of eating foods, type of foods and multitasking while eating food are also contributory. Ayurveda too has given a set of regulations in the ‘upayoga samstha’ part of ‘Ahara Vidhi Vishesha Ayatana’ i.e. eight factors pertaining to intake of food. Here, the Acharya says that one should eat only when one feels hungry and the previously consumed food has been digested, in a desired place with desired articles, while taking care that he or she is not eating too quickly or too slowly and one should eat with utmost concentration without talking or laughing.
Related Reading – ‘Ahara Vidhi Vishesha Ayatana’
Effects of Atimatra Ahara: According to Master Vagbhata
अतिमात्रं त्वशनं त्रीनपि दोषान् प्रकोपयेत्।
पीड्यमाना हि वाताद्या युगपतेन कोपिताः॥
आमेनान्नेन दिष्टेन तदेवाविश्य कुर्वते।
विष्टम्भयन्तोऽलसकं च्यावयन्तो विसूचिकाम्॥
अधरोत्तरमार्गाभ्यां सहसैवाजितात्मनः।अ.हृ.सू.८/४-५।
Excessively consumed food very quickly vitiates all the three doshas.
The food does not get digested properly and at the same time being pressed and obstructed by excessive undigested food, vata and other doshas get vitiated.
Consequent to indigestion, and due to elapse of time of digestion, ama is formed. Ama is intermediate products of digestion formed due to weak digestive fire and its improper action on the food leading to its inadequate digestion. This product is useless for the body. In fact it produces toxicity in the gut and also in the tissues in the long run and is a foundation material for a wide array of diseases to manifest.
The vitiated doshas are once again contaminated with ama. This causes the formation of sama doshas. They form a vicious combination and lodge in the tissues causing many disorders.
The vitiated doshas cause Alasaka disorder due to blockage of the channels of the body caused by contaminated food, and doshas associated with ama.
The same doshas cause visuchika disorder by expelling the undigested food simultaneously and repeatedly from oral and anal routes.
Both these conditions are manifested in people who are undisciplined in food practices and are not self-controlled.
Santarpanottha Rogas
Diseases caused due to overeating / over-saturation with food
– Prameha – diabetes
– Prameha pidaka – diabetic carbuncles
– Kotha – urticaria
– Kandu – itching
– Pandu – anaemia, liver disorders,
– Ama – diseases caused by ama
– Jwara – fever
– Kushta – skin diseases
– Ama pradosha – diseases secondary to vitiation of ama
– Mutrakrichra – dysuria
– Arochaka – anorexia, tastelessness
– Tandra – drowsiness, stupor
– Klaibya – impotence, erectile dysfunctions, sexual dysfunctions
– Stahulya – obesity,
– Alasya – laziness,
– Gaurava – heaviness of the body
– Indriya srotasam lepa – blockages in the channels of the body and also in the sense organs
– Buddheh moha – delusion
– Shopha – different kinds of oedema
– Anyaih cha – many diseases like the above said
Also,
Atimatra of food causes formation and increase of ama, kapha and meda – fat, which individually or collectively cause blocks in the channels of the body and cause a wide array of disorders.
Ayurveda principles of management of diseases caused due to overeating
Nidana parivarjana – One should keep away the causes of these diseases. Overeating is the main cause of diseases caused due to overeating. Therefore, the person should be educated about the food, quantity of food and food etiquettes and the person too should follow the same. The person should gradually shift towards meaningful eating of healthy foods, of course with the help of a physician or dietician.
Other principles –
Diseases caused due to overnutrition or overeating shall be dealt with principles given for treating ‘santarpanottha rogas’ in Ayurveda. They are –
– Vamana – therapeutic emesis
– Virechana – therapeutic purgation
– Raktamokshana – bloodletting
– Vyayama – indulgence in physical exercises and workouts
– Upavasa – therapeutic and planned fasting
– Dhuma – fumigation
– Swedana – sudation