________________
mixture of ghee and jaggery first thing in the morning, and take cardamom and cloves in the evening.
When one is troubled by the rising of kapha and not feeling hungry, then a mixture of dried ginger and jaggery can be consumed in the morning.
To mitigate vata, one must eat a teaspoon of washed rice on an empty stomach, drink a glass of water and meditate on the yellow card of swastik-srivatsa.
essences calm vata; sweet, bitter and astringent essences calm pitta; and pungent, bitter and astringent essences calm kapha.
As soon as we eat, the essences in food exert their first impact upon us. Foods are also endowed with a vipaka, which means the post-digestive effect. This can sometimes alter the qualities of the food itself. For instance, honey has a sweet essence, but a pungent post-digestive effect. Hence even though it is sweet and heavy, it calms kapha.
Hence the pregnant mother must eat food which is rich in all the essences. By doing so, she will automatically get enough proteins and vitamins in the right quantity. Alongside, her emotional balance will also be maintained
She must always remember a simple formula from the ancient science of food -a meal must consist of half portion of solids, one-fourth portion of liquids and the remaining one-fourth portion must be left for air. This means that she must not eat until full. This will allow her to remain active and energetic. A full stomach leads to feeling lazy and dull.
Some home remedies for mitigating the doshas:
To mitigate pitta, one can take a
Diet During Pregnancy
It is important for the pregnant mother to eat in a timely manner. Eating when one gets very hungry or eating when one is not yet hungry must be avoided. Kalpa Sutra, (verse 92) states that food eaten during pregnancy must be neither very cold nor very hot; and neither very unctuous nor very dry. She must eat foods which fill her with contentment without leaving her overstuffed or hungry. She must feel light and healthy.
She must eat fresh, nutritious, vegetarian food. Heavy, difficult to digest, oily and impure foods are best avoided. So is non-vegetarian food. It is not easily digestible. It also carries the thoughts and energy which the animal experienced in its final hour. These are likely to have a
121
