Thursday, September 27, 2012

Symposium on Diet, Health & Religion – Dr Shikha Sharma

Symposium on Diet, Health & Religion – Dr Shikha Sharma


A symposium on Diet, Health & Religion, second in a series was held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on 5th September, 2012. The Chief Guest was Shri J Veeraraghavan, Chairman, Bhavan’s KM Munshi Institute of Educational Leadership and Management.
Welcoming the gathering, Shri Ashok Pradhan, Director, BVB said that the purpose of this symposium was to examine the relation between what we eat, how it affects our health and how all religions look at this aspect. Nature is also related to our health. Nature tells us what to eat. For example, summer vegetables have a high content of water. Speaking on fasting, he observed that not eating on certain days cleanses our body.
Dr Shikha Sharma
Eating a balanced diet is important. There is a lot of diversity that we can bring in our food.
  • All vegetables and fruits are a treasure of vitamins and minerals.
  • So if we start eating only one kind of food, these vitamins and mineral are lost leading to deficiencies.
  • A balanced diet is thus not in terms of carbohydrates, but one which has 7 colors and 6 tastes.
  • Fasting acts like a brake on unlimited eating and helps us to come back to our natural rhythm.
  • Our diets may also differ according to blood groups. Each blood group represents a specific genetic profile.
o   Blood group B – should not eat sugary foods as they are very sensitive to high sugars. They should avoid refined flour, white sugar, white rice and breads. Eat more of chana, kala chana and moong dal.
o   Blood group A – should avoid heavy meals. They are low in acid levels and are prone to indigestion. They should eat lean fish, soya, wheat and green vegetables.
o   Blood group AB – There are no restrictions for this blood group. They can have a mixed diet.
o   Blood group O – people with blood group O should not eat too much of acidic food as their body is very acidic. They should avoid tea, coffee, fried food and sour foods.
  • It is important to understand our body and eat food which is in accordance to our body.

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