Bhavna
10 basics of good health I was taught from my family.
I was born and grew up in Gujarat state of India. I was raised in a strictly vegetarian family. I try to follow most of my traditions as time permits. I thought of sharing this as many of you might relate to this article. I always wish I could pass on all of the following basics in my boys.
1. What to eat?
Include grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and dairy (specially milk, yogurt, chhas(buttermilk) and clarified butter (ghee)in daily diet. If nuts are affordable, include them as well. We were encouraged to eat roasted peanuts and chickpeas. Only Seasonal local foods were available.
I grew up eating in silverware and even today we use silverware most of the time. You will find several mentions of people eating with silver spoons and plates in historical scriptures as well. Eating with silver cutlery is actually good for your body as silver has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, which helps to fortifying the food you eat. Food was cooked in toxic-free earthen pots or cast iron.
2. How to eat?
Eat with your hands and chew well and if possible sit on the floor. Eating with hands has not only been a part of our culture but is still being practiced by many across the country. Using hands for eating is healthy for your gut, as the good bacteria on your hands gets into your tummy and help to fight bad bacteria. Eating with hands also helps in forming a connection with food, which makes food seem tastier.
No distractions while eating and eat mindfulness. Pray before eating and so on.
3. Why Fasting was encouraged?
Be it ‘karvachauth’ or ‘mangalvar vrat’, fasting has been punctually followed by many Indians for years together. But do you know that fasting reaps several benefits for your body as well? The abstinence from food aids in weight loss, speeds up metabolism, improves brain function and also increases longevity.
4. Prayers Meditation (Dhyan) Aasna Yoga
We can use prayer as a way of opening our hearts to God, not as a being living in an extra-dimensional heaven, but as the wellspring of creative energy within us and the universe. By quieting our minds, we can open ourselves to experience this divine ground directly.
Meditating has many benefits, including mental, emotional, and physical ones. Some people say there is even an ideal time to practice meditation.
Physically, the practice of asanas has been claimed to improve flexibility, strength, and balance; to alleviate stress and anxiety, and to reduce the symptoms of lower back pain. Claims have been made about beneficial effects on specific conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes.
5. Go to bed on time and wake up early.
Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. The way you feel while you’re awake depends in part on what happens while you’re sleeping.
6. Why celebrate festivals?
Festivals act like stress relievers and help us balance our emotions. More positivity naturally lowers negativity. … Many festivals across the planet are associated with the time of harvest. Religious festivals like Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali, and Eid have gathered cultural significance over the centuries. I love to celebrate Diwali and Navratri and celebrate other ethnic festivals like Halloween, Christmas and more.
7. Family chores and farming work
Chores help kids learn responsibility and self-reliance.Assigning children regular chores helps teach them responsibility. Tasks that personally affect your kids, such as cleaning their room or doing their own laundry, can help them become more self-reliant at the same time. We helped in farming works to reduce family burden. I inherited gardening from my ancestors! We were encouraged to learn basics of cooking, cleaning, organizing in our very early age. Most little girls on India, know how to roll rotis as they are given roti dough to play with almost everyday!
8. Street Playtime
Back in our childhood time, no electronics were there…thank god! Today, I can feel that most children are missing natural way of living. A street game or street sport is a sport or game that is played on city streets rather than a prepared field. Street games are usually simply play time activities for children in the most convenient venue. As soon as we returned from the school, eat snack or the dinner, finish homework, and go play outside.
9. Family time
During family time, either it’s story time or some learning. Family time offers many benefits, including building confidence, creating a stronger emotional bond between family members, improving communication skills, better performance in school and reduced behavioral issues, as well as providing an opportunity to make memories built on fun, laughter and togetherness.
10. Get Social
Human beings are born social. Socialization can help improve our mental and emotional health. Socializing can provide a number of benefits to your physical and mental health. The role of socialization is to acquaint individuals with the norms of a given social group or society. It prepares individuals to participate in a group by illustrating the expectations of that group. Socialization is very important for children, who begin the process at home with family, and continue it at school.
Social engagement is associated with a stronger immune system, especially for older adults. This means that you are better able to fight off colds, the flu, and even some types of cancer. You will enjoy better mental health. Interacting with others boosts feelings of well-being and decreases feelings of depression.
