Our Food Habits

One of the major causes of illness is wrong food habits. Even the best food eaten in a wrong way can cause disorders of the body. So, we must know what to eat and how to eat.

We should always eat in a clean, quiet and peaceful atmosphere. Eating hurriedly in a fit of anger or in the grip of anxiety and fear is not desirable. Eating by the roadside is a common practice. It should be avoided as far as possible, because the food eaten from a roadside shop is usually full of dirt and dust and may have been prepared in unhygienic conditions.

Some of us eat to please others. It is good to please others. But it is not good to go on eating to please others. One can understand taking one or two morsels if someone insists. But eating a full meal on a full stomach is very harmful.

Tea and Coffee

As Gur has been replaced by sugar in our diet, so have milk, curd and lassi been replaced by tea and coffee. Most of us drink 4 to 8 cups of tea or coffee daily. But tea and coffee are not among the essential nutrients. In fact, they have no food value, i.e., they do not provide any substance essentially needed by our body. If we take them out of our diet, no harm would be done. Many people have however become tea or coffee addicts. Moreover, it has now become a fashion or a social custom to offer tea or coffee to guests. But we should also be aware of the evil effects of excessive consumption of tea or coffee. Medical experts issue warnings to the people from time to time against the excessive use of these drinks. It would be better to restrict the number of cups to the minimum if we are unable to stop tea and coffee altogether. Tea is more harmful when tea leaves are boiled. So, at least stop boiling tea leaves if you cannot stop it altogether.