Nutrition is the science that interprets the interaction of nutrients and other substances in food concerning maintenance, growth, reproduction, health and disease of an organism. It includes food intake, absorption, assimilation, biosynthesis, catabolism and excretion. Nutrition is one of the major determinants of the health and well-being of children and adults in all societies. At the beginning of the 20th century, interest in nutrition was mainly related to the energy needs of the human body.
In Naturopathy, food items are generally classified based on acidity or alkalinity. The broad classification of these food items is acidic and alkaline food, live and dead food, eliminative, soothing and constructive food, fruit diet, liquid diet, raw diet, mono-diet, etc.
The basis of naturopathy is food and the main base of food is uncooked food. While cooking, many elements get destroyed affecting the taste and nutrient values. The concept of diet in Naturopathy is nearer to nature. It recognizes food as medicine. The patients are successfully advised wholesome Naturopathy diet along with other Naturopathy treatment modalities to manage the disease conditions. However, there is an urgent need of providing correct dietary education to the people so that they could understand the concepts of diet and utilize the knowledge for the prevention of disease and betterment of health. More research studies and trials are required to be initiated by the researchers especially of Naturopathy to know and evaluate the effectiveness of Naturopathy diet not only in the management of lifestyle related and psychosomatic disease conditions, but also in the prevention of disease and promotion of positive health.
- Yoga Protocol for control of Diabetes, Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India website.
href=”http://ayush.gov.in/sites/default/files/Protocol%20for%20Prevention%20and%20control%20of%20Diabetes.pdf”>http://ayush.gov.in/sites/default/files/Protocol%20for%20Prevention%20and%20control%20of%20Diabetes.pdf accessed on Feb 9 2019.
- Lindlahr H. Philosophy and Practice of Nature Cure. In: Natural Dietetics. Edition 1 New York : Forgotten Books; pp. 259
Diet therapy is a broad term for the practical application of nutrition as a preventative or corrective treatment of disease. In India, since ages, dietary treatment has been used in conjunction with or without medicine.
The purer the food and drink are, the less it consists of morbid matter and poison producing materials and more of the elements necessary for the building and repair of tissue, neutralization and elimination of waste and systemic poisons. Fresh fruits and vegetables rich in organic salts tend to neutralize and eliminate the waste materials or poisons created during the processes of protein and starch digestion. Old, abnormal, faulty diet builds the abnormal and disease encumbered tissues.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) kill around 40 million people each year, which is around 70% of all deaths globally. Combined fasting, diet therapy and lifestyle changes are effective non-invasive, drugless methods in treating and prevention of diseases, particularly lifestyle disorders like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, peptic ulcer, bronchial asthma, coronary artery diseases, etc. In the 21st century due to lifestyle changes, the incidence of above-said diseases increased gradually which turned to health impact on healthy individuals with age of less than 40 years.
- Non communicable diseases. Fact Sheet website
http://www. Who.int/media centre/factsheets/fs355/en/ accessed on: 2/05/2017
- Raw-eating. Practice of Raw Meeting. 2nd edition. Tehran: 1967. Pp. 42.