The document discusses the relationship between diet and mental health in Ayurveda. It covers several key points: 1) The mind is necessary for thinking and controlling the senses. Proper diet nourishes the mind and improves mental health. 2) Sattvic diets which are sweet, tasty, and lightly cooked promote mental well-being, while rajasic and tamasic diets which are spicy, stale, or improperly prepared can harm the mind and cause mental disorders. 3) Certain types of improper, incompatible, or inappropriately timed diets can specifically cause mental disorders by disturbing the mind. Therapeutic diets aim to enhance sattva and reduce rajas and tamas

1. Diet in mental health
Vd. Sneha Kulkarni
Associate Professor
Dravyaguna Department
Tilak Ayurveda Mahavidyalya, Pune

2. The mind
• Mana dnyane bodhe…
It is the Apparatus for genesis of knowledge.
• Mind is an active agent which
forms connecting link for the soul (Atman)and
the objects of the exterior world.
• Mind works as an instrument for the supreme
spiritual knowledge.
• Mind is necessary for the thinking process and
for controlling sence organs (indriyanigraha).

3. :
Synonyms of Mind and etymological
derivation
mind
Manas – that which thinks
Maanasam - that which thinks
Satwam –
that which is existent
Chittam, Chit, Chetas – that which
is instrumental to special
knowledge
Hrut, hridayam - that which
captures or grasps.

4. Functions of Manas
• To control the indriyas from undesirable, non
required stimulants or subjects & to control
itself (swasyanigraha).
• To make the Soul aware of the surroundings
through the sensory faculties
• To think

5. Attributes of mind
• Satva for the intellectual existence, which is
possible if mind is sufficient to enlight.
• Rajas for re-organization steps as the
materials get shifted and processed for
conversion.
• Tamas for inhibition of either.
• Mental health is attained by increase in sattva
whereas mental disease is caused by increase
of Rajas and Tamas.

6. Mental health
• Mental health is a state of sensorial, mental,
intellectual and Spiritual well being.
• Mental ill health including is a result of
unwholesome interaction between individual
and his environments.
• mind and body including the faculties are
considered as substratum of disease.

7. Diet and mind
• Food
substances
• Digested to
smaller particles
mass
• Processing of
agni
• Energy
liberation
Energy
• Nutrition of
mind
Nutrition of
mind

8. Diet & mind…
• “Annam vrittikaranam shreshtha:” -
Charakacharya
• “Annamayam hi saumya manam” -
Chandogya Upanishada
• Food is like a pharmaceutical compound
that affects the brain,” said Fernando
Gómez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of
neurosurgery and physiological science.

9. Diet and mind
Sattvik Diet
• Improves the mind
power & strength
• Maintains health,
brings joy to life
• Sweet, tasty, delicious
• Snigdha (Unctous),
soft, watery, sthira
(firming)
• neatly & fully cooked,
medium in size, look
good, pleasing
Rajas Diet
• Proves responsible for
diseases
• Brings grief to life
• katu, amla, lavana
• Ushna, Teekshna,
Ruksha
• causing heartburn,
spicy food
Tamas Diet
• Harmful for mental as
well as physical health
• Stale food ( more than
3 hours after cooking)
• Half or improperly
cooked, burnt
• Tasteless
• rotten, excessive dry
• Haphazardly arranged

10. Effects of diet on mind
What?
• Food stuff
• liquids
How?
• Methods
• Regimen
When?
• Time
• Duration &
intervals

11. Diet as a cause of mental disorders
What?
• Viruddha
• Dushta
• Ashuchi
• Asatmya
• Ahita Diet
• Samala
• Paryushita
• Ahita
• vikruta

12. Diet as a cause of mental disorders
What?
• Excessively hot (Ushna), penetrating
(Teekshna), dry (Ruksha)
• Excessive use of Katu, amla, lavana rasa
• Foods of opposite potency consumed together
How?
• Mind engaged elsewhere at the time of eating
• Unpleasing, on favorable, unhygienic place
causes manovighata

13. Diet as a cause of mental disorders
When?
• Before the onset of true hunger
• Very late

14. Treatment of mental disorders
adhyatmik
adhidaivik
• diet
• medicine
adhibhautik

15. Therapeutic aspects of diet
• Diet to enhance sattva
• Diet to reduce raja and tama
• Ushna, freshly cooked. Reheating not allowed
• Snigdha, it increses the strength of indriyas

16. Thank you. . .