Obesity Through Ayurveda

Overweight & Obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. In Ayurveda Atisthula (Obese person ) has been defined as “a person with flabbiness of buttocks, belly & breast due to excessive accumulation of Meda(fat/adipose tissue) & Mamsa(flesh/muscle tissue) and whose increased bulk is not matched by a corresponding increase in his energy.

Overweight or obesity can hamper ones physical & mental health in a profound way. Treating Obesity is not easy & also gets very tiring for its patients, so it’s always better to prevent it by knowing its causes and avoiding them. For the ones who are already suffering from it, eliminating these causes from their diet & lifestyle gets even more crucial as a part of the treatment. So, let’s see the causes of obesity by Ayurveda.

Dietary causes

Over eating

Eating before digestion of previous meal

excessive consumption of heavy food

excessive consumption of sweet food

excessive consumption of cold food

excessive consumption of oily food

excessive consumption of meat

alcohol

new grains

excessive consumption of milk & its preparations

drinking water postmeal

Role of dietary causes in obesity –Weight gain & weight loss both depends on the quality & quantity of food. Edibles which are heavy, sweet, cold & oily in nature all leads to overproduction & deposition of Meda (fats). Milk, alcohol, meat & newly harvested grains when taken excessively can lead to obesity by their ability to overproduce & accumulate fats & flesh.

Lifestyle Causes

lack of exercise

daytime sleep

excess sleep

luxurious sitting for longer durations

sleeping & bathing after meal

Role of lifestyle causes in obesity- lack of exercise, excessive sleep & prolong sitting all of these falls under restricted physical activity. Metabolism is reduced in absence of exercise, excess of sleep & physical relaxation, which becomes the main reason of genesis & accumulation of excessive Meda. Also in physical & mental relaxation state, there is diminished want of energy, hence this unused energy may get converted & stored in the form of fats leading to obesity.

Basically obesity may occur in anyone who often gets indulged in sedentary dietary habits & lifestyle. In the end it all depends upon mode & code of your diet & lifestyle.

So, “BE ACTIVE & STAY HEALTHY”.