{"id":227,"date":"2026-03-02T12:25:49","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T12:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/?p=227"},"modified":"2026-03-31T12:38:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T12:38:34","slug":"the-ayurvedic-rationale-for-meal-timings-the-time-between-meals-and-the-quantity-of-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/the-ayurvedic-rationale-for-meal-timings-the-time-between-meals-and-the-quantity-of-food\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ayurvedic Rationale For Meal Timings, The Time Between Meals, And The Quantity Of Food."},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn Ayurvedic texts, Ahara, meaning food, is one of the most important aspects of life, and the most important part of the three pillars of life. The three pillars are Ahara (food), Nidra (sleep), and Brahmacharya (celibacy). These three pillars promote growth, strength, development, and the enhancement of Ojas or the vigour of the body. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSome of the major diseases that manifest in the body are the result of psychological and lifestyle disorders caused by the wrong food. While wholesome food nourishes your body and mind, unwholesome food has the opposite effect. This is why a properly ingested diet, as per Ayurvedic principles, is vital to keep your body, mind, and sensory organs healthy. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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So, how do we eat right? <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The principles of dietetics and nutrition in the Ayurvedic system of medicine include different classes of eating and drinking, information on wholesome and unwholesome diets, learning the discipline of eating, etc. This is called Ahara Vidhi Vishesh Ayatana or the 8 principles of food.<\/b> Of the 8 principles, 3 address the Ayurvedic rationale for spacing out meal timings, the right time to eat, and in what quantities. They are as follows:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Raashi (Quantity Of Food) <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTo understand this principle, you need to know how digestion happens in the body. If you continue to eat after your stomach is full, there is no space left for digestion, and digestion will not occur as it usually does. So, what is the right quantity to eat? Ayurveda divides the stomach into four quadrants. We should ideally eat to fill half our stomach, another one-fourth of the capacity should be kept for water, and the last quarter should be kept empty. Unfortunately, nowadays, with the number of distractions around, our mind is not aware of the amount of food we eat. During a meal, we are preoccupied with the television or our mobile phones, and we are not mindful of whether our stomach is full or not. So, it\u2019s important to maintain a good connection with the food as we consume it. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Upayoga Samstha (Rules For Taking Food) <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUpayoga Samstha denotes the rules for diet. Food should be eaten only when the last meal has been digested properly, and one must feel hungry and enthusiastic about eating. Our body exhibits hunger when it needs food. Snacking without hunger, especially if it is done at night, will definitely cause indigestion. Activities like laughing, talking, and watching television while eating should be avoided. It is not a good idea to eat when we are anxious, worried, deep in thought, angry, or sad. Or in other words, eating when one is emotionally compromised must be avoided. Food should not be consumed in a hurry or too slowly either. In addition, the quality of food must also be taken into consideration. For example, food should be warm, tasty, easily digestible, of good quality, of the right quantity according to the Agni of a person, and should contain all the 6 Rasas. In Ayurveda, there are six tastes or Rasas – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy, and astringent. Ayurveda recommends including each of the tastes in every meal. Too much of any one of the six Rasas should also be avoided. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ayurveda also emphasises a fixed mealtime for proper digestion and assimilation of food. It is not just about maintaining a fixed time for meals; but how the food is consumed is also important. For example, jumping out of bed at 7 am and having a quick bite is not the right way. We need to wake up early, engage in light exercises like yoga & meditation, and complete our morning ablutions. It is then that our body enzymes start working for digestion. Ayurveda believes in customising food patterns according to one’s Doshas. But generally, we can have a light and warm breakfast like porridge, millet rotis or chapatis, warm oatmeal, rice pudding, egg, steamed fruit, etc. by 7:00 am. Lunch must be the heartiest meal and should be taken between 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm. We can have some fruit in between breakfast and lunch if hunger strikes. But this should be taken before 11:00 am. Post lunch, at 4 pm, one can have fruit juices. Dinner should be consumed at least 2 hours before bed. That means, it can be taken between 6:30 pm and 8:00 pm and not after. A relaxing walk post-dinner is a good practise after which one should go to bed by 10 pm.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Upayokta Samstha (The One Who Consumes The Food) <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis principle covers mindful eating. You should be aware of how the food is being made, focus on the taste as you eat it, feel the consistency, enjoy the food, understand the benefits you are getting as you consume it, and more. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWith an understanding of these principles, you will be able to maximise the benefits you get from your food and reduce the risk of developing diseases. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTalk to our doctors at CGH Earth Ayurveda \u2013 Kalari Kovilakom & Kalari Rasayana \u2013 for a better understanding and relationship with food. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Disclaimer<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The sole purpose of this article is to provide information about Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease. If you have an acute or chronic health concern, please consult an Ayurveda doctor who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Ayurvedic texts, Ahara, meaning food, is one of the most important aspects of life, and the most important part of the three pillars of life. The three pillars are Ahara (food), Nidra (sleep), and Brahmacharya (celibacy). These three pillars promote growth, strength, development, and the enhancement of Ojas or the vigour of the body. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253,"href":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227\/revisions\/253"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cghearthayurveda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}