Faculty of memory in man is deeply associated with his eating habits. A man who takes a balanced and nutritious diet, has a keen memory. Food energy though, isn’t required for memory alone, but for myriad of other life activities as well. Here it is pertinent to ask : How can food help memory? Answer is simple. Food ought to be balanced, vitamin enriched and easily digestible. Let us deliberate on what a balanced died is all about.
❑ The earliest of human diets comes from mother’s breast. Her milk is well balanced nutritious and easy to digest. Hence for first six months of infant’s life, breast feeding—for baby’s physical and mental well being.
❑ As a child grows up in years, it should be given solid foods, which are easy to digest.
❑ Growing children and adolescents, especially girls, shouldn’t go on diet or eat abstemiously. Because that interferes with their natural growth and development.
❑ Eat fresh fruits and green vegetables aplenty. These prop-up mind and body, and favour disease free and drug free living. Medicines may cure you of your physical and mental ailments. But they can’t promise strength and vigour of nerves and muscles.
❑ Nothing beats fresh juicy fruits, apricots, coconut and raspberry in upping cerebral acuity. Juicy fruits have blood purifying and system toning effect. Water melon, papaya, mango, guava, bel and pineapple are all such fruits which are tasty, easy to eat and put body systems in better shape.
❑ If you are memory savvy, have a breakfast of fruits, whey, sprouted grains, vegetable juice and fruit juice. Even porridge, boiled eggs, milk and almonds may be taken in moderation. But avoid tea, biscuits, sweetmeat, salty snacks, white bread and deep fried cereal foods.
❑ An overall euphoria of flush energy, made possible by below listed programme, can help you to build up a powerful memory.
❑ Break free five almond seeds from their cover and soak them in water overnight. Early in the morning peel off their skin and grind them into milky pulp. Mix this grind in 300 ml of boiling milk, give 3-4 boil ups to combination, and take it off the stove. Add a spoonful of desi ghee and two spoons of khand or bura—the grey sugar beaten out of brown sugarcane product called Gur.
Cool down this mixture, and it is ready for consumption. It is best to use it on empty stomach in morning hours. Use it at least for a month without break.
❑ Banarasi Amla is another good tonic for brain. Take a fulsome piece of its jam empty stomach in morning, chewing it thoroughly. Thereafter, eat nothing for an hour at least.
❑ Vitamin rich food products like Wheat, Barley, Gram, Pea, Soyabean, Papaya, Green leafy vegetables, Orange, Guava, Grapes, Milk and Pulses may be eaten in generous amounts. They provide sustenance and critical energy required by the nervous system.
other significant titbits
❑ Before going for morning ablutions, drink about half a litre water kept overnight in a copper vessel.
❑ After brushing clean your teeth, have a drink of lemon and honey in fresh water. For this add one lemon and one spoonful of honey to one glass of water. This will keep your mind fresh and your body in peak of health.
❑ Take you daily bath with fresh water. Start the act by pouring water over head rather than over legs.
❑ Have only two meals in a day. With every meal make sure you include fruits, green vegetables and yoghurt (curd) in good measure. Fruits, milk, and even light breakfast may be taken in addition to two principal meals. Fruits must be eaten before, not after, the staple diet. Don’t use fruits cut and kept open for long. As far as possible, use less of cereal grains in diet.
❑ Massage your body every day before your morning bath. And once in a week let this be done with oil—almond’s or any other type. Head too should be oil massaged. If feasible, use boiled water for drinking purpose.
❑ Try going to bed early, and getting up early in the morning.
❑ Soak 100 gms. of black gram in water, and keep overnight. Boil them in morning with 4-5 granules of black pepper. Drain off excess water through sieve-filter, and your breakfast is ready.
❑ For peace of mind and cutting edge intellect, prayer and meditation are best. They swipe clean blemishes of mind and boost up memory.
❑ Try to keep fried and fatty foods at distance.
❑ Once in a week massage your whole body with health enhancing vegetable oil.
❑ Do physical exercise regularly.
❑ Keep bowels clean, avoid constipation at all cost.
❑ Take balanced diet at appropriate time and place. Avoid an excess of fried and roasted foods.
❑ Have cordial and friendly relations with one and all.
❑ Above all, be smiling and mentally serene.
❑ Avoid an excess of intellectual indulgence.
❑ Prefer lean and dry foods over oily and fatty food stuffs.
❑ Avoid stale, cool and dehydrated food items.
❑ Chilly and spicy foods should be taken in moderation.
❑ Reduce your salt intake immediately if possible. Otherwise cut down on it in a phased manner till you use it only for name sake. Salty snacks/foods should be minimally used.
❑ Eat light and warm food. Cut down on sweet- meats and spicy cuisines.
