Praneeta Mahajan
Hamilton, 1 November 2022
High Commission of India, Wellington recently spearheaded the initiative to bring esteemed speakers from different parts of New Zealand together on World Ayurveda Day to talk about wellness and nutrition.
One of the speakers for the webinar was Dr Namrita Sambhus, a Lifestyle Consultant, Panchakarma Therapist and wellness expert.
Dr Sambhus has sixteen years of experience as consulting Ayurveda (Herbal Medicine) Physician, Panchakarma Therapist and Yoga Practitioner.
Her practice has proven results of Panchakarma Therapies like Massage, Fomentation and Enema treatments. She has unique expertise in Diabetes research and result-oriented diabetic treatments. She is also a certified professional in the Sports Training sector with in-depth knowledge of sports psychology, nutrition and exercises prescription.
She started her talk with a quote “You are what you Eat” something we all often hear about but hardly take into consideration.
Food and Wellness
She spoke about the importance of Ahaar or food and nutrition as part of the four pillars of Yoga. Dr Sambhus emphasized the need to balance the five component elements of the Human Body, namely, Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Ether.
Ayurveda, as a science, recognizes more qualities than just its nutritional value, which is a stark variation from all western nutritional studies. In Ayurveda, what also matters immensely is the combinations in which we consume certain foods, the temperature at which it is cooked and consumed and the recommended digestion time of a particular food.
Dr Sambhus highlighted that Ayurveda also suggests the order in which we should consume our meals. She said that starting our meal with something sweet is an old eastern tradition with a deeply embedded knowledge bank behind the seemingly simple practice. Starting your meal with something sweet activates the digestive enzymes and avoids the tendency to overeat as the satiation point is achieved faster.
Furthermore, Ayurveda also recommends the time for meal consumption and states that the ideal time for the main meal of the day is around mid-day while a light dinner is always better for digestion due to body movement being limited. Early mornings are when our brain function is at its highest, and for that, Ayurveda recommends having food like porridge, almonds, raisins and fresh fruits.
Millets- the magic food
Dr Sambhus also mentioned a great addition to our meals are Millets like Bajra (Pearl Millet) Jowar (Sorghum), Amaranth and Ragi. These time-tested millets are now easily available across New Zealand and gaining popularity due to being Gluten-free and rich in proteins, dietary fibre, Vitamin B, calcium, iron, magnesium and other nutrients.
With the convenience of being consumed as flatbreads, porridge and add-ons to various savoury dishes, the millets help regulate blood glucose levels, fight cancer cells, regulate digestion, help with metabolism, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels and are great for your heart.
Dr. Namrata Sambhus
Health should be holistic and not curative
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Newslink, Dr Namrata Sambhus spoke about how the age group of 18-30 year olds can benefit greatly from slight lifestyle changes, which can, in turn, yield some greater health benefits in the longer run.
With most of her patients in the younger age groups belonging to the varied ethnic community, she found it amazing how the New Zealand audience was always more keen to learn about the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda and followed her advice with immense sincerity.
For her Indian audience, Dr Sambhus discussed how the openness to learn about our practices and relearn some of the age-old wisdom is posing to be a challenge for the youth and more platforms were required to share these life-altering individual and holistic programs.
Instead of relying on Modern medicine and synthetic chemicals, health needs a more holistic approach and greater emphasis on lifestyle solutions rather than treatment of easily avoidable issues.
Praneeta Mahajan is an Indian Newslink Reporter based in Hamilton.
