Naturopathy

Diet is a subject of the greatest importance in all systems of medicine, but in naturopathy it is of overriding significance because most of the treatment consists in cleansing the system through diet.The basic principle of dietetics is that the body has to fed like an engine which needs fuel. Food is the fuel for the body but just as there are various types of fuels for the various types of engines - diesel for the trucks, ATF for the planes and petrol for your scooter - the human body and its needs also need special types of food according to its condition. If you are a robust individual without any constitutional disorders you may take any type of food without impairing your health, but in a morbid condition special diets have to be taken.Foods are refined to such an extent that their value is lost, even it they become more pleasing to the taste bubs and the eye. In the process of preparing food we tend to lose many of the vitamins. The polishing of rice and the refining of sugar are other example where the preference for a nicer book leads to destruction of their essential value as foods.A continuous supply of mineral salts and vitamins is found in many natural and unspoilt food. They also cleanse and purify the body ridding it of toxins that give rise to various diseases.Another fallacy which modern medicine suffers from is the measuring of food value in terms of calories. Energy is something fundamental to the organism and can be enhanced because of the ability of the system to absorb it from the foodstuffs taken. If the foodstuffs lack the essential elements which school be present in them, the vital force of the body is not enchanced.Milk is a complete food and one can live on it without in any way imparing one's health. But it must not be boiled and should be taken fresh. In India's ancient system of medicine it was known as dugdha kalpa and was recommended in certain conditions. Pernicious anemia, diabetes, arthritis, neurasthenia and many other diseases have been cured by milk therapy followed by a long fast.Refined foods like sugar and white bread, polished rice, boiled potatoes, etc. are acid forming and should be avoided as far as possible. Brown sugar (in India gur), whole meal bread, unpolished rice and potatoes with their peel intact are recommended as they are less acid forming