Diet & Nutrition

Book excerpt: Abstract: Designed for the serious student whether he is lay or professional, this book attempts to provide a holistic and comprehensive overview of the complex nutrition field. Bringing together some of the insights of the East with the scientific research of the West, the ecology, biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology of nutrition are examined in a systematic fashion before proceeding to the relationship between nutrition and the mind. The traditional system of medicine in India is called Ayurveda. Ayurvedic nutrition is based on the concept that for each food there is an essence or energy state of quality that can be identified and formulated. The importance of the mind and the effect of one's mental and emotional habits on nutritional requirements is where the Eastern perspective on medicine and nutrition serves to counterbalance the Western extreme. Bringing together diverse data from the Western science of nutrition and the perennial wisdom of Eastern philosophy may permit their integration into one complete vision of man and his diet.