The Three hours golden rule of cooked food!

FOOD – THE LIFE SOURCE

Do you know about the Three hours golden rule in cooked food? Do you know how long the cooked food retain its nutrients?

Food is the basic requisite our physical nature needs for its existence and fitness. Food is the need of every life form. Nutrient-rich foods give us a good lifestyle and long life. Taking food that is wholesome and nourishing is the key for proper physical functioning. Food is not rational. Food is the arts, habit, yearning and identity. Good food is the base of authentic joy.

THE THREE GUNA THEORY

The basis of food is to expand the lifespan, cleanse the mind and aid physical power. Each person is unique as his or her nature depends upon three qualities called satva, rajas and tamas. People with pre-eminent satva quality (morality,peacefulness,harmonious) eat food which is greasy, nutritive, appealing and juicy. People with pre-eminent rajas quality (passion,action,operation) eat food which is bitter, sour, hot, pungent, dry and burning. Excess amount of these foods makes one miserable and sick. People with predominant tamas quality (unawareness,dullness,dormancy)in the body prefer to eat half cooked food which is dry, bad smelling, stale, defiled and impure.

HOW LONG THE COOKED FOOD RETAIN ITS NUTRIENTS?

Most fruits and vegetables can stay many days without rotting if they are stored nicely. Grains can stay fresh for months. You know the cooked food will get rapidly spoiled if you keep them in the open. Cooked food is best to have fresh because once cooked it will start to rot and loses its vitality. It is best to have cooked food within 3 hours of cooking. Our body is supported by prana or life force.Every fresh vegetables and fruits have high vital energy. In cooked food the prana in them last for 3 hours after it cooked. The food loses its prana after 3 hours of cooking. Hence it is well advised for us to eat freshly cooked food.

The holy book Bhaghavat Gita also says that the food cooked more than three hours before it is eaten (except prasadham, food offered to the lord) is considered to be in the mode of gloominess and is liked by people in the mode of ignorance(tamas). The nutritive and healthy cooked food when consumed within three hours of preparation can be considered as Sattvic.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO FOLLOW IT IN THESE BUSY DAYS?

Good health plays vital role in everything of our life. It is a challenging task to follow these three hours rule in each meal everyday in this busy life. At least you can follow the three hours rule two meals (as much as possible) per day and plan it accordingly. It is always good to follow something than nothing.

TAKE AWAY

The mind and body influence each other. The food people you eat impact your nature. “By eating pure food, the mind becomes pure.” You can also say that individuals with pure minds prefer pure foods. You should be in continuous check of what you eat as it has direct effect on your body and mind. Cooked foods stored more than one yam(three hours) are classified in the mode of ignorance as it loses its life force energy. Have freshly prepared food and lead a healthy life.