Diet is derived from Greek word 'diaton' means - “to support life.”
Cells are basic component of life.
Cellular life is supported by-

 æ Addition-by energy intake through ingestion(food and drink) and inspiration
 æ Removal-by elimination of metabolic waste products. 
 æ Reproduction

Food assists homeostasis by supplying vitamins, minerals, fibers, and enzymes to support body in maintaining balance.
Eating natural foods allows the brain chemistry to function normally
Removal of waste products is already described in science of naturopathy.
Now we will check normal physiology of addition of food.

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 Intake of food

Intake of food depends on:
 æ Nutritional Regulation
 æ Alimentary Regulation

Nutritional Regulation depends on storage of glucose, amino acid, and fat metabolism in body. When the nutrient stores of body fall below normal, the feeding center of hypothalamus becomes highly active and the person exhibit increased hunger.
But if nutrient are abundant, the person looses the hunger and develop a state of satiety.
Alimentary Regulation is related mainly with Gastrointestinal filling and metering of food by head receptors like chewing, salivation, swallowing and tasting.
As the food passes through the mouth, this head receptor meters the intake of food and the hypothalamic-feeding center becomes inhibited.
Another factor, which inhibits the center, is stimulation of vagus nerve, which is stimulated by distension of stomach or duodenum.

Intake of food is stimulated and controlled by hunger, satiety, and appetite. Ingestion of food, quality and quantitatively depends on hunger and appetite.
Hunger is basic instinct for longing of food. The type of food that a person preferentially seeks is determined by appetite.
Satiety means a feeling of fulfillment in the quest for food. Satiety usually results from a filling meal, particularly when the person's nutrition storage depots, the adipose tissue, and the glycogen stores are already filled.
The degree of hunger or satiety at different times of the day depends to a great extent on habit.  

 æ Habits of food intake

The most common psychogenic factor contribute to food habit is that healthy eating habits require three meal a day and must be filling but actually rate of feeding is normally regulated in proportion to the nutrient stores in body
For instance, normally people have the habit of eating three meals a day, and if they miss one, they are likely to develop a state of hunger at mealtime despite completely adequate nutritional stores in their tissues.
But in addition to habit, several other short-term physiological stimuli, mainly related to the alimentary tract, can alter one's desire for food several hours at a time.
Nutritional storage of body is inaccurate if we contain unhealthy eating behavior.

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   Unhealthy Eating Behavior

In primitive age and till last hundred years energy spent on acquiring food and food preparation was greater than energy derived from food.
Our life style changes from hard work to sedentary life style.
Sedentary life style tends to storage of nutrients.
Our work schedule forces us to eat by time not by hunger.
Psychogenic factors are responsible for overeating or eating less.
Colors, taste, smell of food make us craving for food without actual need.
Food intake motivated by taste smell color and time put stress on homeostasis.
Food energy homeostasis is controlled by negative feed back system.
The normal homeostasis is high-energy output and low energy input.  
Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and diabetes and all chronic diseases are result of distorted  food energy homeostasis.

 æ Merits of healthy eating habits

Humankind derives energy from food.
Our eatables are composed of complex molecules, after digestion they are converted into simple molecules.
For food we depend on plants and animals. Plants derive their energy from solar energy.
It indicates that directly or indirectly we are dependent on solar energy for healthy living.
Our internal environment requires pollution free external environment to maintain its homeostatic condition.
To maintain the natural property of internal environment and proper functioning of homeostasis it is essential to eat properly.
Our genes are templates for our cellular function, protein synthesis, and cellular reproduction.
Genes determine formation of ultimate energy out of what we eat. Genes are evolved from simpler molecules. The complex chemicals in our food either exposed them to hard work or less of work or wrong work. This leads to change in preset order of their templates. Hence our food should be of molecules that genes could easily derive.
We in naturopathy try to teach people to regulate appetite and craving.
People should be educated to eat by hunger, to retain normal food energy homeostasis.
The natural diet varies according to age, sex, races, climate, and type of work. Forget about the fad diet and calories.

 æ Basis of intake of Food

Eat when you are hungry.

Eat such amount of food that a bit of hunger remains.

In between two meals there should be margin of at least seven hours. If you feel hunger in between this, take fruit juices, fruits, or vegetables soup

Your diet should be of high water content, rich in fiber and nutrients like  carbohydrate, protein, and low fat.

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   Therapeutic diet in naturopathy

Therapeutic diet helps in elimination of congestion and provides low energy density to the body There are three major steps in therapeutic diet.
They are changed according to change in sign and symptoms of disease.

 8 Fasting:-
Wrong eating habits and negligence of natural call results in accumulation of waste toxic material storage of excess fat and protein. Fasting helps in depletion of excess fat and protein and elimination of waste toxic material.  
 8 Water fasting :-
Solvent and reactant are two important properties of water. Solvent property helps in balancing of pH. Water as a reactant helps in metabolic reactions and directly influence many biochemical process like condensation reaction (for example: - the formation of ATP from ADP) and hydrolysis reactions (for example: - enzymatic depolarization of protein, carbohydrate and nucleic acids). The principle behind the water fasting is these properties of water. Water fasting for appropriate duration under medical supervision stimulates process of metabolism, condensation, and hydrolysis in body. Thus helps in degradation of excess fat and proteins, excretion of salts and maintenance of electrolyte concentration.
 8 Water, Honey and Lemon fasting :-
Carbohydrate is main source of energy for tissue over fat and protein. During fasting, because carbohydrate stores are only few hundred grams so its supply for energy requires in body is only for some period. After water fasting Honey is added to provide glucose for energy required in body.
In fasting vitamins are utilized in different process. To meet the requirement of vitamin in body especially water soluble vitamins lemon is added.
 8 Juice fasting :-
Since vitamins are utilized for different biochemical process in body. It is necessary to provide fat-soluble and water soluble vitamins. Fruits juices are rich in vitamins. It is added in next stage of fasting to replenish the vitamin stores in body.
Fasting helps in cleansing of colon. During fasting faecal matter is minimized to nil. The clogged faecal matter is easily removed in this period by enema.

 æ High fiber, high water content diet: -
        To brush out colon, fibers are essential hence fruits and then vegetables (fruity and leafy) are added in diet. Fruits and vegetables are rich in water and fibers. Besides cleansing process they provide plenty of minerals, vitamins, salts and low proteins.
 æ Low protein diet: -
In prolong fasting protein depletion starts after sometime. In order to maintain normal protein level, low protein diet is added. Such diet includes pulses, vegetables, peas etc.
These steps are followed under medical supervision for appropriate duration. This helps to restore proper rhythm of homeostasis. At this stage excess stores of proteins and fats are shredded. Waste metabolic toxic materials are eliminated from tissue and cellular level.
To maintain this purity food should be arranged in such a way that it provides all the essential vitamins, minerals, salt, and proper amount of carbohydrate, proteins and fats.
Quantity of food should be decided as per type of work, age, and climate and above all hunger.

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