Q. My ayurvedic physician says that it is better to cook each meal fresh and eat it immediately. I'd like to know exactly why.

A. According to ayurveda, efficiently digesting every bit of food you eat is very important. Food that is correctly and completely digested turns into ojas--the substance that helps us maintain optimum physical, mental, emotional, sensual and spiritual health. Food that is incompletely or incorrectly digested turns into ama--toxic matter that clogs the channels of the body and creates imbalance in the physiology. In order to maximize the creation of ojas and minimize the build-up of ama, it is important to know what to eat, when to eat and how to eat.

Leftovers are harder on the digestive system than foods prepared and cooked fresh. If your digestive fire (agni) is not strong, leftovers will create ama in the physiology. Also, foods that go straight from nature into the physiology give you the maximum amounts of nature's intelligence.

It is not possible for all of us to grow our own foods, but making the effort to shop often and cook each meal fresh will yield not only more satisfaction to your taste-buds, but more energy and good health as well.