Chapter 1.27: Classification of Food & Beverages (Annapanavidhi Adhyaya / अन्नपानविधि अध्याय)
The largest dietetics chapter classifying foods into twelve categories (cereals, pulses, meats, vegetables, fruits, greens, wines, water, milk products, sugarcane derivatives, cooked foods, adjuvants) with properties and therapeutic indications for each.
Source: Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan by Vagbhata
This comprehensive dietetics chapter classifies foods into twelve categories, detailing properties (taste, potency, post-digestive effect) and therapeutic indications for each item. It establishes diet as mahabheshaja (supreme medicine), emphasizing that food quality determines life quality. The central message is that proper nutrition, personalized to individual constitution and digestive capacity, prevents disease more effectively than medicine alone.