Remember the time you ran to the loo all day because your digestive system was not working the way it should? Or the time you weren’t able to go at all because you were blocked off somewhere inside?
We’ve all struggled with digestive issues before and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.
Ayurveda says that the stomach is the root of our body. So a strong digestive system is a key to good health. Think about it – even mild stomach aches are suuuper uncomfortable, no? Especially if they make you gassy or constipated?
Ayurveda tells us that when your tummy is ok, all else is also ok. But how can we keep our tummy ok?
Do you have a set time for when you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner? Do you eat all three meals a day? Do you unnecessarily snack between meals even if you’re not hungry, just out of boredom?
Many of us get into irregular or inappropriate eating habits, both of which are harmful to the digestive fire in our stomachs.
To combat this, simply eat a fruit instead of going for a packet of chips. Opt for a glass of water instead of a fizzy drink. We tend to choose the unhealthier options to the healthier ones because they’re simply tastier or easier.
Ayurveda believes that no medicine is required by a person who follows the prescribed diet guidelines, but one who doesn’t follow the diet principles cannot be helped even with hundreds of medicines.
Today we have 8 ayurvedic tips for you to keep your digestive fire intact and your digestion in check.
One. HYDRATE!
Think about it. How much water do you drink every day? Make sure to always keep a glass of warm water beside you. Keep sipping and refilling as the day progresses. Also remember that warm water is better for your digestive fire than cold water and chilled drinks.
Two. Eat seasonal foods!
Today, almost all vegetables and fruits are available all-year-round in big cities. Avoid eating out-of-season foods. Eat summer fruits and veggies in the summer, and winter fruits and veggies in the winter. For example, watermelon is a summer fruit and cauliflower is a winter vegetable. Consume them in the seasons they grow.
Ever eaten some leftovers from the fridge and got food poisoning or indigestion? Yep. Best to avoid this.
A lot of us freeze food to eat later. Remember that certain foods are suitable for certain times, which is their seasonality. Avoid spicy, cold, fermented and frozen foods. Freshly cooked food is alkaline, but stored food becomes acidic and more prone to bacteria.
Three. Eat regularly, but not frequently.
How many times have you skipped breakfast in a rush to get to work? How many times have you put off lunch saying that you have no time to eat? And how many times have you ended up eating very heavy dinners and then spent the night unable to sleep, gassy, bloated, and uncomfortable?
Three balanced meals a day is absolute. Make sure to have at least 4 hours between two meals and avoid those namkeens that you so like to munch on during the day.
Four. Sleeping immediately after eating is a BIG NO.
A heavy lunch on a Sunday, and a long nap afterward sounds so relaxing, doesn’t it?
But this is WRONG!
Imagine you come home late from work feeling really tired. What do you do? Eat, then go to sleep.
This is ALSO WRONG!
You need to wait at least two hours to sleep after you eat. Your food needs time to digest, unless you’re okay with having heartburn and acid reflux disrupt your sleep. Also, you haven’t given your body the chance to burn the calories you ate, so sleeping right after eating can also make you put on a lot of weight.
Five. The right food at the right time.
You’re more active in the daytime than at night so it naturally makes more sense to eat heavier foods in the middle of the day and lighter, easy to digest foods in the evening.
If you like eating rice, wheat and other carbohydrates, save that for breakfast and lunch. Avoid them at dinner because you have less time to burn it off before you sleep. Eat more protein-rich foods for dinner. Soup is good, so are leafy greens and other protein vegetables. These are easier to digest and are better for the night time. Avoid spicy, cold, fermented, and frozen foods. Always eat freshly cooked food.
Six. Exercise regularly.
Exercising regularly fuels your digestive fire. If your digestive fire is not fuelled, your stomach will make life very uncomfortable for you.
Seven. Use the right amount of spices when cooking!
Spices in Indian cooking are a must. Food is not food for us Indians until we’ve put in the right combination of spices to make it yummy.
Too many spices can make your food difficult to digest. You don’t want to be running to the loo every ten minutes after eating a helping a spicy curry. But neither do you want to be eating bland food with no spices at all. This isn’t good for your digestion anyway. If the process of digestion is sluggish, your body creates a sticky food residue called toxin that can clog the channels in the body and hinder the process of assimilation, which is the process of the nutrients in your body going where they are supposed to.
Drink ginger tea with cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and cumin.
Make a habit of adding ajwain and turmeric to your food. But remember that all spices should be used in moderation.
Eight. Avoid cold drinks and cold food.
Ingesting cold food and drinks weaken your digestive fire. It’s like putting cold water on burning logs – it completely puts it out!
Have you ever noticed that if you have a cold drink with hot food, you can feel a bit uncomfortable afterwards? Cold drinks and foods mixed with warm cooked foods can cause stomach cramps, bloating and general discomfort in the stomach.
Nine. Practise an Ayurvedic diet.
Follow daily Ayurvedic routines to keep your body balanced and ultimately, free from illness. Some of the essential routines include oil pulling, nasya (oil drops in the nose), oil massage and exercise.
Follow all these important Ayurvedic health tips to improve your digestion!
