Increase your digestive strength
Digestion is the gatekeeper of good health. Impaired digestion, on the other hand, is at the root of every imbalance and disease. So the importance of digestion in Ayurveda simply can't be understated. Here are practical daily tips for protecting & restoring your digestive capacity. Give them a try and let me know if you have any questions!
BEFORE YOU EAT
+ Drink 2 cups of warm or room temperature water 20–30 minutes before your meals. Hydration helps your digestive system create the digestive enzymes it will need to digest the food you eat.
WHEN YOU EAT
+ Overall, eating a diet of light, simple, easily digestible, and natural foods that kindles digestion & supports natural hunger. Try soups, broths and plant-protein dishes like Kitchari.
+ Eat at regular times each day, as most as you can
+ Eat appropriate quantities of food at each meal (about two handfuls)
+ Allow the digestive fire to fully process one meal before you eat again, leaving 4 to 6 hours between meals
+ Sipping small amounts of warm water or ginger tea with a meal will also support digestion.
+ Eat only when hungry. Genuine hunger is characterized by a sense of lightness vs. false hunger can be caused by boredom or exhaustion
+ Eat for your Mind & Body Type (know yours by taking the quiz in our bio link)
+ Cook with energizing spices to make food more digestible which enables your digestive system to pull more nutrients from the foods you eat and therefore, create more energy. So have fun with ginger, turmeric, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, hingvastak, nutmeg, cinnamon etc.
TRY TO AVOID...
+ Cold drinks and drinking right before, during or right after eating food. Too much liquid dilutes digestive enzymes and inhibit digestion
+ Heavy foods like cheese, fried foods, tons of breads
+ Too much caffeine
+ Raw foods (salads, sushi, green juices) are more difficult to digest overall
+ Fruit with your meal or as dessert. Mixing fruit with other food types causes gas and bloating. Eat fruit as snack, waiting at least an hour after you’re done with your meal.
AFTER EATING
+ If meals tend to make you sleepy, a very short walk after a meal can be highly beneficial.
+ If you ate too much food, try lying on your left side for 5 to 15 minutes after your meal. Lying on your left side encourages gravity to help the digestive process.
