Digestion

Statistics say that 73% of westerners suffer from one kind of digestive issue or another at any time. That's huge! How does this happen? Our western lifestyle is much to blame. 

We're stressed out, we don't eat what is best for our mind/body type, we eat on the run, we combine foods badly, we opt for smoothies instead of meals, we eat late at night, we skip meals... there are dozens of reasons why our digestion is just not where it should be! Then, we compound matters by taking medications. But the medications don't help; they just mask the symptoms. We feel better in the short term, but in the long term, we're hurting ourselves so much. We start to build up "ama" or toxins - and Ayurveda says that this ama is the root cause of most disease.

The good news is, we can get ourselves into better habits, and strengthen our digestion. It's never too late. Whether we have acid reflux, are overweight, feeling nauseous, or whatever it is - Ayurveda explains that we need to balance that digestive fire, the agni.  When agni is good, we feel light, clear and energetic - healthy!

Basic tips for strong digestion:

• Fast in between meals. Don't graze, don't snack your way from meal to meal.  Allow time in between meals to fully digest. This would be 3-6 hours depending on your dosha, the time of year, and the food you are eating.

• Eat your largest meal of the day midday. Between noon and 1 pm the digestive fire is strongest, and will work in our favor.

• Eat sitting down. Preferably at a table, in a relaxed atmosphere. Practice mindful eating - pay attention to your food, the colors, smell, and taste. Chew your food.

• Eat to just 75% full. Leave room for the food to move around in there to digest properly.

• No ice. Too much water dilutes the gastric juices that break down food. But putting ice in the water is like throwing ice on a fire. You don't want to kill your fire, you want it burning brightly to do its job in digesting the food. Instead have warm water with meals, and just sips, you don't need a lot of water when you are eating.

• What else are you digesting? Pay attention to your emotions, your environment, your relationships. We take in toxins from the media all the time. Be sure to use filters, and choose what you focus on through the four areas of life: body, mind, spirit and space.