Did You Know Ayurveda Can Help Enhance Your Digestion?
• Avoid cold food and liquids.
• Sip hot water with meals. Drink the majority of your water between meals.
• Include fresh ginger root, lime or lemon juice, and small amounts of fermented foods to increase Agni.
• Include all six tastes—sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent—in every meal to ensure balance.
• Eat mindfully, taking your time to enjoy your food.
• Eat according to your primary constitution: Vata, Pitta, or Kapha.
• Align yourself with the rhythms of nature. Eat mostly warm, cooked foods when the weather is cool and the qualities of Vata are increased. Salads and other raw foods are best eaten when the weather is hot and at lunchtime, when Agni is strongest.
• Incorporate healthy fats and cold-pressed organic oils such as extra-virgin olive oil to balance Vata when consuming salads and dried foods.
• Soak and sprout nuts and seeds to unlock nutrients and increase their digestibility.
• Juice raw vegetables to decrease the element of dryness and reduce the digestive demands on your body. I don’t recommend juicing more than one piece of fruit daily as this leads to increased blood sugar levels.
• Include spices that enhance digestion and reduce gas and bloating, such as coriander, cumin, and fennel.
• Practice Pranayama (yogic breathing) techniques to increase your digestive fire. Bhastrika or bellows breath is a simple yogic breathing practice that will help energize you as well as enhance your digestive power.
• Practice yoga poses that massage the abdominal organs, such as gentle twists, reclined knee-to-chest pose, downward dog, and cat-cow pose.