Simple Steps to Healthy Digestion
Date Posted:14 April 2011
Maharishi Ayurveda recommends a number of steps that you can follow to improve digestive function and enhance your overall health and well-being. The digestive fires (agni) should be in balance so that food is digested properly and the mind and body are adequately nourished. How and when you eat your meals is just as significant as what you eat. Often, food is not digested properly because dinner is eaten too late at night. If you eat a late meal, it can interfere with your sleep. After 10pm, the body is trying to burn off toxins and digest everything that has been consumed during the day. Eating after this time can lead to an accumulation of toxins in the system, and as a result you may wake up the next morning feeling tired and lacking energy. As well as eating before 8pm, dinner should be a lighter meal than lunch to encourage healthy digestion. The digestive agni are at their strongest between 12 and 2pm, when the sun is strongest. Agni is directly associated with the sun, yet another way in which Maharishi Ayurveda connects the mind and body to the environment. Agni is working at its full potential at lunchtime, so this is the best time to enjoy a large meal. As the sun sets, so does the agni.
Another recommendation for healthy digestion is the avoidance of cold drinks at mealtimes, and ice cold food and drink at all times. Ice cold drinks extinguish the digestive agni, and when combined with warm cooked foods, can lead to stomach upsets, bloating and discomfort. It is simply a case of adapting the way you think about what you put into your body. Start taking juice and even milk at room temperature, and stop adding ice to your drinks. This in itself should result in a significant improvement in your digestive function. You should notice that you feel much better during and after meals. If you do need to take cool drinks—for example, if you have need to restore a healthy pitta balance—take them in between meals. Slightly cool drinks are best, such as those made with Organic Rose Water.
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