Ayurveda Cooking -
Ayurvedic Digestion
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Ayurvedic Digestion |
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Digestion |
Digestion is the process through which the foods we consume pass
through our bodies and are directed toward the purposes of providing
energy to the body or building new cellular materials in the body.
Proper digestion of the food is very important for healthy body, mind
and soul.
If digestion is weak then even good food will be converted into
low-grade nutrition and low-grade health.
Our Agni or
digestive fire plays an important role in digestion. It can be
compared to a burning fire, when flame is low it takes a long time to
cook the food or if it is very high it can burn the food. Our
digestive fires should be balanced so that we can digest our meals
efficiently and smoothly.
Factors that Affect Digestion
Time
The
digestion of food is closely related with the time of food
consumption. Lunch is considered the main meal of day and advised to
be the heaviest meal also. The ideal time prescribed for lunch is from
12 noon to 2 pm when sun is the highest in the sky. This is the
greatest time to digest the food because we need heat to digest the
food and at this time, the stomach is naturally the hottest in the
day. Hence, you can digest comparatively heavy and larger meal at
lunch.Breakfast should be light, just enough to make you charged till
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lunch.
As lunch should be taken during early afternoon period, Dinner should
ideally be eaten at least three hours before bed or before 8:00 p.m. In
any case, avoid eating dinner after 10:00 p.m. because our body works to
burn off toxins and digest food taken during the day at this time. If you
eat after 10:00 p.m., the food may cause toxins to accumulate in the
system, and as a result, the next day you wake up tired. |
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How
You Eat |
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The
digestion of food also depends on your eating pattern. Our bodies need a
settled, calm atmosphere in order to process and absorb the nutrients from
our meals. If we eat while standing, walking, or driving our way, our
digestive system is interrupted and the food is not properly digested. On
the contrary, when we eat sitting in clean and calm environment with
settled state of mind our body and mind enjoy the flavors, textures, and
aromas of food which greatly improve the digestion. |
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Digestive Fire or Agni |
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Our digestive capacity or the capacity to transforms food into healthy
tissues is known as Agni or digestive fire in Ayurveda. The proper
functioning of our body largely depends on the balanced Agni. If your
digestive fire is weak the food will not be digested properly and you
may feel exhausted and tired after eating. To improve the digestion
eat a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger with a few drops of lemon juice and
a few pinches of salt on it before a full meal. This will activate the
salivary glands that produce the necessary enzymes for absorption of
nutrients present in the food. Similarly, over-active Agni can also
cause problems like, excessive internal heat and acidity. To balance
the over-active Agni, pomegranate chutney should be taken.
Ayurveda also
suggests avoiding cold drinks with meals and ice-cold foods in
general. They act like cold water on the burning wood. Consuming cold
drinks with meals suppress the digestive fire and adversely affect the
immune system. It leads to fatigue and diseases. Cold water with meals
is especially not advisable for the Vata and Kapha individuals.
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If you want to have
water or other drink at meals, then take it warm or at room temperature
only. If you have a pitta imbalance you can have cool drinks in-between
meals but too cold or frozen foods are not good for pitta either. Such
foods temporarily cool down the heat, and imbalance continues. Pitta
individuals should try slightly cool drinks made with rose water, or milk
blended with dates or fresh mangos. Cold foods taken with warm cooked
foods can cause stomach cramps, bloating and general discomfort in the
stomach area. In general too avoid taking juice or milk right out of the
refrigerator, as it is too cold for the digestion. Juice should be taken
at room temperature and water without ice. Cold water should also be
avoided during winter season, as the digestive fire is lower in this
season.
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Lassi
Ayurveda strongly
recommends the use of Lassi a yogurt drink for good digestion. Lassi
can either be taken during or after the meal. It is best to have it at
lunch or you can take it in breakfast also, but avoid lassi at dinner.
Lassi is light and contains lactobacilli, necessary bacteria that
lubricate the intestines to help digestion go smoothly. It also helps
to reduce gas and bloating. Tasty to drink it makes your meal
delicious, nutritious and more satisfying.
Recipes for Lassi
Sweet Lassi
1/4 cup
fresh homemade yogurt,
1 cup room temperature water and
Sugar to taste
Few drops of Rosewater (optional)
Blend it for one minute in the blender and drink fresh. |
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Salty Lassi
1 cup room
temperature water
1/4 cup fresh homemade yogurt
1 pinch ground ginger (optional)
1 pinch ground cumin
1 pinch ground coriander
1 pinch salt
Blend for one minute. Drink after lunch. It is excellent drink for gas
and bloating. |
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