WE ARE NOT WHAT WE EAT...

(From Ayurvedic Texts)

-----THREAD-----

The above statement is only partly true,

Ayurveda says ,

"We are not what we eat, we are what we digest."

"The only real disease in the physical body is poor digestion."

A healthy digestive and eliminative system are absolutely fundamental to good physical and mental health.

What I mean to say is,

You might be consuming the healthiest foods and supplements

But the wrong ways & habits may lead to indigestion ie. your body barely absorbs the nutrients from your food.

How good are you at digesting your food determines your

- Energy level
- Longevity
- State of body & mind

According to Ayurveda,
almost 95% of diseases arise from the stomach.

If your digestion is fine, you can almost be certain to live a long and healthy life.

If your digestion is in order, you cannot suffer from

-obesity
-stomach ulcers
-asthma
-heartburn
-sleep apnoea & other sleep disorders
-headaches
-migraine
-pain in joints

-clogged arteries
-mental fatigue
-physical fatigue
-phlegm
-constipation
-hard/irregular bowel movements
-gas
-bloating
-hair fall
-diarrhea
-heartburn
-stomach ache

If you have good digestion, even AMA is taken care of. https://twitter.com/BasedCelibate/status/1292439262869114880?s=20

In Yoga,

The digestive organs, glands and the solar plexus of nerves are symbolized by

Manipura Chakra or Solar plexus Chakra.

Just as the external sun is the source of life, energy, and heat in our solar system,

Our physical body and its metabolic processes are maintained by

A healthy digestive fire, a balancing inner sun.

Before we talk about how to improve our digestion,

It is important to know what not to do.

Because an average person might do 3 things to improve their digestion,

At the same time, they would be doing 10 things to worsen their digestion unknowingly.

Never bathe after meals

Bathing after meals cools down the digestive fire in your body
which is required to digest food.

In Ayurveda,

drinking water right after meals is referred to as poison.

this food then produces toxins in the body.

Wrong food combinations

- milk + fruits (yes, no smoothies)
- milk + salty foods
- tea + food
- curd + vegetable salads

Fast food, refined food, and processed food reduce the lifetime of our digestive fire. https://twitter.com/BasedCelibate/status/1296484640258064384?s=20

Meal prep is not the way to go.

Bhagwad Geeta says
Every food has life, after a small period of time it starts to rot and kills all the nutrients.

No food should be consumed after 3 hours.
(With refrigerators a few more hours is okay but not recommended)

Stress disturbs the digestive system.

Irregular food timings are one of the major factors to shackle the digestive system.

Not eating consciously ie. watching TV, phone, etc does not digest the food.

Improper sleep ruins the digestive system.

The digestive system as well as the sleep timings are in harmony with nature.

When the sun rises, our digestive fire also rises and sets as our sun sets.

The Ayurvedic eating window is between sunrise and sunset.

Lunch should be the heaviest meal of the day.
(noon=fire@peak)

Avoid as much as you can (if you can)

-refrigerated food
-heated in the microwave (kills nutrition+radiation in food)
-the non-stick coating is poison

How to improve-

50% of the digestion is done by chewing properly until the food is a watery paste.

PROBIOTICS (daily)

- curd + jaggery powder before breakfast
- apple cider vinegar
- paneer
- Ghee (clarified butter)

Fresh fruits at noon give a boost to the digestive fire.

Apple, papaya, guava & pineapple (recommended)

A small piece of ginger with rock salt before meals boost the digestive system.

Fennel seeds after meals to digest the meal better.

*Food is properly digested if seated in Padmasana (lotus pose)

Vajrasana is the only yoga pose recommended after meals to digest the food.

This pose provides more blood flow to the stomach and helps the digestive fire.
(only 5-10 minutes)

Jeera (cumin seeds) water is a great remedy.
boil 1tsp cumin seeds in 1glass water for 3-5 minutes.

Aloe vera juice is also great for digestion.

DRINK MORE WATER (30-40 mins gap in meals)

When we eat with our hands, our fingers interact with our food.
This sends strong signals to our brain to receive the food for better digestion.

Eating with fingers increases the blood flow.

eating with fingers requires the presence of the mind, contributing to"Mindful eating"

The 5 fingers are the extensions of the 5 elements

-ether
-fire
-water
-air
-earth

The finger's interaction with the food maintains this balance.