When your digestion is slow the nourishment from the food you eat will be poorly absorbed and assimilated making a person feel sluggish or tired. In our society, food is everywhere. It can be hard to avoid eating all the time besides breakfast, which people tend to skip. Your digestive fire, your metabolic process, turns its attention to the new food you take in. When you eat frequently you never completely digest your food. The problem here is that during the few hours between meals, you are supposed to be burning fat, not new food. If we are constantly giving our digestion new food to focus on, then we never enter fat-burning mode.
When we do not properly digest our food, the result is what Ayurveda calls ama. Ama clogs your intestinal tract and prevents you from properly absorbing nutrients from your food. It is reflected in a thick coating on your tongue. When you aren’t getting all the nutrients in your food, your cells actually become malnourished. You then feel hungry all the time because your body is actually starving for nutrition encouraging you to eat more throughout the day.
In the book titled, “The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies” Dr. Vasant Lad outlines great ways in which you can strengthen your digestion in order to have more energy. He suggests, “One of the best ways to kindle agni (digestive fire) is to use some ginger. Before each meal, chop or grate a little fresh ginger, add a few drops of lime juice and a pinch of salt, and chew that. Avoid cold and iced drinks, especially during or after meals. They counteract agni and impede effective digestion.”
Here are a few more easy tips to remember for stabilizing energy:
-Eat your breakfast, lunch, and dinner on time, and do not compromise on the quality of your meals.
-Choose foods that are digested easily and nourish body, mind and spirit. They include fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, ghee, whole grains and light beans like mung dhal. When you eat such foods, you are sure to feel rested and yet energetic.
-Take small sips of warm water during the meal.
-A few minutes every day of light exercise such as a brisk walk or doing some yoga postures will help improve your digestion, boost circulation, and promote a state of general well-being.
We here at Santa Cruz Ayurveda hope these tips help support you during the winter season. May you be peaceful, happy and healthy always.
Many Blessings, Santa Cruz Ayurveda