Ayurveda & Gut Health: The Importance of Healthy Digestion

The Health of your Gut

Digestive problems are the most common health concerns for most of us. Approximately 70 million individuals suffer from some form of gastrointestinal disorder. Most people experience symptoms such as bloating, cramps in the stomach, constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, and heartburn. A slight discomfort in the stomach can prevent us from concentrating on our work. It can affect our productivity and even make us grumpy and agitated. And this is the effect a single episode of digestive problems can have on your day-to-day activities! Can you imagine the problems you might have to face if you experience recurring digestive troubles? The health of your gut is vital if you want to feel at ease and avoid discomfort. Unfortunately most people are turning to medication to treat these symptoms. Medications only provide short term relief of symptoms and don’t address the root cause of the condition. The good news is that gut health can be improved naturally. Ayurveda recommends simple lifestyle changes and dietary habits that could improve your gut health and help you avoid the discomfort caused due to the digestive troubles.

Ayurveda

Ayurveda is defined as the science of life. It is an ancient healing system of India that dates back over 5000 years and is rooted in the connection between mind and body. Ayurveda has a personalized approach to health. According to Ayurveda, there are three body types (doshas) that represent the elements of nature. These doshas are governed by mind body principles that create our unique physical and mental characteristics: Pitta, Vata, Kapha. Pitta (Elements of Fire + Water) controls digestion, metabolic processes, transformation, and energy of fire. Metabolic fire is important in the breakdown of food, nutrient absorption, and elimination of toxins. An imbalanced Pitta type is usually at cause for inflammatory related disorders. A Pitta type can experience heartburn, loose stools, nausea, sensitivity to spicy/hot foods, rashes. A pitta person may also be triggered by fiery, angry related emotions. Vata (Elements of Air +Ether) governs all movement, circulation, and communication with the Nervous System. An imbalanced Vata causes low energy physically and energetically, and erratic movement flow in the body. Digestion can be sluggish and slow causing constipation or rapid causing diarrhea. A vata person may become irritable and have difficulty sleeping. Kapha (Elements of Water + Earth) governs lubrication, immunity, structure, and strength. Kapha imbalances relate to congestion in the organs and stagnation in the body, causing lung related conditions such as asthma, or diabetes, and sometimes depression.

The concept of gut health in Ayurveda

The Ayurvedic concept of digestion is based on the principles of Agni, a Sanskrit word for fire. Ayurveda considers Agni or fire as a source of life. It believes that an impaired Agni is often at the root of imbalances in the gut. Hence, the importance of Agni for your gut health cannot be understated. Agni refers to the digestive fire that must be stimulated before you begin eating to ensure proper digestion of the food. A weak digestive fire often results in fatigue after eating. Ayurveda recommends eating a small piece of ginger before meals to ignite the digestive fire. You can add half to one tablespoon of lemon juice and sprinkle a pinch of salt on the piece of ginger. This combination of ginger, lemon, and salt can activate the secretion of enzymes by the digestive glands and promote the assimilation and absorption of food.

Eat in a calm surrounding

A human body needs an uplifting and peaceful environment to digest and absorb the nutrients from the food. Hence, Ayurveda recommends eating your meals at a place where you can focus on the food without any disturbance. A work and technology free zone is ideal. You can select a calm and soothing surrounding to eat your meals. If this is not possible, you can eat the food sitting down and not while walking, standing, or driving. When you sit down to eat, your stomach will be in a relaxed posture. This will improve its ability to accommodate and digest the food and prevent uneasiness, heaviness, or discomfort after eating.

Setting up your meal times

Ayurveda is based on the principles of nature. It recommends scheduling your meals by following the times prescribed by nature and the natural processes of the body. Since Agni is associated with fire and heat, Ayurveda recommends timing the largest meal of the day, lunch, based on the amount of sunrays your body receives. Ayurveda believes that the digestive fire is the strongest between 12:00pm and 2:00 pm. During this period, the digestive fire is at its maximum. It lowers in intensity as the sun goes down. Hence, you should have a heavy lunch between 12:00 noon and 2:00 pm and have a light dinner before 8:00 pm. You should avoid late- night meals as your body begins to burn off toxins after 10:00 pm. Eating after 10:00 pm can cause the toxins to accumulate in your system, and even weaken the digestion.

Meditation for gut health

Regular meditation can restore the digestive functions and provide relief from the discomfort associated with digestive diseases. You can meditate for about 20 to 30 minutes every day. It is a simple practice that involves closing your eyes and focusing your thoughts on breathing to stimulate the sources of positive energy within your body. This can ignite the digestive fire and promote digestion, assimilation, and absorption of food.

Practice yoga

Ayurveda advises patients suffering from a poor gut health to practice yoga on a regular basis. Yoga asanas can restore the normal motility of your gut. It can relieve the symptoms of indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, peptic ulcers, and ulcerative colitis. The most effective yoga poses for improving your gut health include Parighasana (the gate pose), Ardha matsyendrasana (a half-seated spinal twist), Jathara parivritti (abdominal twist), and mayurasana (peacock pose).

Consume high fiber Foods

Ayurveda recommends eating a high-fiber diet for supporting your gut health. It can increase the stool output, and inhibit constipation. A high-fiber diet can support the movements of the food through the gut. It also eases abdominal discomfort, flatulence, bloating, and constipation by holding more water within its cellular structure. Some foods that can relieve constipation and improve gut health with their high content of fibers include fruits like citrus fruits, berries, and papayas and fresh vegetables like zucchini, peas, lentils, and leafy greens. Whole grains such as quinoa, wild rice, barley, and brown rice also contain fiber. Ayurvedic spices such as turmeric, cumin, ginger, coriander, fennel and asafetida also aid in digestion and metabolism, preventing gas and bloating, and cleansing ama out of the body.

Drink Plenty of Water

Ayurveda believes in improving the gut health by flushing out toxins from the body. Hence, it advises drinking water the first thing in the morning. It can eliminate the toxic built-up from your body and enhance the gut functions. This can provide relief from the symptoms of digestive disturbances such as constipation, flatulence, bloating, and nausea.

Your gut plays an important role in maintaining the overall functioning of your body. All the organs in your body, including your brain and heart, obtain energy to perform their functions from the food digested in your stomach and intestine. It is very important to ensure your digestive system is working at its best in order to improve your overall health and well-being. Managing your gut health by following the lifestyle and dietary recommendations of Ayurveda will provide relief from the symptoms of digestive troubles. It will reduce your risk of gastrointestinal diseases such as peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. Fueling your body with nutrient dense and healing foods will help the body maintain balance and be healthy.