Recommendations for a good digestion
- Before you start eating wash your mouth and your hands. Make sure that the place and surroundings are clean and smell good.
- The place and environment should be comfortable and friendly.
- The food should be freshly cooked and warm.
- Eat the biggest meal in the middle of the day, when our digestive capacity is at its highest.
- Not eat more than we can digest, according to our digestive capacity. Avoid eating when there is not hunger.
- We should chew well, not too fast, neither too slow.
- Eat mindfulness.
- When eating different flavors we should start by the sweet in taste, after sour, salty, bitter, pungent ending with astringent.
- We should make the right combinations to avoid ama formation. (see below)
- Drinking cold water before a meal kills the digestive fire. Drinking water right after a meal increases Kapha. It is advised to drink a bit of warm water while we eat to support the digestion.
- Clean your teeth after each meal
- Sleeping during the day increases Kapha and create blockages.
- We should not eat if we are sad, worried, angry, or emotionally disturbed.
Wrong food combinations:
Ayurveda acknowledges that certain kind of food is not compatible, we should avoid:
- Milk together with fruits especially the sour ones. They cause problems, especially in the respiratory system.
- Fruits should be eaten preferably alone, between or before meals.
- Complex carbohydrates with eggs, dairy or fruits.
- Avoid cold dairy products in the evening, since creating blockages in the channels and the Agni becomes slower, leading to a poor assimilation of yogurt, kefir, cheese, etc. It increases Kapha. The cold milk at night for a Vata person will create gas, but when adding some ghee, some spices and drink it warm, it will benefit from it.
- Mixing fish with dairy. Actually mixing two different animal products become hard to digest.
- Mixing food with different quality is not good, (old with fresh)
- Hot liquids with meat, fish, dairy
- Nightshades (eggplant, potato, tomato, etc.) with milk or yogurt.
- Honey and ghee in equal proportions
- The incompatible per constitution
- The incompatible per season and climate
Suggestions:
- A bit of fresh ginger with a pinch of salt before meals will rekindle the digestive capacity, making easy to digest.
- A teaspoon from ghee with rice helps to digest.
- For Pitta constitution in hot days during summer is advised lassi with ginger and cumin to assist the digestion.
Wishing you a happy digestion!