5 Ayurvedic Diet Tips to Improve Digestion, Detox, And Keep You Warm in Winter

Want to improve your digestion without changing your diet? Of course, it’s possible. You can improve the way you feel by some simple changes in your diet. According to Ayurveda, for optimal health, what you eat is not the only thing that matters but in fact what you digest. Digestion is an important process that can influence everything. A strong digestive system withdraws the vital nutrients from food that build, fuel, repair the body, energize the brain and remove toxins. A weak digestion accumulates toxins and can cause inflammation in the whole body. A fragile digestion is the leading cause of every chronic disease. Symptoms such as frequent colds, brain fog, fatigue and migraines can indicate some digestive problem.

Stimulate the Agni

In Ayurveda, agni is the digestive fire which produces the energy to fuel digestion, burn off toxins, burn food for energy and process waste. So, everything starts from here. If you fire up this agni, the changes will definitely appear. You crave less for food and will be more sensitive to how it can affect your body and mind.

This article will provide you 5 simple steps how to stimulate the agni.

1. Get Spicy

Some spices are very potent in removing toxins, reducing inflammation and increasing the agni such as coriander, turmeric, cumin, amla (Indian gooseberry) and fennel. Prepare some tea with equal amount of coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds. You can add turmeric spice in practically any dish while curry powder on savory dishes.

2. Go for a Ginger Gut Flush

Ginger is an exceptionally warming spice for the body and soul. According to Dr. Kulreet Chaundhary, an author of “The Prime: Prepare and Repair your Body for Spontaneous Weight Loss” and an integrative neurologist recommends a ginger gut flush in order to stimulate the release of digestive enzymes. In this way, you will break down food and will absorb the vital nutrients. You will do this in the following way:

• Squeeze one lemon (1/2 cup would be enough) in a jar.
• Peel one inch of fresh ginger and cut it into strips. Combine it with the squeezed lemon juice.
• Add half a teaspoon of natural sea salt and wait until the salt dissolves.
• Cover the jar and store it in the fridge.
• Eat 1-2 pieces of ginger before each meal.

3. Sip on Broth and Juice

One of the most effective ways to heal the gut is a broth made from bones and cartilage of healthy pastured animals due to the abundance in glutamine. Also, a fresh vegetable juice can provide your body with vitamins, antioxidants and other phytonutrients.

4. Escape the Cold

Agni requires heat so cold food and drinks are contraindicated in Ayurveda. According to Dr. Chaudhary you should avoid raw vegetables and cool drinks because they are hard to digest and compress the blood vessels, thus closing the channels that move the nutrients and waste out of the body. So, consume warm drinks and cook the vegetables in ghee (because it increases the level of agni).

5. Have a Heavy Lunch

You have a highest level of agni in the middle of the day so at this point you should consume the maximum food. Via VPK