A month back, a couple brought in their 4 year old daughter who was having stomach pain, gas, and bloating, just an hour after eating. That’s not something we expect to see at such a young age, right?
The first thing we asked her parents, after doing a Nadi Pariksha (Ayurvedic pulse diagnosis), was this –
“Are you feeding your child while she watches TV or uses the phone? And what time is her dinner?”
Guess what? When you’re distracted while eating or eating late at night (especially after 8 PM), your digestion can get really messed up.
Changing that had actually made the child’s health better. She does not have any abdominal pain now.
This is something Ayurveda has explained in detail under what’s called ‘Ahara Vidhi’ – the rules or the correct way to eat food.
Let’s break down some simple rules from Ayurveda that can help anyone, from a child to an adult, digest better and feel healthier.
Consuming hot water after having meat? Why shouldn’t we?
So basically meat is considered to be heavy (guru) and hot (ushna) according to Ayurveda. So when both are combined, it increases pitta in the gut, leading to acidic indigestion and inflammation of the gut. What happens here is, when hot water is taken right after consuming meat, which is heavy, it increases the ‘picchila’ (the stickiness) of the meat, leading to the accumulation of undigested food in the gut (Ama).
Consuming food while concentrating on something else, such as TV or mobile? Why shouldn’t we?
The same concept of overworking the vata applies here too. Here, we are overworking the prana vata (which is responsible for the functions above the neck), leading to weakened samana vata (which is responsible for digestion). This leads to indigestion and accumulation of undigested food (ama).
Consuming food while being angry? Why shouldn’t we?
Anger, as an emotion, increases pitta in the body, which leads to aggravation of pitta. The pitta increase in the body leads to excess acid secretions and causes acidity. Also, prana vata being responsible for the functions above the neck, the mind, it gets overworked. This leads to weakened samana vata. So here, while the secretions of acids are high and the power to digest is low, it will cause acidic indigestion and GERD.
The way we eat is just as important as what we eat. From avoiding distractions while eating to being mindful of the food’s temperature and our emotional state, these small but powerful practices support strong digestion and overall health. When digestion is smooth, the body thrives. Let’s discuss this further in our next blog.
Follow these simple practices to make your digestion better. Any queries, please do comment, we are there to help you out!
