Summer Chronicles: continuing journey through Ayurveda studies, and sharing it's wisdom
You Are What You Digest!
In this edition of my Ayurveda Chronicles, I would like to talk about an alternative way of thinking about digestion.
How many times have you heard
You are what you eat?
And how many times have you heard
You are what you digest?
I’d only heard "you are what you eat" until I started studying Ayurveda. That’s when the emphasis on digestion over ingestion began.
In Ayurveda, the ancient holistic system of medicine, there’s a key principle that might surprise you: what you digest is more important than what you eat. This concept shifts the focus from merely consuming healthy foods to ensuring that your body can actually process and absorb the nutrients effectively. Let’s break this down in a way that might be easy to understand, whether you’re new to Ayurveda or just curious about how it works.
Imagine your digestive system as a fireplace. To keep the fire burning brightly, you need to feed it the right amount of fuel. Too much fuel, or the wrong kind, can smother the fire, while too little can cause it to die down. In Ayurveda, this digestive fire is called “Agni.” Agni is responsible for breaking down food, absorbing nutrients, and eliminating waste. If Agni is strong and balanced, your body can efficiently turn the food you eat into energy and nourishment. But if Agni is weak or imbalanced, even the healthiest foods can become difficult to digest, leading to discomfort and health issues.
When I mentioned the fireplace analogy to a friend, she laughed and said, "Since when do we know how to light a fireplace?" We laughed, since we are city girls—I didn’t tell her that while I may not have a fireplace, I have been to places with fireplaces and have watched with great interest how people built and maintained the fire.
Here’s another analogy dedicated to my friend. It might help further clarify the concept of Agni.
Think of your digestive system as a car engine. No matter how high-quality the fuel is, if the engine isn’t functioning properly, the car won’t run well. So, no matter how nutritious our diets are, if our digestion is impaired, the body won’t benefit from the nutrients as it should. This is why Ayurveda places such emphasis on the strength and balance of Agni, or the digestive system.
Should we take a pause and reflect on this new (not new, after all Ayurveda is thousands of years old) — concept that all the healthy food in the world might not be beneficial to us if our digestive system is not working adequately. And so we must make sure that we keep our Agni strong at all times.
How do you do that? How do you keep your Agni robust and functioning perfectly so that you can digest the foods you eat in a way that allows your body to absorb all the nutrients, give you the energy you need, and eliminate waste seamlessly and efficiently?
Since this is a JUST a newsletter, I will share guidelines as a way of basic education.
In a few months, when my Ayurvedic Health Counselor practice is set up - we can schedule a private consultation and I could help customize the guidelines to your specific needs.
THE GUIDELINES:
1. E a t M I n d f u l l y — Pay attention to your meals. Avoid distractions like TV or phones while eating.
Chew your food thoroughly to make it easier for your digestive system to process.
We’ve heard this one before. I confess, I’m still working on perfecting this guideline. However, I’ve made some modifications to my previous eating behaviors. Now I’m mindful of what is on my plate and what is going into my mouth. I try to taste and savor the food. Make my best efforts not to be rushed or stare at the TV, shoveling food into my mouth, only to look down at an empty plate and wonder what happened to the food.
Every meal is not perfect, but the intention is there to do my best.
Eating more mindfully, goes into my bucket labeled - you don’t have to be perfect, but you do have to start. Making small changes is better than making no changes.
2. F o l l o w a R o u t i n e — Eating meals at regular times each day helps regulate the digestive system, much like maintaining a regular schedule for feeding a fire keeps it burning steadily.
This is a biggie, for me at least. Just like sleep which I wrote about earlier this month — where I didn’t know how important when we sleep is - when I learned the importance of regular timing of our meals, I was blown away. It took several attempts and different people to explain it to me - but once I got it - it started to make sense.
I am still so far from achieving this goal, but at the risk of sounding like a terribly broken record, knowing the principles, and making the smallest of changes helps. To me, it means that I’m on my way to make bigger changes. It means that I’m making some changes now and am not waiting for the perfect opportunity to make them - like, “I’ll start on Monday,” or “let me get over this difficult project,” or “ after vacation.”
I know you know what I mean.
WHY SHOULD WE HAVE AN EATING SCHEDULE YOU MAY BE ASKING?
The reason for eating meals at approximately the same time every day is to create predictability for the body. If the body expects food between noon and 1 PM, for instance, it automatically starts to prepare by producing gastric juices and other necessary components to begin the digestive process. If we veer too far from that window (a half-hour early or late should not make a significant difference) and the food doesn’t come within that short window, the body’s readiness for digestion shuts down.
I'm sure you’ve experienced times when you were really hungry but, for some reason, couldn’t eat. After a while, the hunger subsides. That’s because the body’s mechanism for preparing for digestion has stopped.
This is why it’s a good idea to eat around the same time every day, so the body begins to anticipate it and gets ready to digest the food. This ensures that the Agni (digestive fire) stays at its optimum—neither too hot nor close to being smothered.
An occasional change in our eating schedule won’t be a big challenge for our digestive systems as long as we are generally regular.
The problem arises when we don’t follow any sort of eating schedule or stay hungry for hours and then eat one big meal to compensate for the whole day. Over months or even years, this behavior can cause significant imbalances in the body, making it difficult to restore proper balance. Improper digestion left unchecked for a long time can create blockages and buildup of waste in our bodies, leading to diseases, both minor and major.
3. A v o i d O v e r e a t i n g —
Consuming more food than our body can handle at one time can overwhelm the digestive fire, just as overloading a fireplace with too much wood can smother the flames.
This guideline sounds so simple but isn't for many of us. Knowing that overeating doesn’t just lead to extra pounds but can impact an important mechanism in our body—our digestion—might give us another perspective the next time we are tempted to overeat. Speaking from experience here.
Food is a huge subject. It is connected to so many things beyond simply nourishing our bodies. It is cultural, social, emotional, and more. That will be the topic for another day.
Shall we all take a deep breath in before we go on?
An easy way to keep your digestion healthy is to Include digestive spices in your diet. Spices like ginger, cumin, and fennel can help stimulate and support your digestive fire, making it easier for your body to break down and assimilate food and drinks. The next time you want to try a refreshing, easy-to-make, truly all-natural drink that is also beneficial to your health and economical, consider making this tea at home. Coriander, Cumin, and Fennel Tea (CCFT) Boil 1 tablespoon each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds in 1 quart (4 cups) of water. Once it comes to a boil, cover and let it steep for an hour or until it reaches room temperature. Strain and sip throughout the day. This is a basic recipe—you can add a sweetener (preferably honey or jaggery) to suit your taste. Also, fresh herbs like mint makes the drink cooling to your body and refreshing. Tip: If using honey, make sure that you add it when the water isn't boiling hot. I usually dissolve my honey separately (as shown in the photo above), then add it to my tea once it's barely warm to the touch. For best results, sip the tea warm or at room temperature. If drinking room temperature or warm beverages is not to your taste, then consider trying it with half the usual amount of ice. You might find that your thirst is better quenched with a drink that isn’t freezing cold.
Finally, we are complicated and wondrous beings with countless mechanisms and processes happening within us all day and night. Knowing that our bodies are designed to be in balance is a helpful thought to overcome many things we may not understand.
I want to leave you with this —
If we focus on the things within our control and do them regularly without panicking or acting out of fear, we can all benefit.
Deep breathing sounds simple, but it’s essential for life. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, stop and take a few deep, calming breaths.
While breathing cannot solve all the problems in the world, doing it mindfully and with intention can help us be kinder to ourselves and others.
N A M A S T E!
Developing new habits are never easy. But understanding the benefits is a great motivator.
Excellent presentation.