Impaired digestion is a common phenomenon in today's world. It manifests itself in the from of bloating, belching, heartburn, acidity and nausea. This is due to unhealthy food habits, improper meal timings, excessive stress and untimely sleep patterns. We need to remember is that our mind and body are interlinked. What we think affects our gut and what we eat affects our mind. Despite our busy schedule, here are a few habits which we can inculcate in our day to day life to bring digestion in the right track. After all, it's our body and we need to care for it.
Sipping Warm Water
The benefits of sipping warm water is innumerable. Drinking a cup of warm water in the morning aids in elimination thereby removing toxins from the system and cleansing it. Adding tea adds antioxidant properties to it and rejuvenates the body. Also prevents premature ageing as well. It dilates the blood vessels and improves blood circulation. Thus sipping warm water after a heavy meal improves metabolism by sending more blood to the stomach. It breaks down the fat deposits and helps in weight loss. Care needs to be taken not to drink too much water after a heavy meal as it can dilute the digestive enzymes and slow down digestion. A cup of it is just enough. Normally, I drink a cup of warm water after a meal when I feel bloated and it instantly relieves me apart from boosting digestion.
Yoga and Exercise
There is no doubt about the fact that yoga and exercise promotes digestion. Exercise improves metabolism and stimulates a sluggish bowel. Recent research also shows that regular exercise also increase the amount of healthy bacteria in the gut. Yoga massages the internal organs and activates them gently without applying excessive pressure on them. My all time favourite is Pawanmuktasana and Bhujangasana. Apart from improving digestion, these two poses also relieves stress. After a heavy meal, I always try to perform a Vajrasana combined with mindful meditation. Always perform exercise and yoga in an empty stomach except Vajrasana which can also be performed in a full stomach. In fact its beneficial to perform Vajrasana in a full stomach as it slows down blood flow to the legs and improve the blood flow to the stomach. This pose also stimulates the acupressure points in the foot which stimulates digestion.
Meditation
The health benefits of this ancient practice have come to light through a number of scientific researches. There is no doubt that meditation has proven to reduce stress and anxiety and promote mental well-being. Stress and anxiety shuts down digestion whereas meditation promotes digestion by bringing a sense of calmness and restoring the body to its ground state. Meditation restores the balance of hormones and enzymes, restores blood flow to the digestive system and normalizes gut motility.
Triphala
Triphala is a blend of equal amounts of three fruits namely, Amalaki, Haritaki and Bibhitaki. This potent blend is an excellent digestion booster. In Ayurveda it is called "tridhosic rasayan" as it balances all three doshas. It is a mild laxative as well as hepatoprotective in nature. It promotes elimination of waste as well as clear the blood of toxin. It is the ultimate bowel toner. Being an antioxidant, it's anticancer properties have also come to light. I take triphala tablet in an empty stomach before lunch as Agni is strongest at that time. You might have some bouts of diarrhea and feel gassy and bloated in the initial phase. But its just that the body is clearing out the toxins. Let it adjust while you reduce the dosage to half for initial few days.
Fiber Rich Diet
Incorporating a fiber rich diet have also shown to improve gastrointestinal health. Fibers are of two types, Soluble and Insoluble. Soluble fiber partly dissolves in water but insoluble fiber passes out of the body staying relatively intact. Nearly all fruits and vegetables contains fiber. Soluble fiber reduces cholesterol. Fiber supports the healthy bacteria in the gut. It is good for both diarrhea and constipation. Make sure to drink lots of water while increasing fiber intake if you want to relieve constipation. Major sources of fiber are psyllium husk, oats, barley, chia seeds and legumes. Psyllium husk removes Ama (undigested food in Ayurvedic texts) or toxins from the body apart from cooling the body and improving stool consistency. It may be habit-forming, hence I take it twice a week only with lots of water to cleanse my system.
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