Gut health & strengthening your digestive system

This week’s video centers around setting intentions to make different choices in your day to strengthen your digestive system and improve the quality of your life. The article below gives you more information and ideas to support these intentions.

Gut Health

In Ayurveda there is a Sanskrit word “Agni” meaning “fire” and it refers to your digestive fire

Have you ever encountered this following situation… You are doing your best to eat healthy and make better nutritional choices – yet nothing seems to change or you just can’t seem to stay on track with your food goals?

Yes?

Many times over?

Then it is time to look into the state of your Agni

This blog is not about what foods we should or should not eat. We all know to some degree the basics of nutrition and what is good for us and what is not.

This blog is all about bringing awareness to the body’s ability to digest the food you do eat.

There is an Ayurvedic saying;

“When our Agni (digestive system) is strong we can turn poison into nectar. When our Agni is weak we can turn nectar into poison”

If your body cannot digest the food you are eating properly and effectively, then toxins begin to build up in your body and over time this has a negative effect on your digestive system and ultimately all your organs. From your skin, to your heart, to your brain and basically every organ in between – if your Agni is weak, your body is not effectively digesting the food you eat, and your overall health pays the price.

The state of your Agni…

What do you experience when your Agni is strong?

When your Agni (digestive system) is strong you feel;

• Healthy
• Strong in mind & body
• Rested when you wake up in the morning
• Energized & enthusiastic throughout your day
• Centered and have a clear mind
• Strong digestion without bloating or constipation
• Body has a pleasant smell
• A healthy pink tongue
• Skin has a glow to it
• You rarely get sick and if you do, you can recover fairly quickly

When your Agni is weak you feel;

• Fatigued
• Mental fog & trouble focusing
• Depressed
• Dull appetite
• Heartburn, bloating or nausea after eating
• Tired & heavy when you wake up in the morning (no matter how much sleep you’ve had)
• Sluggish or irritated elimination
• Tongue is coated (looks like a white film on top)
• Often have bad breath
• Experience pain in many areas of your body
• Are more susceptible to illnesses & infections and typically have a longer time recovering or healing.

Everything you experience through your everyday life is processed through your 5 senses. Our Agni takes in every one of these experiences and turns it into either nourishment for your body (known in Sanskrit as Ojas) which creates flow that connects into the natural intelligence of your digestive system OR it takes the experience and turns it into toxins (known in Sanskrit as Ama) which gets stuck in your organs and tissues and creates fatigue and ultimately weakens your digestive & immune system.

There are many ways for you to bring some awareness to your everyday choices to bring some balance to the health of your gut and your overall state of being. An unhealthy gut affects your mental state just as much as your physical state, so taking some time to reflect on ways to improve your digestive health will bring much balance to your mind, body and Soul.

To understand how to bring balance to your physical & mental health, let’s take a look at what both weakens and strengthens your Agni.

10 things that will weaken your Agni and create Ama (toxins)…

1. Eating too much and too fast
2. Eating at night or too late in the day
3. Refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners
4. White bread & other processed foods made with refined flour. Avoid canned foods, frozen foods & left overs beyond 2 days. (Avoid using a microwave)
5. Drinking anything cold or iced before and during your meal
6. Side affects of antibiotics
7. Eating while upset about something
8. Little or no movement throughout your day – no exercise
9. Not dealing with negative emotions – ignoring, denying or holding on to them
10. Stress

10 things that will strengthen your Agni and create Ojas (nourishment)

1. Eating slowly and to a comfortable fullness
2. Eating the largest meal of the day at noon (before 2pm)
3. Eating healthy fiber rich foods
4. Eating fresh in season fruits and vegetables
5. Drinking warm water or ginger tea before and during your meal
6. Eating probiotic foods after completing your antibiotics such as Kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, yogurt (with no sugar)
7. Taking 3 deep conscious breathes before eating while appreciating your intelligent digestive system & the food you are about to eat.
8. Gentle exercise or stretches before a meal and/or taking a walk after eating
9. Allowing & releasing negative emotions through journaling, crying, counselling, and feeling.
10. Meditation

Which conscious choices are you willing to do that can tip the scale from habits that have weakened your Agni and immune system to strengthening your Agni and immune system?

A strong healthy gut and digestive fire will improve not only your physical body but your mental mind as well. Over time as you make daily choices to strengthen your Agni, your immune system will get stronger and your overall health will improve.

Begin to create these new habits into your day by starting each morning with the intention to choose better for your health.

Your body will thank you!

Morning Intentions

1. Today, I will eat my largest meal in the afternoon
2. Today, I will drink warm (ginger) tea before my meal
3. Today, I cut refined sugar out of my diet
4. Today, I eat more fresh fruits & vegetables

There are countless ways to set your intention every morning – these are some examples. Once you have decided what new habit you want to create to strengthen your Agni – set an intention for this new habit to unfold in your day.

Enjoy this week experimenting with these new concepts and intentions. Notice how your energy level changes as the week goes on.

If you are interested in private Ayurveda coaching sessions, or small group sessions; Contact Leslie at 780 722-3442 or email at leslie@wellnessdefined.ca

(FYI – in the Tap In video I make a blooper in reference to the cold water we should avoid drinking before and during meals – in the video I say we shouldn’t EAT cold or iced FOOD before or during our meal. While warm food is typically better for our digestion than raw, cold food is – I totally meant to say we should avoid drinking cold or iced water before our meals)