You Are (Not) What You Eat?
Mascari, Brooke. April 30, 2024
We all know the importance of eating good food. And we have all heard the popular phrase, “You are what you eat.” However! Allow me to dive deeper into these truths with the insight of Ayurvedic wisdom as the guide.
Our health depends on good food and proper digestion. Nutrition is not limited to what goes in our mouths. It involves being conscious of all the steps involved in nourishing ourselves. In the act of eating, we consume not only the calories, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates of the food, but we are also influenced by our emotional state while we eat, the environment in which we eat, and the manner in which the food is prepared.
The phrase, “You are what you eat” is a key. But it is only in part true! Ayurveda teaches that “You are what you digest.” And this can indeed be proven to be true!
When it comes to food, Ayurveda teaches that digestion is the most important aspect of nutrition. Without the ability to digest and absorb the food you’re eating, you will not get much benefit from your food. You could be eating the most balanced and nutritious meal of your life, but it reaps little reward if you cannot digest and absorb your food.
Next to breathing and drinking water, eating is one of our most vital bodily functions. We nourish ourselves by converting our environment's energy and information into our body's biological intelligence. To create and maintain healthy physiology, our food needs to be nourishing, our digestive power strong, and our elimination efficient. In Ayurveda, we cultivate health by eating a variety of fresh, delicious foods and tailoring our diet to balance our needs in the moment (Example: Feeling hot and irritable? Perhaps eat something cool and light. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Perhaps eat something warm and grounding. Feeling heavy, dull, or stagnant? Perhaps eat something invigorating and spicy).
In Ayurveda, the metabolic power responsible for extracting nourishment and eliminating toxins is known as agni—a Sanskrit word that means “fire.” Agni is the root of the English words ignition and ignite, and we can think of agni as our digestive fire.
Just like a fire in a fireplace, our digestive fire is capable of consuming even the heaviest fuel when it is burning brightly. When our agni is strong and healthy, we can extract the greatest level of nourishment from our diet.
The byproduct of healthy digestion and agni is known as ojas, a Sanskrit word that means “vigor.”
Ojas is the pure substance that’s extracted from food, emotions, and experiences that have been completely digested (That’s right! Ayurveda teaches that our body, mind, and spirit are so interconnected that our emotional state affects our body’s ability to digest our food). It is the subtlest life essence and exists at the junction of consciousness and matter, giving us strength and vitality.
When Ojas is strong:
We may feel rested when we wake up.
Our tongue is pink and clear.
Our body feels light, regardless of our weight.
We feel centered throughout the day.
Our digestion is strong, without bloating or constipation.
We feel energized and enthusiastic.
Our mind is clear.
Our body has a pleasant smell.
We rarely get sick.
On the other hand, when the digestive fire is weak or irregular, we are unable to completely digest our food, emotions, experiences, and information. As a result, our body accumulates what is known as ama, or toxic residue.
Ama blocks the free flow of energy and information throughout our body, weakening our immune system and making us feel lethargic and tired.
Here are some signs that we have accumulated ama in our body/mind:
Bad breath
Coated tongue
Dull appetite
Delicate digestion
Heartburn, bloating, or nausea after eating
Sluggish or irritable elimination
Generalized pain
Fatigue
Mental fog and trouble focusing
Depression
Susceptibility to infections
Difficulty manifesting intentions
Making it practical:
We can use herbs and spices to kindle our digestive fire.
For example, ginger can improve our digestion as well as our overall health. You can enjoy ginger in the form of tea, or you can make a ginger elixir using fresh-pressed ginger juice, a little bit of lemon juice, black pepper, a dash of salt, and some honey for taste.
Drinking ginger elixir as an aperitif before a meal is a powerful way to ignite Agni! You can also simply eat a few pieces of freshly sliced ginger sprinkled with lemon juice fifteen minutes before meals.
If our agni is too strong and we’re experiencing acid reflux or heartburn, we can alleviate it by cooking with cooling herbs.
In Ayurveda, we typically use cumin, coriander, cilantro, and fennel. You can make tea from cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds. We call this CCF tea. It's wonderful for digestion. It is also helpful to chew on roasted fennel seeds after a meal.
To alleviate stomach acidity, you may also drink two tablespoons of aloe vera juice, or a cup of licorice tea, half an hour after meals.
A class of herbs called carminative herbs helps decrease gas and bloating, which are digestive issues associated with too much air in the system.
The typical carminative herbs used in Ayurvedic cooking are cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaves. These herbs are often incorporated into bean and lentil dishes.
In addition, CCF tea and chewing on roasted fennel seeds also can help to dispel gas.
The power of the microbiome:
The microbiome is the genetic material contained in the vast colonies of microorganisms that inhabit our body, including bacteria and other microbes. These microbes live mainly in our digestive tract, but also on our skin, in our mouth, and in other locations. While some of these microbes cause disease, most of them are crucial for our health.
They help us to digest our food, they regulate our hormones and immune system, and they influence our nervous system.
Scientists are only just beginning to discover the many important roles the microbiome plays in our health and well-being.
The ancient Ayurvedic physicians did not have the current scientific research about the microbiome, but they knew how important our digestive system is to health and well-being.
Our diet is a crucial part of cultivating our microbiome because not only are we feeding ourselves, but we are also feeding the bacteria in our digestive tract.
This is why it’s important to eat fermented foods and foods that contain probiotics to nourish the microbial population, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, and kefir.
It’s also important to eat a diet that favors a variety of fresh, whole foods that have fiber and prebiotics/probiotics to increase the diversity of the microbes in the digestive tract—while eliminating refined, processed foods that create inflammation in the gut.
These dietary principles are part of Ayurveda, and now science is providing evidence for their value.
Earth has provided us with so many ways to stay healthy and remain in balance. Being aware of how you are feeling and what your body needs is a great way to make the best choices regarding your health and wholeness. May these tips and the above information be a blessing to you! May you receive much Ojas in your body-mind as you continue on your journey to health and complete balance in your life.
Love and blessings!
HAVAH HOLISTIC HEALTH
