Kindle Agni- This Herb’s for You!

We’ve discussed the first three steps to building radiant health and immunity: The 3 Square Meals plan, the 5-2 Sugar Punch, and the Ayurvedic miracle herb. Here are some additions to your arsenal to jump start digestion and arm your body to wipe out āma. Try these recipes and you’ll turn the tide against toxic sludge and dis-ease!

1. Before each meal, add a few drops of lime juice and a pinch of salt to a small slice of fresh ginger. Chew and eat. This will kindle digestion.

2. Take the herb trikatu- an āyurvedic combination of ginger, longpepper, and pepper before    meals. Trikatu also works well in lung congestion, asthma, and heaviness in the body. For chronic indigestion, combine one part trikatu with one part kutki and two parts chitrak, other digestive herbs that will help clear your liver and stoke your agni.  If you follow the three meals diet along with the other recommendations above, your digestion should quickly normalize. If you are still having issues, it may be time to see an āyurvedic doctor.

3. Sip hot water every fifteen minutes throughout the day. This simple practice will clear out      stagnated lymph and liquefy your āma. You can add lemon to it for an extra digestive kick. Take a thermos wherever you go and sip from it every fifteen minutes. Yes, I know, it’s a pain in the ass- but so is your indigestion and āma. You will be amazed how hydrated and clear you feel after a few days! But do not drink hot water in the summer as it may be too heating for your constitution- practice this only during fall, winter and spring.

4. Instead of dessert try takram- buttermilk- after meals. Here’s the recipe: to a cup of  buttermilk or yogurt add a cup of water plus half a teaspoon of roasted cumin powder and black salt*. Stir well or mix in a blender. The result is a delicious, nutritious after-meal drink that will help you digest and assimilate your food. Takram is the preferred after-meal drink in Ayurveda because it is astringent and aids the final stage of digestion. According to Ayurveda, you should end meals with astringency rather than sweetness. Try it- you’ll see why Indians are addicted to this after-dinner delicacy!

 *Black salt is a healthy delicacy available in Indian or Asian supermarkets. It  is a type of rock salt that helps liquefy āma and kindle agni. Because of its high trace mineral content it also smells like sulphur and tastes like something out  of this world- once you try it, you’ll never go back to eating regular salt! Good buttermilk is available from retailers like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.

 

5.  You just learned a water “do” now here’s a water “don’t”: do not drink ice water, especially before, during, and after meals. Some fitness ‘experts’ recommend drinking cold water because it forces the body to warm it up thereby burning a few extra calories. The bad news is that cold water also dampens digestion, creating lymph stagnation and toxic sludge which is a whole lot worse for you and your fitness goals. The only time āyurveda allows cool drinks is in the summer when the body easily overheats.

The best way to drink water is to have 8-16 ounces first thing in the morning after brushing your tongue, and the same quantity fifteen to thirty minutes before every meal. (You can also try copper water- leave a copper cup full of water overnight and drink in the morning- it will flush your liver and scrape away toxins) This ensures that your stomach’s bicarbonate layer is fully buffered, which then signals your body to produce more hydrochloric acid. Your stomach doesn’t have teeth- it has HCL to break down food and kills bacteria, and the more acid, the better your body can handle heavy foods like dairy, eggs, and gluten. A dry or dehydrated stomach does not produce optimal amounts of HCL and can lead to indigestion and other problems as the undigested food moves down the GI tract.

More HCL also leads to fat loss. Thanks to Dr. John Douillard for pointing out this study: the Journal of Clinical Diagnostic Research reported that drinking 16 oz. of water a half hour before breakfast, lunch and dinner  burned fat and created significant weight reduction and body composition changes in a group of fifty overweight girls. Body composition changes means they not only lost weight, but they burned fat and changed the shapes of their bodies– all from drinking water! Have a tall glass of lukewarm water before your meals- you will notice how hungry and fit you become!

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For more on water do’s and don’ts check out The Top 5 Water Tips on my blog, and read Dr. John Douillard’s brilliant article here. 

*J Clin Diagn Res. 2013 Sep;7(9):1894-6. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2013/5862.3344. Epub 2013 Sep 10

5.Respect the Rules

Even though you can eat as much as you want on the Three Square Meals plan, there are certain food combinations you should actively avoid, such a yogurt and bananas, or fish and milk (who would eat that?). Mixing bananas with milk or other dairy disturbs the intestinal flora and can lead to sinus congestion, allergies, hives and rash. In fact, dairy and fruit together is a general no-no because it is a big āma factory in your belly. Fruits and dairy digest at different speeds and will cause fermentation in your gut. The same goes for dairy and meat. This is a case of mixing proteins, which also builds āma. If you’re going to have fruit, eat it as a stand-alone meal (for breakfast for example) or at least 45 minutes before your main meal. This would still count as your one meal and not a snack. You can make a smoothie in the morning with fruit, green drink powder and water or apple juice, but never mix fruit and dairy- even in a shake. That means all of those fruity yogurts, banana splits, and fruit and milk shakes are out if you want to destroy āma and become a healthy, sexy lover!

The second big no-no is heated honey. Never bake or cook with honey- not only are its good qualities spoiled, it turns into āma when heated. Raw honey is nectar; cooked honey is poison. If you want to use it to sweeten hot drinks, you can add honey after they have steeped for a while and are ready to drink. It will still mix quite easily without turning into toxic sludge. Heated honey is not only toxic to humans, but to bees themselves, as noted “Barefoot Beekeeper” Phil Chandler attests.

RULES FOR FOOD COMBINING

Food Incompatible With
Milk Fruits (except dates) and bananas especially. Fish, Meat, Yogurt, Beans and Legumes, Yeast Bread
Yogurt Fruits- especially citrus, melons and banana, Milk, Fish, Cheese, Eggs, Meat, Starches, Hot Drinks
Melons Always eat melons alone– they are incompatible with other foods, especially grains, cheese, and fried foods.
Night-shades Nightshades like potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant should not be served with yogurt, milk, cucumbers or melons.
Starches Fruits in general, especially bananas and dates, Eggs, Milk
Lemons Yogurt, Milk, Cucumber, Tomato
Fruit Fruits, especially melons, should be eaten alone. Cooked fruit combinations are okay, as is mixing dates and milk.

Notes: Honey should never be cooked or heated as it becomes toxic. Raw honey is nectar; cooked honey is āma.  If incompatible food combinations are unavoidable, try using the herbal protocol in this blog to help you digest them.

Courtesy of the Āyurvedic Institute http://ayurveda.com/pdf/food_combining.pdf