Gut health has been on the radar for a few years now, and rightly so, as Hippocrates famously said “All health begins in the gut". It has almost become normal to have uncomfortable symptoms such as bloating, reflux, or constipation, while any people struggle to maintain a healthy weight and have become frustrated with diet advice.
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At the turn of the century, former nutrition teacher, Robyn Lynch, Adv. Ayurvedic Practitioner, was teaching high school students the principles of good health according to Australian dietary guidelines and became frustrated as she realised that the information didn’t suit all the students.
There seemed to be no answers to losing weight except eat less and exercise more. Robyn observed some students ate a lot, exercised very little but remained thin, while others eating less and exercising more struggled with weight, skin or other health issues. When she started studying Ayurveda, Robyn realised why.
Ayurveda, which translates to “The Knowledge of Life”, is a system of medicine that has been practiced for thousands of years and works from the principle that digestive health is at the core of overall health and longevity. A famous Ayurvedic quote states "When digestion is good, even poison is nectar. When digestion is poor, even nectar is poison". Ayurveda, pronounced are-you-vay-da, has basic principles to guide us to improve our digestion. Even though we are all individuals, there are steps we can follow that will help all of us digest better.
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Continually Flush Your Digestive System
If there’s one thing you can do to aid digestion and naturally flush toxins out of the body, it's to sip plain hot water throughout the day. It’s not about quantity, but more about frequency. Ideally every 15 minutes take a sip. If you think about hot water down a drain, versus cold water down a drain, this is similar to what’s happening to your body.
- Tip 1 - Your thermos is your friend. Every 15 minutes or so, drink a quarter cup of hot water.
Eat Warm and Cooked
Because our digestion works at around 37 degrees, foods that are warm are much easier to digest. Soups, cooked vegetables and slow cooked meats are naturally more easily digested than raw or cold foods, as your body does not have to work as hard to cook it.
- Tip 2 - Eat whole, in season foods that are freshly cooked.
Leave Space Between Meals
Fasting is often used in Ayurveda and was recognised by the 2016 Nobel prize for being one of the most powerful metabolic interventions.
It is important to allow our food to completely digest before we load more food on top. This double-loading leads to heaviness, gas and bloating as neither lot of food can digest properly when we mix the new with the old.
- Tip 3 - Avoid snacking between meals and especially after dinner.
Stress Less
Stress hampers our digestion. Techniques such as meditation, breathing and yoga naturally and effortlessly remove accumulated stress. They also lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety and fatigue, improve digestion function, improve sleep patterns, and increase your immunity and your ability to control cravings.
- Tip 4 - Incorporate stress management techniques such as deep breathing, yoga and meditation daily into your life.
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