Do you have problems digesting food? Do you feel gas bloating and even nausea? A plethora of side effects can hinder our ability to live comfortably. Some simple solutions and dietary changes can alleviate these problems. So let’s start by focusing on how we eat.

Stop Multitasking Meals

We’ve all seen, or maybe even been, the person multitasking our meal — eating lunch while driving through traffic or catching a bite to eat at our desk because we could not take the time to have a proper lunch. Our bodies need an uplifting and settled environment in order to process and absorb the nutrients from our meals. If that is not available, then we should at least be sitting down to eat — not standing, walking or driving our way through a meal!

Enjoy the Act of Eating

The act of eating is life-giving. The process of eating, according to Ayurveda, is important for the development of consciousness as well as our physical health. When we sit down to eat, our stomach is in a relaxed posture and our awareness is on the taste, texture, and smell of the food. This will greatly improve our digestion.

Stimulate the Digestive Fire

Improve digestion by stimulating the Agni, or digestive fire, before we begin eating. Weak digestive Agni may result in fatigue after eating, so Ayurveda recommends eating a one-inch piece of fresh ginger with a few drops of lemon juice and a few pinches of salt before a full meal. This starts to activate the salivary glands, producing the necessary enzymes so that nutrients from food are easily absorbed by our body. Maintain healthy, strong digestion by adding ginger as a herbal supplement.

Balancing the digestive fire is key in Ayurveda. If the flame is very low, it will take a long time to cook the food. In the same way, if the fire is too big, it can burn the food. If we put a huge log on a low fire, it will extinguish it. Our digestive fire should be balanced so that we can digest our meals efficiently and smoothly.