Regardless of who you are, where you are from and what you do for a living, it is very important to be able to digest what you eat. In fact, I tell everyone that you can eat whatever you want, as long as you can digest it. Digestion is really the key to a healthy physiology. So, how is your digestion?

There are three factors to consider when you are analyzing your digestion. The three questions you should ask yourself are:

• How do you feel after you eat?

• How hungry do you feel around meal times?

• How is your elimination?

A typical meal takes on average three hours to fully digest. The first hour of digestion is the Kapha time of digestion, which means that all of the lubrication of the food, as well as the mixing of chemicals take place. The second hour of digestion is Pitta time of digestion. During this time, all of the transformation of the food takes place, so that all nutrients are effectively extracted and metabolized. At this time, the food passes from the upper 2/3 of the stomach, down to the lower 1/3 of the stomach and into the duodenum. Then, the last hour of digestion is the Vata time of digestion in which all of the remaining solids are passed down to the intestines for proper elimination. Now, if you feel any discomfort during any of these hours of digestion, then there is a likely chance of an imbalanced functioning of one or more of these doshas.

The next factor to consider is how hungry are you? It is natural to feel hungry around breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Being too busy is never an excuse not to eat. There is also never a reason to skip any meals either. Not having an appetite around meal times is also a sign of indigestion.

And the last important factor to consider in regards to your digestion is your elimination. How well are your bowel movements? If you are not having at least one good, solid bowel movement a day, then you need to take care of the problem. Elimination is a function of Vata and if you are having any kind of trouble with elimination, whether its loose bowels, hard bowels, no urge to eliminate bowels, or even blood in your stool, then you do need to take care of it. Your elimination systems should always be in working order. If there is a problem, then that is also a sign of indigestion.

Digestion is really the key to a healthy physiology, so next time, I will share with you on how to improve your digestion.

When you were young, you couldn’t have your dessert until you finished everything on your plate. This was enough incentive for you to finish your meal. Dessert indeed is the most important part of any meal. I will go as far and say that you should never leave the table without having a sweet taste to finish your meal. All in all, the last taste you consume should be sweet. Why do I give it so much importance? Because without ending your meal with a sweet taste, you just won’t feel satisfied with what you eat.

You can have the most delicious main course meal, but if you don’t have dessert, more than often, soon enough after the meal, you will feel like you want some munchies or you’ll start opening the kitchen cabinets in hope of finding a snack. Whether you are already on a great diet and routine, or you trying to lose weight, always end your meal with a sweet taste.

According to Ayurveda, there are six tastes, sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. In a nutshell, the sweet taste generally gives a feeling of satisfaction and pleasantness to the sense organs and tends to be heavy for the physiology. The sour taste makes the mouth water and its properties are light, oily, and hot. The salty taste increases salivation and has the qualities of heaviness and warmth. The pungent taste is really felt on the tongue and is most often associated with the spicy taste. The bitter taste cleanses the mouth and is light, dry, and cold. The astringent taste affects the taste buds of the tongue and it is primarily heavy, dry, and cold.

Sour, salty, and pungent tastes increase the Pitta dosha, which means that digestion will increase. Therefore, if the last piece of food you ate was spicy, then when you are digesting that last piece of food, the spices will kindle your digestive power, giving rise to false hunger. False hunger means that you think you are hungry, but you are still digesting your previous meal. Remember, you should never eat until your previous meal has digested.

The sweet taste is the only taste that provides satisfaction to the taste buds and to your digestion. No other taste will do such a thing. Some examples of sweet tastes are grains, such as wheat, rice and barley, pulses, lentils, milk, cream, butter, sweet fruits such as dates, figs, coconut, and mango, cooked vegetables such as potato, carrot, cauliflower, and of course, sugar.

At the end of your meal, you could have a fresh baked pie, fruits, strawberries and cream, or even some rice cakes. You can have anything you want for dessert as long as it’s warm, fresh, and sweet. Ending any meal with a sweet taste will provide the ultimate satisfaction with your food. Enjoy!!!

Almost anywhere you turn, you will hear about digestive impurities, detoxifying, and colon cleanses. First of all, I would just like to say that doing a detox or colon cleanse by yourself is dangerous and you should only do one under a trained professional. Ayurveda has a lot to say about impurities and cleansing processes. In Sanskrit, impurities resulting from incomplete digestion and metabolism is known as Ama. Madhav Nidan Samhita, a text of Ayurveda, states, “The place where ama resides gives rise to pain and becomes the origin for many diseases.”

When there is an accumulation of Ama, it means that the srotas (channels of circulation) are blocked. Ama gives rise to many diseases including diseases of the colon and heart. Some of the preliminary symptoms of ama are deranged strength, heaviness, laziness, indigestion, repeated spitting, constipation, no taste for food, and mental and physical fatigue.

An experienced Vaidya (Ayurvedic physician) will be able to tell you how much ama you have and whether or not you are in need of cleaning out the channels.

If you do have ama, the first thing you want to do is clear it out. You can use spices, such as ginger, cumin, fennel, and black pepper, which will increase your digestive power. Drinking hot water will also clear out the channels and remove any impurities. You can mix in the spices with the water if you like. Then, the next step is to cleanse the digestive tract and the best, safe way to do that is to drink hot water with ginger, turmeric, fennel, and lemon. These are two effective and simple ways to eliminate ama and restore your digestive power.

But remember, rather than having to eliminate ama, the best measure is to prevent the build-up of ama. A healthy balanced diet and a balanced routine will help in the prevention of ama.