At this time of year, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 🔥(called Agni in Ayurveda) is naturally higher. Heat is kept easier inside the body whereas in the warmer months we lose a lot of this heat through perspiration.
As a result we now often 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 and therefore also eat more heavy foods (hello stews, mashed potatoes, lasagna etc). With these foods our body creates our 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 so that we stay warm and comfortable during the cold months.
Only with all the events around the holidays we often 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠. As a result, we can experience all kinds of discomforts such as a 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡 and the XL version of the well-known '𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐩'.
You can see your digestive fire as a 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞: if you throw too many or continuous twigs (food) or water (drinks) on the fire, you extinguish the fire. In addition, space is needed for the fire to perform its burning process properly.
Ayurvedic tips to help Agni during holiday season:
- If you had a big meal in the evening, skip breakfast and only eat when you experience a real sense of hunger again.
- After a meal, rub your stomach in clockwise circles (towards your intestines) to stimulate your digestion and go for a walk in the fresh air so that everything can find its way down.
- Make a thermos of fresh ginger or CCF tea (cumin, coriander, fennel - recipe in posts) and drink small sips throughout the day to keep your digestive fire burning.
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Take a shot of schnaps after the meal, the heat of the alcohol + herbs and spices will help fuel the internal fire.
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Drink a glass of warm water first thing in the morning to flush your system. Avoid ice-cold drinks, they immediately extinguish the fire.
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Had a lot of alcohol? Take a small glass of real aloe vera juice to naturally support the detoxification process.
Happy Holidays!