Ayurvedic Management Of Gut Health

Gut Health

Gut health describes the function and balance of bacteria in the many parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Normally organs such as the esophagus, stomach, and intestines all work together to allow us to eat and digest food without discomfort. So gut health plays an important role in the prevention of almost all diseases. Gut bacteria are part of your digestive system that has a great influence on your gut health. If you have healthy gut flora (microbiota or microbiome), then your gut health will remain at the optimum and desired level. Similarly, if your gut flora is unhealthy, you will suffer from several diseases. Therefore, you have to restore healthy gut flora to achieve maximum gut health.

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Common Factors For Poor Gut Health

An unhealthy gut can lead to obesity, low immunity, depression, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue, and several other diseases. So it is crucial to maintain our gut health properly. Some of the common factors that lead to poor gut health are:

• Bloating, Gas, and Bowel Irregularity.
• Craving for Sweets.
• Bad Breath.
• Lifestyle Diseases.
• Mental Diseases.
• Itching.
• Low Immunity.
• Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D Deficiency.

Ayurvedic Tips To Improve Gut Health

Ayurveda recommends important tips to follow for the management of a healthy gut. They are as follow:

• Drink warm water the whole Day

  Try to start your day with the habit of drinking hot water. It helps to give you a healthy gut. This habit also helps to stimulate digestion, clear out ama, and boost metabolism.

• Avoid cold beverages, especially at mealtime

  Good digestion improves your digestive fire; cold beverages during mealtime destroy digestive fires that make it difficult to digest your food. So, if you want to improve your gut health, avoid drinking cold drinks at mealtime.

• Sit down and slow down

  According to Ayurveda, there is a way to eat food. In Ayurveda, digestion begins before any food enters your mouth. Sitting down to eat is one way to honor and separate the act of nourishing yourself from the rest of your busy day. Slowing down and taking a moment to breathe before eating also helps your body physically prepare for digestion. It also allows you to rest and digest. When you are calm and relaxed, your body can focus its full attention on digesting properly.

• Take time to chew

  According to Ayurveda, the second step in digestion is chewing. Chew the food thoroughly to help break it down so that it can be easily assimilated later on. It also stimulates the production of saliva, which aids in the production of digestive enzymes. Taking time to chew at mealtime not only aids digestion but also allows your gut to communicate to your brain that you are full.

• Enjoy your largest meal during midday

  There is a connection between our body and the environment. So, it is important to consider the time of day when eating. As per Ayurveda, our digestive fire is strongest when the sun is at its highest point in the day. Eating your largest meal sometime between noon and 2 pm will ensure that your digestive fire is at its peak. This practice will also give your body plenty of time to fully digest before bedtime when your digestive system shuts down for some well-deserved rest.

• Eat only when hungry

  This point is very important in Ayurveda. If the last meal you ate hasn’t been fully digested you don’t want to overload your digestive system with more work. So if you can eat food the body wants it. .

• Include herbs in the diet

  Fennel, coriander, cumin, cardamom, and ginger are Ayurvedic herbs for proper gut health. These herbs produce digestive enzymes and bile, which are necessary for healthy digestion, and maintaining gut health.

• Add ghee to your diet

  Ghee, or clarified butter, helps clean the intestinal wall, and ghee also helps lubricate your digestive system so that your gut runs smoothly.

• Combine foods appropriately

  Different foods are digested differently. So Ayurveda emphasizes the proper food combination. The improper combinations can lead to bloating, gas, indigestion, and eventually toxic accumulation, or ama. .

• Incorporate all six tastes

  Ayurveda suggests practicing a balanced diet that includes all six tastes: sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter, and astringent. It is necessary for proper gut health management.

• Follow the habit of walking after the meal

  As per Ayurveda, going for just a 15-minute walk after eating can significantly help indigestion. It is helpful for your gut health and thus balances your blood sugar levels.

• Don’t sacrifice sleep

  Ayurveda prefers a good night's sleep and helps to maintain optimal gut health. When we sleep, we enter the rest and digest state. Good health gives you good digestion. Proper rest will ensure that your digestive system and your nervous system have been functioning properly.

The important Ayurvedic tips for your gut health include drinking warm water, avoiding cold drinks, sitting down and slow down method, taking time to chew, enjoying the big meal midday, eating only when hungry, including herbs and ghee in the diet, food combination, combine all six taste, walking and adequate sleep.

Ayurvedic Herbs For Gut Health

Healthy digestion is important for our body to function properly. Good digestion helps to improve gut health. The Ayurvedic herbs that help to manage gut health properly are:

• Cumin

  Cumin, also known as jeera, is one of the most effective remedies for digestive issues such as bloating and gas. Cumin seeds have an anti-inflammatory property that reduces stomach discomfort as well as pain. Cumin water stimulates the secretion of digestive enzymes and accelerates the digestion process, thus helping you fight gut issues. Cumin seeds have the power to solve many pregnancy-related problems.

• Fenugreek

  Fenugreek can act as a natural digestive, which helps flush out all the unwanted and harmful toxins out of the body. It has the power to soothe the lining of the stomach and the intestines. Thus it provides better gut health. Fenugreek water on an empty stomach every morning is an effective way to lose weight and burn belly fat naturally. .

• Cardamom

  Cardamom is a popular spice for boosting digestive health. Its antioxidant, diuretic, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory effects act as a remedy for your poor digestion, as it eases gas, cramping, and nausea. The chemical in cardamom helps to promote increased movement of the food from the intestines. Moreover, it is also beneficial for curing problems related to stomachs like constipation, indigestion, and gas.

• Ginger

  Ginger, the wonder herb in Ayurveda, provides digestive health and increases immunity. Ginger has pain-relieving chemical compounds, digestive properties as well as immunity-boosting ability. So it helps to protect your immune system from the harsh cold and cough. Because of these benefits, we use ginger in curries, teas, and other foods also.

• Turmeric

  Turmeric is considered an antifungal, anti-viral, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-mutagenic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory spice. It is also often used in ayurvedic medicine as a digestive healing agent. So it is very beneficial for gut health also.

• Clove

  The presence of eugenol oil in clove provides excellent antiseptic, antioxidant, anesthetic, and astringent properties. Cloves are known as 'kaphahar' in Ayurveda because they can maintain the balance between the Kapha and dosha. Clove's carminative nature treats gas, prevents infections in the gastrointestinal tract, and promotes proper gut health.

• Cinnamon

  The main function of cinnamon is to improve the absorption and digestion of the nutrients from the food we eat. The presence of an antibacterial agent prevents infections in the gastrointestinal tract.

• Black Pepper

  Black pepper contains the compound piperine that helps the digestion process easily and promotes the stimulation of the enzymes in the stomach that are beneficial for the digestion of proteins from the food we consume. So it is considered an effective remedy for poor gut health.

• Fennel seeds

  In Ayurveda fennel seeds are the best remedy for gas, bloating, and griping. The natural antispasmodic properties help in removing abdominal cramps, thus it is used for reducing abdominal pain caused by the tension of the bowel and overeating.

• Giloy

  The herb giloy acts as an excellent remedy for purifying blood and fights against disease-causing bacteria. Its antioxidant properties help in improving immunity and aid the process of digestion. Thus it gives good gut health.

• Amalaki

  Amalaki, also known as Amla, contains natural sources of Vitamin C that are easily digested by the body. In Ayurveda, it is used to promote overall body rejuvenation. It has also been linked to digestive system detoxification. It aids in the treatment of GIT diseases by lowering acidity and balancing the pH levels of the gut. .

• Ashwagandha

  This Ayurvedic herb helps to reduce inflammations and boosting up the immunity of the body. Thus it provides better digestion and proper gut health.

• Garlic

  Garlic is the most commonly used herb that is very beneficial for treating various health issues. Garlic possesses anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and antibacterial properties which help in treating numerous gut-related ailments.

Ayurveda recommends a lot of herbs for the management of gut health properly. The most important herbs to provide great relief to gut health are garlic, Ashwagandha, amla, giloy, fennel seeds, black pepper, cinnamon, clove, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, fenugreek, and cumin.

Conclusion

All the information related to gut health is based on different Ayurvedic resources. Always prefer the advice of an Ayurvedic doctor before using herbs and herbal remedies managing your gut health.