Winter time immunity support
70-80% of your immune system resides in your gut. Making little tweaks to your winter time diet and incorporating simple Ayurvedic tools can support your digestion, keeping your gut healthy and immune system supported.
Tip #1
Opt for warm, cooked foods over raw, cold ones, and consider adding ghee to your cooking whenever possible. Warm, cooked meals are gentler on digestion and absorption processes. Ghee not only kindles the digestive fire (agni) but also lubricates the digestive tract, facilitating the absorption of food's medicinal qualities into the tissues. By fostering a robust agni and ensuring a well-lubricated system, you support efficient digestion and diminish the risk of toxic buildup (ama) in the tissues.
Tip #2
Avoid iced drinks. Room temperature water and herbal teas are best especially in the winter months. Lots of iced cold drinks can dilute the digestive enzymes and cool the digestive fire. Try making your own ginger tea by simmer a few chunks of fresh ginger in a pot of water for a few minutes, let it cool slightly and add a squeeze of lemon and spoonful of honey. Honey has a scraping effect to help clear out any built up ama in the digestive tract- yummy bonus.
Tip #3
Get into the rhythm of optimal breathing by letting your diaphragm do its job. When you take a deep breath in, the dome-shaped diaphragm – sitting between your chest and belly – contracts and moves down, giving your lungs all the space they need to fill up. Then, as you breathe out, the diaphragm relaxes, moving back up. This up-and-down action of your diaphragm isn't just about breathing; it's like a gentle massage for your organs and keeps your digestive fire burning bright. Check to see if you’re breathing using your diaphragm by lying on your back or sitting tall with your hands resting on your belly. When you breathe in you should feel an expansion of the belly and when you breath out your belly should relax.
Tip #4
Optimize your daily eating routine by making lunch your main event, and consider having a lighter dinner at least 3 hours before bedtime. Embrace a dinner-to-breakfast fasting window to ensure that your body fully processes the previous day's food. Overloading a digestive system that hasn't completed its work can dampen the digestive fire, lead to ama build-up, and compromise your immune system's peak performance.
Be warm and be well!
