Many of you may not believe but seasons not only affect our mood but also our digestive health. This is the reason why digestion-related problems crop up the most with the advent of the monsoon season. Monsoon is the season when we get the maximum cravings to eat pakodas, fried snacks, spicy and street foods. But, did you know, our digestive system is the weakest during this season? According to Ayurveda, vata dosha aggravates and pitta dosha accumulates and weakens the body systems during the monsoon season. Pitta dosha accumulation in the body affects the digestive system and makes it sluggish and weak thereby giving rise to indigestion and acidic atmosphere in the stomach. To balance the accumulation of pitta dosha during this season, you can follow Ayurvedic ritucharya (seasonal routine).
In Ayurveda, ritucharya (seasonal routine) is defined for each season. It helps our body adapt to the changing climatic conditions without getting ill or infected. Due to vata and pitta dosha imbalance in the body, toxic waste products and foods accumulate in the body in the form of ama (toxins) that causes various illnesses in the body. With the help of below mentioned tips, you can adjust or balance pitta dosha in the body during monsoon season and prevent digestive problems from occurring in the first place.
Tips to balance Pitta Dosha during monsoon season:
Consume a light and nutritious diet. You can have seasonal vegetables like snake gourd (turai), bitter gourd (karela), bottle gourd (lauki) and okra (bhindi).
Cow ghee is recommended. You can use it for regular cooking purposes as it enhances both the taste and nutrition of the food.
Old barley, steamed and lightly seasoned pumpkin and moong daal/ soup are quick, easy to make, healthy options for your meals that soothes your digestive system.
You might not feel thirsty or need to have water but it is very important to keep yourself hydrated even on rainy days.
You can start your day on a healthy note with a cup of Ayurvedic Tea. It’s a natural blend of whole herbs that improves your metabolism and digestion and boosts your immune system.
Avoid eating outside/ stall foods, fried, oily, spicy, acidic or sour foods like pickles, chutneys and yoghurt. Make fresh food at home and eat warm. Drink boiled water. Avoid consuming leafy vegetables.
Try to include spices like turmeric, ginger, rock salt, coriander, cumin, asafetida, black pepper and piper longum in cooking.
Avoid sleeping during the daytime and refrain from overexerting yourself. You can perform light exercises, yoga, stretches, pranayama and meditation to keep your mind and body healthy.
Boil a half teaspoon of carrom seeds (ajwain), coriander (dhaniya) and cumin seeds (jeera) each with a small piece of ginger in a glass of water. Strain and drink for a healthy digestion.
Having 2 tsp. Chyawanprash daily will help boost your metabolism and digestion and prevents cold, cough and flu, which are common seasonal infections.
You can also keep Ayurvedic medicine for digestion like Aam Pachak Churna and Digest All Churna at home. They act as natural medicine for digestion problems and can be taken for various digestive troubles. Digest All Churna combines the goodness of natural ingredients like anardana, black cardamom, jeera (cumin seeds), nimbus sat (citric acid), and dalchini (cinnamon) and helps treat a wide range of problems like diarrhoea, flatulence, and constipation. Aam Pachak Churna eases abdominal discomforts caused by weak digestion or other problems of the digestive system.
You can also consult our expert Ayurvedic doctor Dr. Dharita Patel
The seasons have a natural effect on the tridosa. According to Caraka Samhita, the strength of a person is enhanced when suitable diets and routines are adopted according to each season.
To attain this level of health, one must have knowledge of the qualities of the seasons and their influence on tridosa. The dosas accumulate during seasons that share their elements or qualities. Once the dosas has accumulated beyond a certain limit, it becomes aggravated and symptoms of this may be manifested. Seasons opposite in nature to a dosa pacify it.
For example, vata is aggravated when conditions are dry, windy and cool, such as during autumn. In winter, when it is wet and cold, kapha accumulates. When it is hot, pitta is increased.
Aggravated dosas are alleviated by diets and lifestyles that are opposite in nature to the prevailing conditions. So, when it is hot and pitta is aggravated, cooling foods and drinks are beneficial. And when it is cold and vata or kapha are aggravated, heating foods are more appropriate. Seasonal routines for winter to alleviate dosas which are naturally aggravated in this season, are explained below.
Winter: In winter there is natural accumulation of kapha due to the cold and wet environment, so efforts should be made to keep warm. Vata may also become aggravated due to the cooler weather. Warm baths and sauna (svedana), sunbaths and living in an insulated or heated house is beneficial. Heavy, warm clothes should be worn. In winter, massage should consist of mainly dry rubbing, if there seems to be aggravation of kapha. If there is aggravation of vata, warm oil may be used for massage. Avoiding cold or frozen foods and drinks, and light foods, is recommended. Warm drinks and foods that have a heating effect are preferable. During winter the digestive power/jatharagni is stronger. As the external atmosphere is so cold, the body retains heat inside and attempts to preserve it. Therefore, the internal digestive fire becomes stronger and is able to preserve it. Therefore, the internal digestive fire becomes stronger and is able to metabolize oils, fats and dairy products (yogurt, milk, cheese). Heavier foods can form a larger part of the diet, because they are easier to digest with a strong jatharagni.
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