Don’t Let the Season’s Overindulgences Play Havoc with your Digestion

Stoke your digestive fire this Christmas with ancient Ayurveda

No matter how good you’ve been all year, Christmas is often a time where many of us ditch our healthy lifestyles and get tempted by edible delights and boozy nights out!

Routine goes out the window and you may find yourself over-eating and snacking at irregular times, which wrecks havoc on our digestive systems, leaving us feeling lethargic, bloated and lacking in energy to welcome in the New Year.

To help us deal with the Christmas over-indulgence, a very affective and gentle way of supporting our digestion is by using the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda – one of the world’s most sophisticated and powerful mind-body health systems.

Maharishi Ayurveda offers the following tips for keeping healthy gut over Christmas:

Keep things regular: Skipping meals is easily done especially when you are out and about celebrating, but sticking to regular meals as much as possible will help to keep your digestive fire well balanced so that you can feel your best.

Avoid toxins build up: One question to ask yourself before indulging is whether or not you are really hungry? Overburdening your digestive system when you don’t really need to leads to toxins build up in the body as it is overloaded, trying to digest excess food. Wait between 3-5 hours between meals to keep your body working in tip top condition.

Get some help: If you do over do it with food, try not to worry. Maharishi Ayurveda’s herbal remedy Triphala Rose digestive aid is designed to help detox the body as well as aiding the body in the absorption of nutrients and restoring health, energy and immunity.

Ditch the leftovers: As tempting as that leftover turkey might seem, most cooked food oxidises over time and can be a dull substitute for freshly, prepared, vibrant dishes which are full of nutrients and much healthier in the long run.

Move your body: Cosy fires, day time movies and yummy food might encourage you to stay indoors too much.Incorporating 30 min of daily exercise into your routine will keep extra pounds off and promote a healthy digestive system. If you really don’t want to venture outside, simple yoga stretches will help with toxin removal and can easily be done in front of the TV!

Control your sweet tooth: When our energy levels dip it’s easy to reach for a sugary treat but this can inevitably lead to an energy crash later on in the day! Preparing ahead and making your own delicious home-made cakes and sweets with healthier ingredients like coconut sugar will mean your energy levels don’t plummet and you can still treat yourself.

Broaden your taste horizons: Ayurveda recognises six tastes; sweet, sour, salty, astringent, pungent and bitter, and recommends having each taste in every meal. This keeps you satisfied for longer and provides your body with a wide range of nutrients leading to fewer cravings between meals.

Eat your main meal at midday: Christmas lunch can often be a delayed affair with the excitement of the day that’s in it but eating your meal at midday when your digestive fire is at its strongest will ensure you have it all digested and have a great nights sleep!

Finish before you are full: Even though it’s quite hard to do so, leaving at least 25% of your stomach empty at the end of a meal will allow digestive enzymes and acids to do their thing. Eat slowly, take smaller portions and avoid seconds!

There’s always fasting: If all else fails, intermittent fasting can help to rebalance the body and remove those toxins. Just a matter of skipping breakfast and eating a light lunch for one day a week can help the digestive system recover its strength.

For more information on Ayurveda and Ayurveda remedies please visit http://www.maharishi.co.uk