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Ayurveda Health Coaches trained at Ayurveda Amritanam Learning Center have a thorough understanding of the connection between mood and food, food and digestion, and digestion and its connection to illness The presence and quality of ojas (special bodily tissue when other tissues are formed properly) in the body determines the overall immune strength and our internal experience of happiness that we are all capable of.
Shaka Vansya Ayurveda Health Coaches are experts at helping preventing winter related illnesses such as colds and flu. While exposure to infection makes us vulnerable to illness, if our immunity is strong there is less chance that you will become ill. And if your immunity is strong, and you do happen to get ill, then symptoms will be less, and you will bounce back to your base line health much faster.
High Acidity Increases Inflammation and Reduces Immunity
When acidity is high in the system, then immunity suffers. In terms of Ayurveda – high pitta (fire and water element) goes high and creates an acidic environment in the body making more suspectable to illness. From an Ayurvedic point of view, the more alkaline the body is, the greater the immunity.
According to Ayurveda Practitioner, Dr. Doug Beech, says “80% of our White Blood Cells live in the gut”. He says, millions of people suffer Acid Reflux, Bloating, Gas and Constipation. The colon is supposed to be relatively alkaline. The Friendly Bacteria need alkalinity to protect us against overgrowth of bad bacteria and other microorganisms. So, acidity in the digestive system kills the friend bacteria and reduces immunity”.
So what can you do to stay well and reduce acidity this winter?
When you meet with one of our Shaka Vansya Ayurveda Health Coaches, they will advise you to do the following, while these are general instructions, our coaches will customize the recommendations for your imbalance and work with you so that you can achieve your health goals according to your lifestyle, what you can and cannot do depending on where you are in your life:
1) Food – Eat more green vegetables and fresh organic vegetables cooked with spices and ghee. Include about 1 ½ to 2 cups per lunch and dinner, the plate should have 70% of three different types of freshly cooked spiced vegetables on your plate, plus whole grains, and proteins such as dhal, legumes, or organic lean meats if you are not a vegetarian.
While eating two cups of vegetables at each meal sounds like a lot, it helps to balance weight, helps with elimination, prevents hunger and cravings, and will give you energy throughout the day.
Avoid or reduce eating vegetables like the night shade family that contain neurotoxins such as nicotine – white potato, eggplant, tomato, and bell peppers. According to Ayurveda, these are difficult to digest and create digestive toxins and contribute to joint problems (sweet potato is fine). Also avoid and limit foods that do not contain life energy called prana such as frozen vegetables, canned food, reheated leftovers in a microwave that zap the and burn the prana out of the food and thus cause digestive toxins called ama, thereby reducing immune strength. Avoid heavy foods such deep fried foods like French fries, bad oils like canola, too many sweets, cold drinks right from the refrigerator, and heavy foods like, aged cheeses, aged meat, and frozen desserts like ice cream. Hard to digest foods make digestive toxins thereby weakening the body. Especially avoid mixing certain foods together such as fish and milk, meat and dairy, and eggs and milk. It sounds like a lot of restriction but there are just many other delicious foods available that will keep up your health and make you feel fantastic. Our Ayurveda Health Coaches will show you what to eat and instruct you how to cook them.
The idea is to follow these recommendations at least 85% of the time and occasionally enjoy yourself such as holiday with family. You will soon feel so good from following Ayurvedic nutritional guidance that old cravings won’t come. Feeling good is a great motivator. Our Ayurveda Health Coach training will teach you how to cook healthy natural alternatives and you will not be forced to eat foods that are not enjoyable. It’s possible to develop a new palate and let go of old eating habits. You will be surprised just how much better you feel.
2) Increase your digestive power called Agni without increasing acidity (pitta) with the use of spices in the diet. Use certain spices open and alkalize acidic channels in the body. In the Ayurveda Health Coach Training at AALC we learn over 35 spices and herbs that improve digestion and detoxify the internal channels resulting in stronger immunity.
This recipe for 1-month supply of digestive spice. Get whole seeds whenever possible, dry toast them a few minutes in a dry pan and then grind them in a coffee grinder.
Be careful not to burn the spices while toasting them – turmeric burns easily, you can gently heat the ground turmeric. Remove from the heat to cool. Once cooled, then grind all the spices together. Store the spice in a glass jar to maintain the freshness. Use about ½ to 1 teaspoon for each meal or even make a digestive tea with it. The best way to use is the heat ghee in a pan, add the spices, then add vegetables. Keep the cover of pan off while cooking as this will allow any impurities of the food to be released rather than being locked into the food. In Modules Three and Four of the AALC Ayurveda Health Coach Training, we spend at least two months learning about digestion, detoxification, and health elimination with the use of food as medicine. Recipes and cooking demos are given so that you can experience the benefits for yourself.
Avoid Burnout and Stress – Don’t go to bed late – getting adequate sleep and rest is an absolute must for increasing our immunity. Ayurveda wisdom suggests going to bed early before 10:00 pm and then rising about 90-minutes before sunrise but if you can’t get up that early, then wake up at least before 6:00 a.m. Sleeping during the late morning and day is something that disturbs our digestive fire and when this is disturbed, then the body manufactures ama and weakens the health. So, we can be eating healthy food but if the agni is low then we are not ‘cooking’ or digesting our food. It will clog our channels and create more susceptibility to infections and brain fog. Staying up late is just not worth it. If you have trouble sleeping, then you may be interested in consulting with an Ayurveda Health Coach for further recommendations.
Avoid Late Night Eating – especially after 10:00 pm – this will interfere both with the digestive process as well as interrupt sleep. Ayurveda recommends to complete dinner before 6:00 pm or earlier when the sun is still out. As the sun goes down the digestive power goes down. We are all connected to the Sun, the cycles of the Moon and the changing seasons. The purpose of Ayurveda is to connect to these rhythms in our body and align them with the intelligence of nature.
Everyday Herbs to Strengthen Immunity – this recipe is based on Ayurvedic Master Physician and Formulator, Vaidya Mishra with a few additions. While the volume of herbs seems small, it’s very powerful. In this recipe, less is more. Too much can be overly detoxifying.
Boil 4 cups of water. Get a stainless-steel thermos and add the following herbs. Add the hot water on top of the herbs. Drink ½ cup each hour and stop drinking at 6:00 pm. Do this daily for wintertime. This is a general recommendation, and it’s recommended to get a specific protocol from your SV Ayurveda Health Coach.
1/8 teaspoon Tulsi (Holy Basil) – revered herb in Ayurveda for respiratory health and immunity
1/8 teaspoon Amla Berry – contains high level of non-acidic vitamin C, is an antioxidant and great for the eyes, digestion, and skin.
2 pinches of ground Turmeric
½ teaspoon of organic peppermint leaf – energizes and alkalizes
1/8 teaspoon – organic thyme leaf – anti-viral and anti-bacterium
1 pinch Cardamom – helps open the channels, good for congestion
2 pinches DGL (deglycerized licorice root) (not take licorice if you have high blood pressure). DGL helps to alkalize the channels reducing acidity.
Let the herbs steep for 30 minutes before drinking a ½ cup each hour. You may leave the herbs in all day but then discard and make fresh each day. It’s like a ritual, each morning making your tea.
Take Triphala herbal formula just before dinner or a few hours before bed. This helps to get rid of the digestive toxins that have accumulated during the day and cleanse the colon. It also contains herbs that strengthen immunity.
Keep your physical strength with exercise. Bala is a Sanskrit word for bodily strength, and we need to maintain our physical strength during winter. Daily exercise with light weights, cardiovascular exercise at an indoor gym, swimming, dancing, shoveling snow, skiing, stretching with yoga and/or doing sun salutations can help us be adaptable and flexible, preventing stiffness.
Perform a Garshan – silk glove self-lymphatic massage – this is an ancient massage that is down with raw silk gloves. Massage the limbs and joints in small circles all over the body for 5 to 10 minutes each day to help stimulate lymph. Follow up this up with a warm herbal oil massage to balance vata – air and space followed by a warm shower each day.
The power of our mind and mood over health – try to reduce stress and create a mindset that is positive, don’t let negative thought pull you into the basement. Meditate, listen to music, and read something supportive and uplifting each day. We know that stress and negativity can reduce our immunity, so laughter, joy, and connection to others is essential to staying well.
Try to avoid contact with infected people but sometimes that isn’t practical and many times you don’t know you’re being exposed because the person you’re in contact with may not be symptomatic yet. Wearing a mask in public helps.
For more information about our Ayurveda Health Coach Training please contact Rose
at info@ayurvedahealthcoach.com