Thanksgiving is hands-down my favourite festival. I love the ritual of giving thanks and celebrating the abundance of nature. Who wouldn't? However, over-eating rich foods has never agreed with me. My agni, or digestive fire, just can’t handle it.
Not surprisingly, many people are in this boat. It’s just not talked about. People think digestive discomfort is a part of life (Ayurveda says otherwise, of course). If you don’t have this issue, I bet you know a friend/family member who does. Over my many years of living Ayurveda (25 years now) and working with my delicate digestion as a vata girl, I’ve leaned how to adapt these traditions of indulgence and make them feel more supportive to me. Here is my quick guide to anyone who, like me, struggles with big celebratory feasts. Use these simple tips to celebrate without destroying your digestion. Please pass this on to anyone who needs to read this.
Signs of Agni Imbalance
First recognise some of the symptoms of compromised digestion. Different body types experience different symptoms.
Here are my tips for a happy Thanksgiving belly. Tip #1: No Appetisers Snacking will use up your precious agni before you even get to the main feast. The appies we commonly use like cheese, hummus, and chips are actually very heavy to digest. Save your fire for the main meal. Tip #2: Kindle Your Fire Begin with a light, well-spiced soup to kindle your digestive fire. This prepares your system for the heavier foods that follow. We will be doing a light potato soup with lots of warming spices like black pepper and rosemary. Another trick is to have a spoonful of minced ginger with a pinch of salt and few drops of lemon juice a half hour before your meal. This will kickstart your fire like nothing else! Tip #3: Less Is More Too many side dishes create digestive confusion and can burden your digestive fire. Try making just one or two. If there are more on the table, take just the ones that you know work well for you. No need to eat it all! Our family will be making some spiced yams and a cooked green. Cooked foods are better than raw when digestion is compromised. Tip #4: Pick One Protein Mixing different proteins can lead to sluggish digestion (Ayurveda is big on food combination - look it up!) Choose one of either meat or beans or cheese. We’ll have roasted chicken, a grounding option that balances Vata when spiced properly. My partner James makes it with a delicious Jamie Oliver recipe. Tip #5: Leave a Bit of Room Ayurveda recommends leaving about 25% of your stomach empty after meals. Overfilling yourself puts out your digestive fire and causes heaviness. I encourage you to go against the norm and just eat till you are comfortable full! Tip #6: Finish with a Digestive After the meal, sip on warm ginger tea to aid digestion. Ginger is an excellent agni stimulant and can help with any post-feast discomfort. A post-dinner stroll will best support kapha people. These small tricks have allowed me to enjoy all our decadent celebrations without compromising my health. I enjoy feeling light after the feast, and waking up bright the next day. I hope they help you too! Write to me and tell me how it goes. Happy Thanksgiving! PS. f you end up over-indulging anyway, don’t' fret. Take a few days to reset your digestive system after the holidays with my DIY Reset. It’s delicious and gentle. Get more details here. Comments are closed.
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Hi! My name is Muneera. I love sharing the wellness tools that I have discovered.
In this blog, I give you tricks and tips for applying the tried-and-true wisdom of Ayurveda in simple and practical ways. Categories |