LISTEN TO YOUR GUT
FOOD IS MEDICINE. SIMPLE LIFESTYLE CHANGES TO INTRODUCE IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE.
One of the biggest scientific surprises of the 21st century has been the role that the gut plays in optimising total health. Despite being a trained physician, this was an eye-opener for me. Had it not been for the fact that I developed debilitating migraine headaches in my early adulthood (which I couldn’t control even as a neurologist), I would have not believed the value of gut health on overall health. To begin your journey to a healthier gut, start with simple tips to eat clean.
Add turmeric to your food
Turmeric is becoming somewhat of a superhero these days even though the bright orange spice has been a staple in Indian cooking for thousands of years. Now, the peppery root is under the microscope and has been making news headlines. It shows up as a beauty mask, a must-have heart herb, and turmeric milk is even touted as the new green juice. Turmeric’s main compound, curcumin, helps in lowering cholesterol in heart patients and blood sugar in people with diabetes. It’s antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer in nature.
Use the ginger gut flush
The ginger gut flush is a combination of three key ingredients that work together to break down toxins in your gut. These ingredients increase the digestive fire, or agni, in your gut. The increased digestive heat helps to break down toxins. This improves digestion, a critical starting point for improving your health. All you need is fresh lemon juice, fresh ginger and sea salt. Squeeze 1/2 a lemon into a cup Cut a knob of ginger into thin one-inch strips Add ½ teaspoon of sea salt, stir Eat one to two pieces of the soaked fresh ginger before each meal. You can make enough at the beginning of the week to last you seven days. Keep the gut flush refrigerated. The best way to detox your gut is to do this before each meal. But if you want to simplify it even more, take it before dinner.
Eat according to your body type
Ayurveda offers one of the fastest paths to being healthy. Instead of having to guess which foods, supplements, and behaviours are appropriate for you; there is a simple, direct prescriptive path that is developed for your unique body type, or dosha. This takes all the guesswork out of getting healthy. Once you know your dosha, you can choose the specific foods that benefit your constitution.
Dump your microwave
If you have a microwave, you are more likely to eat processed food, which is filled with preservatives and colourings. If you eat frozen, microwaveable food, getting rid of your microwave will make you more likely to get into the kitchen and cook the fresh stuff. That alone is reason enough to stop the microwave madness.
No raw foods
This advice may sound strange to those who consider themselves fit; yes I don’t want you to eat raw vegetables. You can eat raw fruit (except for apples, which should be cooked), but other than that, the solid food you eat should definitely be cooked. This may seem counterintuitive. Isn’t a raw diet the way to lose weight? And don’t we need more salads on a diet? Actually, no. Cooking food is about two things. Warming it to increase blood flow to your gut and improve digestion; making it easier to digest by breaking down the cellular matrices so that nutrients are more bio-available.