Beyond Your Diet: The Hidden Toxins Impacting Your Digestion in Ayurveda
We’ve all heard the saying “You are what you eat.” But it’s not completely true.
Yes, the quality and types of foods you put into your body matter. But if you’re only focusing on the foods you’re eating, you’re missing an important piece. This is why so many people fall short of their expectations of feeling better and more energetic on an organic, whole-foods diet. There’s more to the story.
Your digestive fire is a key to your health.
According to Ayurveda, your digestive fire, agni, is critical for vibrant health. A strong digestive fire will take anything that comes into the system, extract and keep the nourishing parts it needs and eliminate the rest. A weak digestive fire will not be able to keep up with this process and thus toxins, or ama, build up and overwhelm the system and create imbalance, which then leads to symptoms that lead to illness and then disease.
It’s not just about food.
The piece most people miss- the reason so many people don’t feel better just by changing the foods in their diet- is that the mouth is just one gate of entry into the human system. There are many other gates of entry- the eyes, ears, nose, skin, and thousands more at the energetic level we cannot consciously perceive.
You are not what you eat…you are what you digest.
We must process and digest thousands of sensory and energetic inputs coming in all day long and keep what is needed and eliminate the rest. Unprocessed food, experiences, and emotions build up as toxins and once the toxic load overwhelms the system, symptoms begin…leading to illness and then disease over time. You’re not what you eat, you’re what you digest.
Increase your awareness to strengthen your digestion.
So, how do you keep your digestive fire strong so that it can deal with everything coming in from everywhere all day long? The first step is to become more aware. I suggest you carry a small notebook with you everywhere for 3 to 5 days and write down what you notice- pay attention and answer some questions:
Pay attention to more than the food you eat. Pay attention to the people you spend time with. Pay attention to the work you do. Pay attention to the emotions you feel and the experiences you have.
Then, ask yourself some questions. Are they negative or positive? Are they supportive and nourishing or depleting? Do they energize you or leave you exhausted?
Take an inventory of what you noticed and write down 3 things you can shift to make your digestive fire stronger and decrease your toxic load. Now, pick just one thing that you can commit to for 10 days. And then notice again. I do not doubt that there will be a shift because even the smallest shift will decrease your toxic load, make your digestive fire stronger, and make you feel better.
Be well,
Avanti Kumar-Singh, MD
