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Tag: healthy eating

5 Natural Supplements You Should Add To Your Diet Every Single Day

1. Turmeric   The number one supplement that you need in your life is nothing but turmeric.     You may have heard people saying, especially people in the west, talking about having turmeric in the form of teas, in the form of turmeric lattes, or sometimes even in the form of supplements.   You don’t need all of these pills and supplements to get your adequate amount of turmeric to help with all the benefits that it is going to give us.   Our traditional Indian way of cooking where we add the good fats and the spices, along with that we add turmeric, that is the most bioavailable form of turmeric and that helps with better digestion, better absorption, and better assimilation of all the good things that turmeric has to give us.   Now let us understand what turmeric does in our body. For this we have to understand what the properties of turmeric are as per Ayurveda.   Ayurveda says every food has certain properties, like there is a specific taste to a particular food item, a particular post-digestive taste.   Ayurveda also talks about a property called Prabhava or special characteristic.   One special characteristic or Prabhava of turmeric is that it is antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory.   For example, somebody is having a viral condition like chickenpox, we ask our patients to take shower with water boiled with turmeric because it is antimicrobial.   When it comes to food poisoning, if you consume more of turmeric paste throughout the day, you are helping your body to reduce inflammation.   Even if you have acne, you can use turmeric boiled water to wash your face because of its antimicrobial properties, you don’t need any antibacterial face washes.   All bitter tasting herbs are good for your liver. So, if you want to detoxify your liver, don’t go for supplements and medicines that detoxify your liver. Instead, just add a little bit more turmeric to your diet.   Adding turmeric to your dishes can help you improve your digestive fire, reduce gas, and bloating.   If you have children at home who constantly get bronchitis, cough, cold, fever, etc., turmeric helps you to improve their immunity. Make sure that you add turmeric to your cooking every day.   Even in traditional Indian cooking, we have so many dishes like haldi chawal, haldi doodh, haldi ka achar, turmeric lettuce soup. All of these are very good for improving your digestive system.     2. Dry Ginger     Number two is dry ginger.     I am talking about dry ginger and not wet ginger. Wet ginger is extremely heating, extremely pitta increasing. Dry ginger is also warm; it is much less heating compared to wet ginger.   When you buy ginger, make sure that you leave it outside and don’t keep it in the fridge so that it gets a little dry and then you can use it for cooking.   Just like how we said turmeric was anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory because of its prabhava, ginger also has a prabhava.   And what is that?   Dry ginger is anti-emetic. That means if somebody feels like vomiting, dry ginger is what we give.   It’s also good for improving digestion, absorption, and assimilation of food. It helps in reducing gas and bloating. It helps in subsiding Vata gently.   Just like how I told you about turmeric, don’t take dry ginger as a pill or a supplement. Instead, make sure that you have dry ginger in a cooked form along with other spices and good fats.   I personally add dry ginger every day to my cooking. However, one special indulgence that I really love doing is to have dry ginger wali masala chai.   After heavy meals, if for example, you had a biryani and you’re now feeling very heavy, very bloated, or you have this guilt feeling that you shouldn’t have had it because you can’t even think of the digestive problems that may come, then have dry ginger powder mixed with a little bit of rock salt, add a little bit of water and consume it.   That will help you subside the gas and bloating. It will also help you improve the digestion.   And if you’re somebody who feels constipation, you can have a glass of dry ginger water in the morning.   Make sure that you add two glasses of water, add one piece of dry ginger and reduce to one glass to get the maximum essence of dry ginger. And drink this water. This can ease your bowel movements.     3. Amla   This one is my favorite.     If you don’t want to have any supplement at all in this world, then one supplement that you need in your life is amla or amla powder.   This is something that you must include in your life.   Whether it is in the form of amla powder, amla juice, as amla murabba, amla candy, whatever it is, amla has to go into your system every single day.   Every house should have some form of amla ready to be served every day because amla helps in a lot of ways beyond what you can imagine.   There is a particular practice in Ayurveda. We call it as Kuti Pravishika. It is for people who want to reverse aging. It is a complete process. And the one thing that is given to people who wants to reverse their aging is Amla.   Amla has rejuvenating or anti-aging properties which can actually reverse your aging.   It is amazing for your skin, amazing for your heart, amazing for your hair, amazing for your digestive system, your liver, your intestine, and it’s good for your eyes.   So, if you want to take that one supplement every day, take Amla.   How can you consume Amla?   You can have Amla juice. Again, Amla juice, don’t have it as a… Continue reading 5 Natural Supplements You Should Add To Your Diet Every Single Day

From My Clinic to Your Kitchen

Why I am writing this to you…   I have spent decades sitting with people who are unwell.   Not just inconvenienced. Genuinely unwell. People with conditions that have names, diagnoses, years of medical history behind them.   Thyroid disorders, PCOS, IBS, chronic fatigue, autoimmune conditions, type 2 diabetes. People who have seen good doctors, taken their medications, followed the advice, and still wake up every morning not feeling like themselves. They come to me after all of that.   And the first thing I notice, almost every single time, is not their blood reports or their prescription history. It’s how they eat. When they eat. What they believe food is supposed to do for them.   Most of them have been told what not to eat. Very few have been taught how to eat. That distinction has taken me a long time to understand, and even longer to be able to explain. I trained in Ayurveda. I have practiced it across countries, across cultures, across very different kinds of suffering. What I keep coming back to, no matter where I am or who I am sitting with, is that the gut is where almost everything begins.   Not just digestion. Immunity. Hormones. Mood. Energy. Inflammation. It starts there.   Ayurveda has known this for over five thousand years. What we are only now beginning to confirm through modern research, Ayurvedic physicians observed through careful, sustained clinical practice across generations. The gut is not just a digestive organ. It is the foundation of health.   When I write a dietary protocol for my patients, I am not pulling from a wellness trend or a nutrition blog. I am drawing from classical texts, from thousands of hours of clinical observation, and from the humbling experience of watching very sick people get measurably better when they change the way they eat and live.   This document is a version of what I give my patients.   It is not a diet. It is a way of approaching food with knowledge rather than anxiety. Every instruction here has a reason behind it, grounded in how the body actually works, not how we wish it did.   If you are dealing with a chronic condition, if you have been struggling for a long time and feel like you have already tried everything, I want you to read this carefully. Not because it will fix everything overnight. But because in my clinical experience, this is where real recovery begins. Not in a hospital, not in a supplement, but in the kitchen, three times a day, consistently, over time.   That is the medicine I am offering you here.     Ayurvedic Healthy Eating — A Personal Guide     Let’s start with something simple.   Food is your daily medicine. Not a punishment, not a restriction, just a way to come back to balance. And I’m going to walk you through exactly how to do that, one step at a time.   First, let’s fix your meal times.   I want you to eat at the same time every day. Your body has a clock, and your digestion follows it. When you eat irregularly, your gut gets confused. You get bloating, acidity, that heavy sluggish feeling. Sound familiar? So here’s what I need you to do: don’t skip meals. Not breakfast, not lunch. Every skipped meal weakens your digestion a little more, and then you end up overeating later and wondering why you feel terrible. Let’s break that cycle.   Now, let’s talk about water.   I’m not asking you to force down three litres. Drink when you’re thirsty, that’s it. But please, switch to warm water. Cold water is one of the quiet things slowing your digestion down without you realising it. And during meals, just sip. Don’t flood your stomach. You’re trying to digest food, not dilute it.   Here’s what to cook with. For fats, use ghee, coconut oil, or black sesame oil. These nourish you. For sweetness, reach for jaggery or mishri instead of refined sugar. Small swaps, but they make a real difference over time.   Please cook your food.   I know raw salads feel healthy. They’re not, not for a gut that’s already struggling. Raw food is cold, hard to digest, and creates gas. Cook your vegetables with a lid on, add cumin and a pinch of asafoetida, and your body will thank you.   For pulses, dry roast them first, soak overnight, throw away that water, then boil fresh with ginger, turmeric, and cumin. This removes the gas-causing compounds. It’s a few extra steps, but it makes pulses so much easier on your system.   For now, let’s remove a few things.   Just temporarily. Maida, soy products, cow’s milk, curd are putting stress on your digestion right now. Cheese and paneer, once a week at most. No deep-fried food, no packaged food with more than five ingredients on the label.   This isn’t forever. It’s just long enough to let your gut heal.   When you eat out, keep it simple.   Go for grilled or baked over fried. Avoid anything heavy, creamy, or processed. Warm and freshly cooked is always the right call.   And walk. Every day.   Ten thousand steps. It sounds like a lot, but it’s really just being consistently on your feet. Walking supports your digestion, moves toxins out, and clears your head in ways no supplement can.   The last thing I’ll say is this.   None of this works if you do it three days and then stop.   Healing isn’t dramatic. It’s quiet and cumulative.   Every meal you eat on time, every warm glass of water, every freshly cooked dish, it adds up. That’s where the change lives.   You don’t need an extreme diet. You need consistent, aware, daily habits. That’s Ayurveda. And that’s what I’m asking you to try.     Love & Light, @DoctorRekha

Why You Get Acidity, Gas and Bloating After Meals?

What Is Really Going On?   If you feel burning, gas, heaviness or bloating after most meals, it is not “just your usual stomach problem.” Ayurveda says this means your digestion is disturbed and your food is not processing properly.   In simple words, three things are happening inside:   Your digestive “fire” (Agni) is weak or irregular. Your inner heat (Pitta) may be too high – causing burning and acidity. Your air element (Vata) may be disturbed – causing gas and bloating.   When this continues for weeks or months, half-digested food turns into sticky waste called Ama. This Ama creates more gas, heaviness and discomfort after almost every meal.   Agni is like the flame in your stomach. When it is balanced, you feel hungry at the right time, your food digests well, and you feel light and comfortable after a meal. Similarly, when Agni is weak, food stays longer in the stomach and intestines, making you feel full, dull and sleepy even after a small meal.   When it is too strong, you may feel sharp hunger but also burning, acidity and loose stools. When it is irregular, your appetite and digestion keep changing sometimes very hungry, sometimes no hunger at all, sometimes constipated, sometimes loose motions.   All these patterns can lead to discomfort after meals if not corrected.   When food does not digest properly because of disturbed Agni, it turns into something that Ayurveda calls Ama. You can imagine Ama as half-cooked, sticky, stale food sitting in your gut. It is heavy, blocks the natural flow in the intestines and starts to ferment.   This shows up as constant bloating, excessive gas, bad breath, a coated tongue and that feeling of being full and tired even after a small quantity of food. Over time, if Ama keeps building up, it can spread further and contribute to problems like joint pains, low energy and skin issues. That is why just neutralizing acid is not enough, the real work is to improve Agni and clear Ama.   Role of Pitta – Heat and Acidity   Pitta is the fire and heat energy in the body. In the stomach and chest area, high Pitta shows up as burning, sour burps, acid taste in the mouth, nausea and discomfort in the upper abdomen or chest. Everyday habits easily push Pitta up, such as eating very spicy, oily and fried food, taking a lot of pickles, vinegar and sour items, drinking too much tea, coffee, cola or alcohol, and smoking. Skipping meals, having long gaps and then overeating also irritate Pitta.   Emotionally, anger, frustration, working under pressure and eating while tense or upset add more “heat” to the digestive system. If this continues for weeks and months, it can lead to repeated acidity, heartburn and conditions like gastritis and reflux.     Role of Vata – Gas and Bloating   Vata is the principle of movement and air in the body. In the digestive system, excess or disturbed Vata shows up as gas, bloating, gurgling sounds, shifting cramps and irregular bowel habits. Common triggers are eating in a hurry, talking while eating, swallowing a lot of air, taking very cold, dry or raw foods, or living on biscuits, chips and other dry snacks.   Fizzy drinks and chilled water add more air and cold to the system. Irregular meal timings, frequent travel, late nights and worry or anxiety disturb Vata even more. Even if acidity and burning seem to be the main issue, Vata usually adds extra gas and bloating on top of it, which makes you feel stretched and uncomfortable after meals.     Everyday Causes That Make It Worse   Most people with repeat acidity and gas have a few habits in common. When you correct these, you often feel better even before taking any herbs.   Common food-related causes: Eating at odd times every day. Eating again before the last meal is digested. Heavy, late-night dinners. Very spicy, oily, fried and junk food. Too much tea, coffee, cola or alcohol. Mixing foods that don’t go well together (like milk with sour fruits, or fruits with heavy meals). Lifestyle and mind-related causes: Eating while working, scrolling, or in front of a screen. Eating too fast, not chewing properly. Lying down soon after meals. High stress, anger or worry, especially around mealtimes. Not sleeping on time and lack of any movement or exercise.   Simple Food Rules To Keep in Mind   You don’t need a very complicated diet to start healing. A few clear, simple rules help a lot.   Eat at regular times   Try to eat your main meals at similar times each day. Your body likes rhythm. When you eat at random times, your digestive fire becomes confused and weak.   Wait for real hunger   Eat when you feel light hunger, not just boredom or habit. If the last meal is still sitting heavy, give it time to digest. For most people, a gap of about 4 hours between main meals works well.   Eat warm, fresh, cooked food   Warm, freshly cooked meals are easier to digest than cold or stale food. Prefer:   Light khichdi, dal-rice, simple vegetable sabzis. Chapatis with ghee and cooked vegetables. Soups, stews and lightly spiced one-pot meals.   Avoid having large bowls of raw salad, cold smoothies or fridge-cold leftovers when digestion is weak.   Go easy on spice, sour and oil   If you get burning and acid: Cut down on heavy chilli, pickles, vinegar, tomato-heavy gravies and fried food. Reduce deep-fried snacks, pakodas, chips, samosas, puris and heavy biryanis. Keep mustard oil, very spicy chutneys and heavy masalas to a minimum.   Avoid wrong food combinations   Some common combinations can disturb digestion: Milk with sour fruits like orange, pineapple or berries. Milk or curd with salty, fish or meat dishes. Fruits eaten together with a full cooked meal.   It is better to have fruits alone, with some gap before or… Continue reading Why You Get Acidity, Gas and Bloating After Meals?