Logo

Cart

Tag: protein intake

Why “More Nutrition” Isn’t Always Better

Overnutrition has become a distinctly modern problem due to the abundance and easy availability of convenient foods. The belief that “more nutrition is always good” has also become increasingly widespread.   Now, let us talk about this according to Ayurveda.   More than 2,000 years ago, one of Ayurveda’s fundamental texts, the Charaka Samhita, dedicated an entire chapter to diseases caused by overeating and overnourishment. It is called the Santarpaniya Adhyaya (Sutrasthana 23).   The Charaka Samhita did not describe the foods that we eat today. Instead, it described an entire pattern of eating. It observed the pattern and the diseases that arose because of it.   In the text, Charaka states that not everyone needs more nourishment. He describes two broad causes of disease.   One is Santarpana, where disease is caused by overnourishment.   The other is Atarpana, where disease is caused due to undernourishment.   When we look at today’s medical advice, the focus is mostly on deficiency. If someone is not getting enough protein, they are advised to increase protein intake. If they are low in iron, they are told to take more iron. If they have low energy, they are encouraged to build it up through supplements.   Ayurveda always had a broader view.   It recognized that too much can be just as harmful as too little. The goal has always been to maintain balance.   When we look at what causes overnourishment, Charaka lists several foods, patterns, and habits that contribute to disease when taken in excess.   These include foods that are Madhura (sweet), Snigdha (oily), Guru (heavy in constitution), and Picchila (slimy), along with new grains, milk and milk-based foods such as Payasam, and various meats, particularly from aquatic animals.   All of these, when consumed in excess (Atimatrasaha) and combined with a sedentary lifestyle and excessive daytime sleeping, may contribute to disease.   When you read that paragraph again, many modern foods might come to mind. But Charaka was not describing any of them. He was describing a pattern of eating that looks remarkably similar.   According to Ayurveda, repeatedly eating this way and living such a lifestyle can disturb Kapha and Meda Dhatu (the fat tissue), eventually leading to Srotorodha, or blockage of the body’s channels.   Ayurveda does not simply advocate eating less. It has always been about choosing the right approach.   The chapter immediately before this one, Sutrasthana 22, explains how to manage nutrition properly. It is the Langhana Brimhana Adhyaya, which describes two complementary therapeutic approaches.   One is Langhana, which means lightening the body through fasting or reducing food.   The other is Brimhana, which nourishes and rebuilds the body.   The right approach depends on the individual and their internal constitution. Someone recovering from an illness may need nourishment, while someone who is overloaded or overnourished may benefit from reduction.   These approaches should always be assessed by a qualified Ayurvedic doctor.   The answer does not always have to be another medicine, another supplement, or eating more. Sometimes, doing less is exactly what the body needs.   Interestingly, a research study published in Nature Metabolism in 2024 found that consuming more than about 25 grams of protein in a single meal may reduce a process called autophagy, the body’s natural way of clearing damaged cells.   The idea that the quantity consumed in a single meal matters sounds remarkably similar to Charaka’s emphasis on Matra, or eating the right quantity of food.   Nutrition was never simply about eating more. It was always about eating the right amount, for the right person, at the right time.   Over the years, if you look at the conversations around food, they have almost always been about one nutrient at a time. First it was carbs, then it was sugar, and now it’s protein.   Each time, the same pattern repeats: one nutrient is singled out while everything else in the meal is ignored.   You cannot isolate a single nutrient and consume it in excessive amounts.   Santarpana was never about one nutrient going wrong. It was always about your entire way of living and eating going out of balance.   That is probably the most significant shift for us to make today.   Instead of asking whether I am eating a certain amount of protein or a certain amount of carbs, or simply trying to make it a balanced diet, we need to ask whether this food is suited for me in this season, at this stage of my life, and in the living conditions I am going through.   Because what nourishes your body depends as much on you as it does on the food itself. Only when both are in sync can your body stay healthy.   When we look at Santarpana and Atarpana, they are simply two ends of the same imbalance.   Too much and too little may sound like one is good and the other is bad, but they are just two different problems arising from the same root.   That is where the idea of Agni, the digestive fire, becomes important again. A person with weak Agni can develop Santarpana-type diseases even while eating a completely normal diet.   Because it has never been solely about the quantity of food; it has always been about how much the body can process. Two people can eat the exact same meal and have completely different outcomes because their Agni is different.   So, it is never about following the same routine for everyone. You should understand your relationship with food.   If you would like to understand more about Ayurvedic concepts that are relevant to today’s modern health problems, you can explore our 3-Month Agni Awakening Program, where we help you understand your relationship with food, digestion, and your own body more deeply.

Protein vs Digestion: What Ayurveda Teaches About Building Muscle

If you are hitting the gym today, or even just opening a health app on your phone, there’s probably one thing you’ll notice immediately: protein intake.   Thirty grams for breakfast, twenty-five grams for lunch and even a protein shake after your workout to hit your daily target.   Protein has become so ingrained in modern nutrition that we rarely stop to question it.   But here’s something interesting. Ayurveda, one of the world’s oldest continuously practised systems of medicine, never counted protein at all.   Why?   Let’s understand protein in a simple way.   Protein helps build muscle and supports strength. Many people assume that the more protein we eat, the stronger we become.   But the amount of protein you eat isn’t necessarily the amount your body digests, absorbs, and uses.   This single difference changes everything.     The World Has Become Obsessed With Protein     Protein is everywhere today.   The global protein supplement industry is now worth over $30 billion, and millions of people are actively trying to increase their daily protein intake.   Protein powders, protein cereals, protein bars, protein water, almost every food category now has a protein version.   The question is not whether we need protein. It has become how can we eat even more of it?   Research suggests that most Americans already meet or exceed the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein. Consuming protein far beyond these requirements doesn’t automatically lead to additional muscle gain or health benefits, particularly for sedentary individuals.   At the same time, many people are actually falling short on nutrients like fiber, calcium, potassium, and several B vitamins.   India has a similar story.   You may have heard the claim that 73% of Indians are protein deficient. But that number comes from a relatively small market survey rather than a nationwide nutritional assessment.   Protein intake varies considerably across India. While many people meet their basic physiological requirements, others, particularly older adults, women, and lower-income populations, may still consume inadequate amounts.   The bigger question isn’t simply how much protein we’re eating, it is whether our body is actually able to absorb and use it properly.     Ayurveda Never Looked at Food This Way     One of the basic principles of Ayurveda is that food is understood by how it behaves inside your body, not by how many grams of protein, carbohydrates, or fat it contains.   In other words, Ayurveda is less interested in the food itself and more interested in what that food does to your body.   Every food is understood through its taste, qualities, energy, and what happens after digestion.   The Chandogya Upanishad describes what happens when food is eaten, it explains that the heaviest part becomes waste, the finer part nourishes the body, while the subtlest portion supports the mind.   The remaining part contributes to building the body’s tissues, including muscle.   So Ayurveda never denied that food builds muscle.   It simply believed that something else comes first. You might have heard of the saying, you are what you eat.   But I believe it extends to you are what you digest.   Every meal you eat has the potential to nourish you but only if your body can properly absorb it.   Food doesn’t become muscle the moment you swallow it.   It first has to be digested, the nutrients must then be absorbed and gradually transformed into the body’s tissues.   Ayurveda describes this as a sequential process of tissue nourishment that eventually supports blood, muscle, fat, bone, marrow, reproductive tissue, and finally Ojas, the body’s deepest reserve of vitality and resilience.   For all of this to happen efficiently, your digestion has to be working well.     Why Ayurveda Focuses on Agni     This is why Ayurveda places so much importance on Agni, the digestive fire.   When your Agni is strong, food is digested efficiently, nutrients are absorbed properly, and the body receives nourishment.   But when Agni becomes weak, the body struggles to digest and process food effectively.   Instead of being completely transformed into nourishment, part of the food remains partially digested.   Ayurveda calls this Ama.   Ama is described as incompletely processed metabolic waste. According to Ayurveda, its accumulation is considered the starting point for many diseases.   This is why simply adding more food or more protein is not always the answer if your digestion is weak. Eating more protein does not automatically mean your body will build more muscle.   The first step is improving digestion.     Modern Science Is Beginning to Ask Similar Questions     Interestingly, modern nutrition is beginning to explore many of these same ideas.   One 2024 study published in Nature Metabolism reported that consuming more than approximately 25 grams of protein in a meal reduced markers associated with autophagy, the body’s natural process for clearing damaged cells.   Researchers are increasingly recognising that digestion, gut health, and nutrient absorption are just as important as nutrient intake itself.   High-protein diets can also unintentionally reduce fiber intake if they replace plant-based foods. This matters because dietary fiber feeds beneficial gut bacteria and plays an important role in long-term digestive and metabolic health.   In some respects, modern nutrition is beginning to explore concepts that echo principles long emphasised in Ayurveda, particularly the importance of digestion, gut health, and nutrient utilisation.   The body is not just a container for nutrients.   It is a living system that must digest, absorb, and transform food before it can become nourishment.     So Should You Stop Eating Protein?     Absolutely not.   Protein is an essential nutrient, it helps build muscle, repair tissues, produce enzymes, hormones, and support numerous physiological functions throughout the body.   I am not asking you to stop eating protein.   I am asking you to stop thinking that more protein automatically means better health.   Instead of asking,… Continue reading Protein vs Digestion: What Ayurveda Teaches About Building Muscle