"Winter is the king of showmen, Turning tree stumps into snow men And houses into birthday cakes And spreading sugar over lakes"
- wrote Ogden Nash on Winter
Winter, a season of celebrations, a season of joy. A comfy cover of snow cloaks the world. The coolness in the weather makes the world go little slow.
Yes, winter is a season when body goes into hibernation mode. The slowdown in your activities result in numerous gastrointestinal distresses. Bloating, gas, constipation, acidity may peak during winter.
According to Ayurveda, to ensue health we need to be mindful about our body constitution. Our body is the combination of three energies or doshas - Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The winter is believed to be a Kapha season. In this season, metabolism slows down and immunity decreases to a great extent.
Ayurveda stresses on strengthening of immunity, which alters due to change in season. During winters, appetite increases and people tend to eat spicy and unhealthy food that leads to inadequate digestion, reduced immunity and gastric problems.
In this article, we will discuss how we can manage gut health during winters, the ayurveda way.
Balanced Diet: As per Ayurveda, winter greens are best for digestive system. Spinach, leek, mustard greens, fenugreek all are loaded with dietary fiber that regulates digestion and elimination. Food rich in fiber promotes feeling of satiety and controls your urge to binge on other unhealthy foods. Ayurveda advocates avoiding pungent, astringent and bitter tastes in winter. Sweet, sour, and fruits rich in vitamin C are recommended.
Stay Hydrated: Drinking warm water first thing in the morning improves digestion. It cleans digestive system and stimulates metabolism. Ginger and peppermint teas are known to promote digestion.
Regular Exercise: Including mild exercises like walking and breathing exercise in your daily routine activates body and invigorates digestive system. During winters, it's not easy to follow exercise routine, but regular exercises do the trick in managing your gut health to a great extent.
Healthy Lifestyle: Your lifestyle is an important factor that affects your overall health. An orderly lifestyle enhances immunity and helps in proper body functioning. In winter, our body asks for more sleep. Staying up or working late night, having food at irregular times, stress and fatigue gravely affects functioning of digestive system.
Say No to Alcohol and Smoking: People who have chronic stomach ailments should avoid alcohol and smoking. Winter is a month of celebration, but that should not be an excuse to overindulge in consumption of alcohol and smoking. It causes acidity and weakens digestive system.
Add Some Herbs: Adding herbs like cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, cloves, ginger, turmeric do help in invigorate digestive fire and strengthens immunity.
Get Some Sunshine: If you live in colder geographical regions, the days are shorter during winter and you get less sunshine. Lack of sunshine means lack of vitamin D. Vitamin D is vital in the body for the proper functioning of esophageal sphincter, which lets acid to pass into esophagus.
Follow these tricks to keep your gut healthy and digestive issues at bay this winter. Besides this, you can take Udar Sanjivani.
Udar Sanjivani is instilled with pure herbs that are proven to be effective on gastrointestinal ailments. It is infused with herbs like Bhringraj, Punarnava, Rohitak, Giloy, Kasaundi, Kutki, Vaividang, and many more.
It is an absolute therapy for all stomach problems. It has lasting effect on acidity, gas, indigestion, bloating, burning sensation in chest, and belching.
Udar Sanjivani is an herbal Ayurvedic therapy in syrup and tablet form. It lubricates gut and neutralizes excess acid to make an alkaline environment for good bacterial growth. It detoxifies the colon and digestive tract.
Infused with pitta pacifying herbs, Udar Sanjivani is a complete treatment for all kinds of stomach problems.
