If you are like me you have a whole (messy?) shelf or drawer with bottles upon bottles of supplements, tinctures, herbs and teas. And guess what? I love every single one of them and the specific way they support and nourish my body.
I am also a huge believer in the power of plants and food as natural remedies, even the occasional need for western meds. At the moment, my herbal and supplements apothecary is stocked with Triphala, Ashwagandha, Guggulu, Shatavari, and Brahmi, plus some iron and vitamin D supplements, and a few more. There are also a few of my non-supplement faves like ghee, CCF tea, dandelion leaf tea, and Chyavanaprash.
I have experienced the way Ayurvedic herbs and western nutritional supplements have helped me cleanse my body and strengthen my immunity. But I also like to live in reality, and not in an Ashram – figuratively speaking. Herbs and supplements support us, but we have to ensure we make other supportive and healthy choices in other facets of our life. In Ayurveda the efficacy of your supplements depends on the three pillars of your life.
Here is the #1 reason (okay, 3 reasons!) why supplements don’t work:
1.) You eat unhealthy foods and/or foods that don’t agree with your constitution.
2.) You don’t get enough sleep (or good quality sleep for that matter!).
3.) You do not use your energy and thoughts wisely.
There is an old saying in Ayurvedic medicine that I often come back to when I forget why all my supplements may not be as effective as they could be:
“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.”
Here are 7 Ayurvedic practices that you can integrate daily to ensure that your supplements can absorb into the deepest layers of your body and give you the healing benefits you need:
- Eat only until you’re a little less than full. Feel satisfied instead of satiated!
- Chew food to an even consistency or until it is liquified.
- Eat fresh ginger (or dried ginger in some hot water) 15-20 minutes before your meals.
- Use digestive spices (black pepper, turmeric, ginger, nutmeg) in your meals that help with digestibility and absorption.
- Add ghee or any other high quality oil to your meals – it helps with absorption of nutrients!
- Eat light for dinner and stop eating at least 3-4 hours before going to sleep.
- Do not eat your next meal or snack until you feel very hungry.
Which of these practices resonate with you?
Tags: Ayurveda
