Are you one among those who is habitual to gulping and doesn’t remember what it feels like to chew rigorously? Do you insist on having your breakfast on the way to work rather than having it with your wife on the dining? …Or still worse, do you generally skip your breakfast on an excuse to have an early lunch? Any one or more than one of the above could prove to be disastrous on your digestive system. Or who knows, the disaster may have begun already! Read on to know more.

Acidity or hyperacidity is a common symptom which is observed since ages among human fraternity but is commonly neglected to worsen or cause more severe complications. With symptoms like heart burn, headache and burning sensation in the gastro intestinal tract (maybe you, yourself can add more), acidity disrupts the normal routine in ones life to quite some extent.

The food which we eat passes on to the gastro intestinal tract where it is acted upon by digestive juices and acids to break down complex nutrients to simpler forms. Infact, our stomach has acids to the ph level of 1 which actively take part in the first stage of digestion. Since the level of these acids in the stomach is stable and doesn’t vary , fasting for long time periods may result in an acidity attack as the acids in the stomach have no substrate to act upon. Hence, unusual fasting may not actually help your body the way you assume it to! Moreover, the speed at which you eat is also very critical. Gulping down doesnot help in the normal breakdown process as the food is not in the small particle size of digestible substrate but is only in big chunks. Hence, the acids don’t act on these chunks efficiently and the food remains undigested. This calls for problems like constipation, headache and unused acid causes heartburn too. Hence, the faster you may eat, the longer it might take for you to work productively. Another factor which is a rampant reason for acidity attacks is munching on fatty fast foods, spicy meals and other “rajasik” foods. These call for stronger digestive processes which your body may not be used to and hence the food remains undigested.

Conventional Antacid preparations offer a temporary solution to the problem of acidity by neutralizing the excess acid with a base, generally aluminium and calcium hydroxides. More severe symptoms are treated with H2 receptor antagonists to reduce the histamine released in the body and avoid the development of ulcers. However, there is a more productive alternative of trying to restore the normal body digestion by some naturally occurring foods. This would promote body healing naturally and you would do away with borrowed materials from sources other than natural.

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Tags: Kitchen Tips, Natural Cures, Ayurvedic Medicine, Herbal Supplements, Natural Remedies

We all know that Rice has been a staple diet in many parts of India. It contains mainly carbohydrates with almost negligible proteins, fats and minerals. 100 grams of Rice gives us 300-400 calories. In Ayurveda, Khichari (rice-lentil stew) has been recommended because the proteins in rice, when mixed with proteins in the grams/lentils can produce nutritious results. Many people in Western and Southern India cook rice in milk to make “Payasam” which is very nutritious, but it should be taken without sugar. Other milk products like curd, buttermilk, yoghurt etc when mixed with rice show good nutritional value.

Forms of Rice : From all varieties, the manually polished rice is the best for digestion. Try to get this organic rice from villages or directly from farmers. It may be difficult to get this form of rice in cities or big metros.

Ayurvedic Analysis : Rice has a sweet post-digestive effect (”Vipaka”). It reduces pitta vitiation and has a cooling effect on the body. This holds special mention since most of the people in North American region have elevated “Pitta Dosha” imbalance due to stressful lifestyle and intake of junk food etc. The best way to cook rice is to add double the water to it for boiling. When half the water remains, remove that water and serve it. This form of cooked rice is light for digestion and rich in nutrition. This form of a light meal is very good for children suffering from fever, mumps, ring worm, hay fever etc. Rice also strengthens semen. Many Ayurvedic texts recommend mixing milk, rice and dates to increase the strength of semen and quality of sperms.

Beneficial in GERD, Bloating and Acidity : People suffering from Gastro-Esophageal Reflux or Hyperacidity should not be afraid of rice. Rice milked with milk, or plain yoghurt, will improve digestion and relieve you of loose motions. In South India, Thailand, Indonesia etc - rice is a staple food and most of the dishes are made from some form of rice. Still, you will not find many obese people in these parts. Vitamin B1 (thiamine) is a nutrient found in brown rice, but not in polished white rice.

Read : How to overcome nutritional shortcomings in an American Diet (This article suggests why whole grains such as rice should be added to correct mineral deficiencies).

The correct way to have rice is to chew it to a fine paste. Over-cooked rice does not help, and neither does the one which has too many things thrown into it. While cooking, if you mix the rice with plenty of other things, you are just killing its nutritional value.

a) Do not mix any type of flour with the rice and then cook or deep fry it.
b) Do not add curd in rice flour and then ferment it.
c) Do not use leave rice overnight and use it the next morning
If you do any of these, it surely causes acidity, and increases Pitta Dosha.

Hence, Rice when taken in the right away actually helps you to stay light, improve liver metabolism and thereby increases your ability to reduce weight. If you have any clarifications, submit your health questions to us here.

Find out your dosha here.
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Tags: Ayurvedic Medicine, Herbal Supplements

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