First Best Thing To Eat In The Morning

What is the first best thing to eat in the morning? Is it a healthy breakfast or water or tea or coffee? A healthy breakfast is very important in the morning but starting the day by taking a full meal breakfast is not a good thing to do. We need something else in the morning before breakfast to prepare our body for the day.

What happens while sleeping?

During sleep, it looks like as if our body has shut down for the night. But when we sleep, various chemical process starts taking place in our body to remove the toxins from various parts and to repair and restore the body. This internal process makes the body dehydrated by the time we get up in the morning. Moreover while sleeping, 7 to 8 hours of night pass without drinking water. That also leads to dehydration.

First best thing to eat in the morning

1. Water 

Lemon Water

It is the best practice to start our day with a glass of water. Since, our body is dehydrated by the time we wake up, it is very important to re-hydrate ourself and flush out all the toxins from the body in the morning. We can take water in different forms like - 

• Plain water 
• Warm water mixed with lemon and honey
• Water from a copper vessel
• Triphala water 
• Ajwain and Sauf water 

For more information on how to drink water, click here to read our blog: The Art of Drinking Water

2. Banana

Bananas

Bananas are best to start the day if you have digestion problems or get sugar cravings after a meal. The health benefits of Bananas are - 

• Improves gut health.
• Removes sugar cravings.
• Presence of B6, B9 and Magnesium helps in uplifting our mood.
• Acts as probiotic by inducing the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestine. 
• With almost 100 calories in a single banana, it gives you instant energy.
• High magnesium and potassium content helps in muscles cramping.
• Acts as an antacid and protects stomach from ulcers and acidity.
• Rich in fiber that helps in constipation.
• Helps in diarrhea by restoring the lost potassium.

3. Almonds

Almonds

If you have low insulin resistance, diabetes, low fertility, poor sleep quality or poly cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS/PCOD), soak 6-8 almonds overnight and eat the peeled almonds in the morning. Soaked almonds are better than eating raw almonds because the brown layer of almonds contains tannin that slows down nutrient absorption. So, it is important to soak almonds and peel off the brown layer. The other health benefits of Almonds are - 

• Rich in carbohydrates, proteins, good fats, fiber and vitamins. 
• Natural Remedy to lower the bad cholesterol.
• Reduces the risk of heart disease. 
• Rich in fiber that helps in proper functioning of digestive system.
• Controls diabetes by decreasing the free radicals that damage cholesterol and increases blood sugar level.
• Contains omega 6 fatty acid that promotes hair growth.
• Source of Vitamin E that provides a healthy and glowing skin.
• Improves memory and mental health.
• Soaked almonds are rich in folic acid that reduces birth defects.

4. Raisins

Raisins

If you have low energy level through out the day or very bad premenstrual syndrome (PMS), soak 8-10 raisins along with 1-2 strands of kesar overnight in water and drink the raisin water and eat the soaked raisins in the morning. The other health benefits of Raisins are -

• Rich in iron and helps in anemia.
• Prevents heart diseases. 
• Provides instant source of energy.
• Helps in preventing growth of harmful bacteria in your mouth.
• Rich source of calcium and strengthens bones.
• Contains amino acids that helps in boosting sex life.
• Rich in anti-oxidants. 
• Acts as a natural laxative.

5. Amla juice

Amla

Amla is rich in Vitamin C and helps in boosting the immunity. Taking amla juice in the morning helps in maintaining clear skin, healthy and thick hair and good eyesight. According to Ayurveda, Amla is one of the best sources that adds longevity to your life. 

Why to avoid tea or coffee?

Tea or Coffee

A cup of hot coffee or tea (chai) looks perfect to make us feel fresh and active to start our day. But that is the most unhealthy beginning of the day. Coffee or tea contains the caffeine that makes us active by increasing our energy level but this happens only for a short period of time. Once the effect of caffeine goes down, we start feeling dull and sleepy again. 

Reasons for avoiding tea or coffee on empty stomach

1. Dehydration 

In the morning, the body is dehydrated and taking coffee or tea will further dehydrate the body. As we drink coffee or tea, because of their diuretic effect, it will give us the urge to urinate. Our body will further lose water through urine that results in more dehydration.

2. Acidity

Acidity

Hydrochloric acid is present in our stomach that helps in digestion of food. In empty stomach, this acid can damage the internal lining of the stomach. Coffee or tea, when taken on empty stomach,  increases the production of acid which causes acidity, heartburn or indigestion. This can also result in stomach ulcers if done repeatedly.  

3. Toxins

Drinking tea or coffee on empty stomach increases number of toxins level in blood due to dehydration. Doing this repeatedly leads to large number of toxins in blood that can result to malfunctioning of heart, liver, lungs and kidneys and other body organs.

Kunjal Kriya or Vamana Dhauti - Yoga for cleansing stomach

What is Kunjal Kriya?

Kunjal Kriya, also called as Vamana Dhauti, helps in purification of the middle part of the body. Kunjal kriya is a yoga done for cleansing the stomach from the undigested food particles. This is done by drinking a large amount of lukewarm saline water and then throwing out the entire water. This makes the stomach and the food pipe (esophagus) clean from inside. Kunjal kriya is also done in Ayurveda and Naturopathy to remove the toxins from the body.

Kunjal Kriya

What is the need of Kunjal Kriya?

Kunjal Kriya is done to remove the undigested food particles from the stomach that are present due to the following reasons - 

• When we eat our food, it enters into our stomach through the food pipe. The food remains in the stomach for considerable amount of time. In stomach, food is digested and converted into semi-liquid form with the help of enzymes and digestive juices. It takes around 2-3 hours for stomach to digest the food. This digested food then enters the small intestine for absorption. Even after digestion, small particles of undigested food remain in the lining of stomach.
• Due to our busy lifestyle, we tend to eat food in a hurried manner. Not chewing it properly and eating junk food also leads to undigested food in the stomach.
• Stress, anxiety, pollution, adverse weather, unhealthy life style also causes undigested food in the stomach.

This undigested food is neither absorbed in the body as nutrients nor excreted out from the body. They get accumulated and stay in the body as toxins. Such toxins are named as "Ama" in Ayurveda and is a reason for many diseases like obesity, acidity, gas etc. 

Digestive System with Undigested Food

Steps to perform Kunjal Kriya

To perform Kunjal Kriya, do the following steps - 

• Take at least 1-2 liters of lukewarm water. 
• Add 1 tea spoon of salt into it to make the stomach cleansing more effective.
• Sit at one place and start drinking the water. 
• Drink one glass of water and then the second glass of water and so on. 
• After drinking 1-1.5 liters of water, you will feel nausea. 
• Drink more water till you have the feeling of vomiting. 
• Let the water stay inside you for 3-5 minutes. This will make the cleansing more effective.
• Now its time to throw out the water. 
• Bend over a washbasin with a gap of 1-1.5 feet between your legs. 

Way of doing Kunjal Kriya

• To start the process insert your two fingers - index and middle, into the throat and touch the root of the tongue. 
• Initially, water will come out in small amount. 
• Continue the process until all the water comes out. 
• Once the whole water is out, its time to relax. (Note: If all water that you drank does not come out, do not worry in that case. It will get eliminated naturally).
• Lie down in Shavasana pose and relax for 5-10 minutes. 

Shavasana

Benefits of Kunjal Kriya

Kunjal Kriya is beneficial in the following - 

• Prevents the formation of toxins in the body.
• Detoxifies the digestive system.
• Removes problems caused by pitta dosha i.e. gas and acidity.
• Removes extra mucus from the food pipe.
• Provides relief in case of sore throat and cough.
• Cleans the skin.
• Helps in constipation, indigestion and insomnia.
• Makes the digestion very easy and effective.
• Eliminates stress and tension.
• Helps in asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems.
• Helps in proper functioning of kidneys, liver and intestines.
• Helps in obesity and diabetes problems. 

Best Time of Performing Kunjal Kriya

• Morning - When stomach is empty 
• Kunjal kriya gives best result when done empty stomach in the morning.
• Any time of the day - When stomach is full
• When we eat more than what our body needs, we feel heavy and cannot sleep. Even if we sleep, we feel tired in the morning and feel lethargic. Doing kunjal kriya after eating a heavy meal helps in sleeping and makes body lighter. 
• After eating unhealthy or spoiled food, we get gas and acidity which leads to headache. Kunjal kriya helps in acidity and gives instant relief from headache due to flatulence or gas.

How often should I perform Kunjal Kriya?

Kunjal Kriya can be performed once a week and is a one time process at a given time. This process is not repeated again once you are finished with it. 

Who cannot do Kunjal Kriya?

Kunjal Kriya is not recommended in case of -

• Stomach disorders like ulcers, cancer
• Hypertension
• Cardiac pain
• Blood pressure
• Hernia
• Heart diseases
• Pregnancy
• Menstrual periods

Points to Remember After doing Kunjal Kriya

After doing kunjal kriya, avoid the following things

• Do not eat heavy food
• No alcohol
• No smoking
• No non-vegetarian food

Eat a light meal after 30 minutes of performing kunjal kriya.

Note

It is recommend to take help from qualified yoga instructor when doing kunjal kriya for the first time.

Treat Obesity with Ayurveda

Treat Obesity with Ayurveda

Obesity

What is Obesity?

Obesity is a condition in which excessive amount of fat is stored in the different body parts like belly, buttock, thighs, breasts, under chin. A person suffering from obesity not only looses confidence but also is prone to number of diseases like diabetes, arthritis, stress, stroke, cancer, high cholesterol, kidney problem and many more. 

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda or Ayurvedic medicine, originated in India more than 3000 years ago, is one of the oldest medical systems which is based on the principle of equilibrium. According to Ayurveda, health and wellness of a human body depends on the balance of the three doshas of life i.e. vata, pitta and kapha. It belives that any imbalance in any of these doshas will lead to an unhealthy body. 

What Ayurveda says about Obesity?

In Ayurveda, Obesity is also known as Medarog, a disorder in meda dhatu or fat metabolism. It is caused due to imbalance in the kapha dosha and presence of ama in the body. 

1. Kapha dosha

Kapha is one the doshas present in human body and is dense, heavy, slow, sticky, wet and cold in nature. In balanced state, kapha controls weight and provides nourishment to different tissues like blood, fat, muscles, bones, marrow, reproductive tissues and nutritive fluids. In case of an unbalanced state, kapha produces heavy and dense toxins which gets accumulated in the fat channels of the body. This results in more production of fat tissues and increases weight. Hence, in order to treat obesity, the most important thing is to control the kapha dosha in body which can be done by avoiding kapha increasing foods from our diet. 

2. Ama or Toxins

Ideally, the food that we eat should be completely digested. In our body, half of the digested food is absorbed into the body as nutrients and the other half of the digested food gets excreted out of the body as waste products. But due to certain factors like stress, eating junk food, adverse weather, unhealthy lifestyle, pollution, the food is not completely digested. In such cases, only two third of the food is completely digested. From that two third, half of it is absorbed in the body and other half gets excreted out of the body. The left over one third part is the half digested food which is neither excreted nor absorbed. This half digested part of the food stays in the body as toxins. Such toxins are named as "Ama" and is the reason of most of the diseases like obesity. Obese people have an excess amount of ama in their body. There should not be Ama in our body and it should be cleaned from the body so that obesity can be reduced.  

Ways to Treat Obesity with Ayurveda

Ayurveda offers natural treatment to fight with obesity.

1. Drink warm water

• Warm water detoxifies the body and helps in weight loss. 
• Best time to drink water is right after you get up in the morning, one hour before meal and one hour after meal. 
• Drinking water just before eating a meal, weakens the digestion power.
• Drinking water just after eating a meal, increases kapha dosha and can result in weight gain.

2. Drink hot water mixed with honey and lemon to burn the stored fat.

Healthy Food

3. Eating habits

• Follow a healthy and light diet.
• Avoid over eating.
• Avoid fried and spicy food.
• Eat slowly.
• Avoid processed, canned and junk food.
• Avoid food with added preservatives and colors.
• Do not watch tv, laptop while eating food.  
• Eat a fiber rich food. 
• Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables.
• Eat dinner before 6 - 7 pm.

4. Quit drinking alcohol and smoking.

5. Yoga

• Do Surya Namaskar for 10 minutes daily.
• Helps in improving flexibility and promotes weight loss.  

6. Avoid kapha increasing food like milk, nuts, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, sweet fruits, tofu, sugar related products etc. 

Ayurvedic Medicines to Treat Obesity

1. Medohar Vati by Patanjali   

Loose Weight by Ayurvedic Medicines

• Loses extra weight by burning and digestion of fat stored in body.

2. Wt-Balance by Organic India

• Reduces weight by improving fat and carbohydrate metabolism.

3. Isabgol Husk by Patanjali

• Reduces body weight. 

4. Guggul

• Take one teaspoon of guggul mixed with ginger and honey thrice a day. 
• Helps in cleansing the body.

5. Triphala churna by Patanjali

• Helps in treatment of gastric and digestive problems. 
• Reduces constipation.
• Boosts immunity.
• Prevents inflammatory diseases of the gastric organs.
• Take triphala daily in morning for weight loss. Soak half tea spoon of triphala in 2 cups of water over night. Boil it in the morning till it is reduced to half. Once it is cooled down, filter it and add lemon. Drink it empty stomach. Take breakfast after 30-40 minutes of consuming it.
• Or you can take triphala churna daily in night with lukewarm water. This helps in removing constipation.

Benefits and Uses of Triphala

Benefits and Uses of Triphala

Triphala - Amalaki, Bibhitaki and Haritaki

Meaning of Triphala

Triphala is a combination of two words - "tri" means three and "phala" means fruit. Triphala is an Ayurvedic herbal formula that consists of three fruits i.e. Amalaki, Bibhitaki and Haritaki in their powder form. 

Three Fruits in Triphala 

1. Amalaki: Amalaki, Sanskrit name for Amla, is a rich source of vitamin C. It supports good digestive system, improves immunity, improves appetite, acts as a strong anti-oxidant and hence provides healthy and glowing skin.

Amalaki - Indian Gooseberry

2. Bibhitaki: Bibhitaki commonly known as bihara, is called as "Vibheetaki" in Sanskrit. It is a fruit that takes away the fear of disease. It is a rich source of vitamin C and contains essential vitamins, minerals and protein. It is a very good tonic for digestive system, hair and skin. It also helps in boosting the immunity of the body.  

3. Haritaki: Also known as harada, is a super food for digestive system. It helps in reducing swelling, constipation and improves digestion. It also helps in weight loss, diabetes, heart problems and cleanses the urinary tract system.

According to Ayurveda, any disease in the body is the result of imbalance in any of the vata, pitta and kapha dosha. Triphala is one of the Ayurvedic herbs that is capable of balancing all the three doshas in the body. Amalaki helps in pitta dosha, bibhitaki helps in kapha dosha and haritaki helps in vata dosha. 

Benefits of Triphala

1. Laxative: Triphala acts as an anti-bacterial and helps in improving the metabolism of the body and hence improves the digestive system. Taking triphala daily eliminates constipation and helps in a good bowel movement. 

2. Weight loss: Triphala improves digestion and reduces constipation and inflammation of the digestive tract system. The regular intake of triphala promotes weight loss and you can get rid of fat stored in the body.

Weight Loss by Triphala

3. Blood Purification: Triphala churna helps in releasing the toxic and waste products from the body. It stimulates bile secretion and detoxifies the liver which in turn purifies the blood and improves blood circulation in the body.

4. Mental Health: The three fruits present in triphala provides a relaxing and enlightening effect on mind. 

When to take Triphala

1. Morning: Taking triphala in the morning, empty stomach, helps in reducing weight, burns unwanted fat from the body and stabilizes the blood sugar level. 

2. Night: If you have constipation, take triphala at night. Make sure you do not eat anything after taking triphala. 

How to take Triphala

Tiphala is available in two forms - Triphala Churna (powder) and Triphala Tablet. 

1. Morning: Soak one teaspoon of the triphala powder in two cups of water overnight. Boil it in the morning till it is reduced to half. Once it gets cooled down, filter it and add little lemon into it. Drink it on empty stomach. Take breakfast after 30-40 minutes of consuming it. This helps in weight loss and detoxification.

2. Night: Take half teaspoon of triphala powder with lukewarm water. If you do not want to taste the triphala because of its astringent taste, you can take it in form of tablet.

Other ways of using Triphala

1. Triphala tea: Boil half teaspoon of the Triphala powder in one cup of water. Add a teaspoon of honey to provide a sweet taste. Consuming triphala tea provides you a very relaxing effect.

Triphala Tea

2. Eyewash water: Triphala eyewash water helps in improving vision and reducing redness or any allergy in eyes. To make eyeswash water, there are two methods - 1. Soak one teaspoon of triphala powder in one cup of water overnight and filter it in the next morning. 2. In the morning, boil one teaspoon of triphala powder in two cups of water for 5 minutes. Let it cool and filter it. Use the sieved triphala water to wash the eyes. 

3. Skin cleanser: Mix triphala powder with little warm coconut oil or olive oil to make a paste. Apply this all over your face for 10 minutes and gently scrub it. Rinse it off with water. It removes the dead skin from your face and brings glow. 

4. Triphala jam: Mix 1 tablespoon of desi ghee, 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of triphala powder to make triphala jam.  Take this jam once a day either in morning or evening and this helps in rejuvenating the body cells.

5. Triphala toothpaste: Mix a pinch of triphala powder with lukewarm water to make a paste. Brusth your teeth with this paste and gently massage your gums. It removes all the toxins from your mouth.

6. Triphala hair wash: Boil 2 tablespoon of triphala with 5 cups of water for 10 minutes. Allow it to cool and then filter it.  Rinse your hair with triphala water slowly and massage your hair. Wait for sometime and then wash your hair normally. It removes dandruff from the scalp, improves shine of hair and helps in stopping premature greying of hair.  

Triphala hair wash

Side Effects of Triphala

Triphala is 100% natural and is safe for everyone. It is not recommended for pregnant women because of its laxative effect. Also avoid taking triphala in case of diarrhea.