Signs That Your Body Needs A Diet

I know some of you will look at yourself in the mirror and say to yourself, “I look healthy, but I don’t think I need to be on a diet program”. The truth is, although health is usually seen from the outside, most of what happens inside our bodies.

Many people in North America see digestive problems as a nuisance. Ayurveda sees these issues as the essence of all health conditions in your life. They run to the pharmacy for antacids, pills for constipation and diarrhea. Pain relief is as close as the new Advil! The body tells you your story! Something is wrong and you should listen, but we don’t listen until we’re sick.

Here are signs your body is letting you know something is wrong.

1. You start getting overweight. Foods laden with the taste of sweet and salty promote earth and can add extra weight to your body. Sweet is also the taste of contentment, in Ayurveda sweet foods can be included in the diet to aid in contentment.

2. You have a coating on your tongue. When you get up in the morning, take a look at your tongue. If there is a white, yellow or brown coating on your tongue, food is not being digested properly and this is the first symptom for the future.

3. Constipation, gas and bloating as common occurrences in your life. This is often observed as Vata imbalance with Agni Manda. Many people use laxatives and bloating pills to relieve the problem. Ayurveda says that digestion and Vata must be balanced. Many Vata types love lots of green smoothies and salads: two of the worst things a Vata person can do to their digestion. You need to eat more cooked food and less salad. Lettuce is cold and has too much air for Vata constitution.

4. Frequent diarrhea. This can be a condition that many people live with and don’t understand that the element of fire is out of balance. Diarrhea can be the body to get rid of something harmful. It’s a good idea to let the diarrhea last a few days and heal on its own, but if diarrhea is something that occurs regularly, you need to review your diet for foods that irritate the digestive system or balance the fire element in the body. Often, diarrhea can deplete the body of the water element, leading to dehydration, and there is no efficient assimilation of food and people are malnourished. Stress is one of the world’s silent killers. Stress leads to many diseases and one of them is heart disease. It is a disease of the blood vessels of the heart that can lead to a heart attack. Other cardiovascular diseases include stroke, high blood pressure, angina (chest pain) and rheumatic heart disease.

5. You often feel depressed or anxious. Ayurveda states that food influences our thoughts, emotions and consciousness. Anxiety and depression can result from ama (food that has not been properly digested)

6. Joint Pain – Signs of Ama

7. chronic inflammation

8. Heaviness and tiredness after eating

So what can you do?

1. Stop drinking cold water

2. Only 1/2 cup of warm water with meal

3. No more smoothies in the morning – this promotes weight gain and ama for many people

4. No morning coffee on an empty stomach

5. Eat only fruit

6. Sit down to eat your meals

7. Eat your largest meal at lunchtime

Thanks to Erica Mueller