We are moving into the season where people want less time in front of a hot stove or grill. They eat more ready to eat, raw foods. Ayurveda supports eating more salads and veggies during the heat of summer to optimize digestion of raw foods. Pitta time of day(10 am – 2 pm), will also help you keep you agni steady in general and help with raw foods in particular.
I have a lot of Kapha (force of building and cohesion) in my Prakruti( nature in a state of health), and my agni (digestion) is not reliable as I would like. I don’t eat much raw food during the winter and spring months.
Transition into and Pitta season (July through October) is the time of year when I feel good eating more raw food. Freshness and prana drive my summer eating. I appreciate and enjoy the opportunity to engage with local farms and flavors.
Ayurveda teaches guidelines on how and when to eat specific foods based on your nature, digestive health, the season of the year, and the time of life. Aligning with these considerations promotes balance and health for each of us as individuals. Initially, for some people, this feels complicated or constrained. Try one of the guidelines like how to optimize the digestion of raw foods and embrace the changes that make you feel good.
Examples From My Ayurvedic Self-care To Optimize Digestion
Two meals a day, eating my main meal in the middle of the day, seasonal eating and eating raw foods to optimize digestion are simple guidelines I embrace. I tried these suggestions, and I could tell right away they work for my body.
Eating three meals a day, I was never hungry, and often felt full; two meals gives me a chance to hear my stomach growl. Seasonal eating plugs me into my local farm economy and keeps my food choices fresh. I also pay attention to how and when I eat vegetables and berries as part of eating raw.
Optimize Digestion of Raw Foods
Raw Foods do not benefit from the breakdown from cooking, your jthara agni (digestive fire) has to do all the work of converting food to nourishment. Eat raw when your agni is strongest during pitta time.
Pay attention to how your body reacts when you eat a lot of uncooked food. What do I mean by that? How do you feel physically feel after eating raw? If you are gassy or bloated after eating or you skip your morning defecation, take note. These are signs of incomplete, improper assimilation.
You build and replace tissues from ahara rasa (digested food). You are what you can absorb during digestion, so you want to do a good and consistent job at it. The great thing is that our agni quickly responds to the right treatment. Healthy digestive fire will consistently convert foods (non-self) and absorb all the nutrients we need on the way to health.
Factors That May Put The Kibosh On Raw Food
Digestion
If your digestion is weak, or variable, it may make sense to eat food that is easy to digest. Moist cooked one-pot foods, simple soups support regaining digestive strength. Keep away from snacking, lots of dense foods too much uncooked food, and overeating, all these choices can overwhelm agni.
Season
We commonly eat summer fruits and many vegetables raw. The fire of pitta season and time of day enhances our ability to breakdown fresh foods. Peaches, pears apples, and berries, in particular, are straightforward to assimilate. The midday meal between 10 am and 2 pm during the Pitta season will optimize the digestion of raw foods.
Prep Methods To Optimize Raw Food Digestion
Cooking is not the only way to prepare a vegetable. These three methods trade mechanical action, environment and time for heat to help fix the plants for easy assimilation. Have you tried any of these preparation techniques?
Fermenting
Fermentation uses bacteria to digest vegetables partially. You use salt or a starter to create just the right environment to grow healthy bugs that chew on the carbohydrates. The process increases probiotic organisms that support healthy digestion. Fermented foods possess a sour taste, be careful too much can unbalance pitta. For more information on fermentation, Click this link.
Sprouting
Sprouting grows seeds into plants. Seeds will germinate and grow if kept moist. The size of the kernel determines the time to germinate. Sprouting reduces anti-nutrients which inhibit digestion and increases vitamins.
Wilting
Wilting involves mechanical breakdown and immersion in a dressing. First you chop then massage raw veggies. Some of the fiber begins to soften and become easier to break down. Take any green leafy vegetable and remove the stems and ribs. Chop, then rub them together and squeeze with your hands.
After a few minutes, you will start to see the leave color darken and soften in texture. Add your dressing, mix and allow the whole thing to sit, so the flavors blend and penetrate. Wilting works great with thinly chopped or grated summer squash, zucchini, kohlrabi, jicama, and broccoli stems.
Raw food eaten in alignment is a beautiful way to bring fresh nutrients and prana into your body. Fresh fruits and vegetables are sattvic (light garden-fresh, juicy). As you enjoy them this summer, pay attention to your body’s response, and adjust if you need to.
Ayurselfcare’s purpose is to educate on the benefits of Ayurveda. This article is not a substitute for professional medical care, treatment, or advice. All the material here is for learning purposes only. Always share strategy and work with your health care team.
