Ayurvedic Guidelines for Healthy Eating: Food Should Be Moist or a Little Oily

In this ongoing series on proper eating, we have been discussing that HOW you eat is even more important than WHAT you eat. This is because how you eat your food determines how well your body will digest the food, and improperly digested food can lead to the formation of toxins (ama) within the body. What you eat is also important. Of course, eating quality food in a proper manner is best of all! Today we will explore the important of eating food that is moist or a little oily.
 
“In general, moist foods and those with a little oil are digested better than those that are too dry. The Ayurvedic explanation is understandable. Dry food causes dryness of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. The cells within the mucous membrane of the small intestine secrete many of the enzymes that help to digest the food. If the tissue is too dry, the secretion of digestive enzymes is diminished. In addition, dry foods lead to dry, hard stools and this makes constipation more likely. As elimination slows down, it is often more difficult to eliminate any gas that forms leading to bloating. So, feel good about adding a little oil to your meals but don’t take too much.”
~ Excerpt from “Healing Your Life, Lessons on the Path of Ayurveda,” by Dr. Marc Halpern, Founder of the California College of Ayurveda. Available at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1GP7m28 and Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1PsYDUA