“In general, warm food is digested better than cold food. Digestion itself is a process of cooking food. The strength of digestion is likened in Ayurveda to a fire. The fire transforms the food into the molecular nutrients that you will use to build new tissues.
When food is taken raw or cold from the refrigerator, it is harder to digest. How well you digest cold food will depend upon the strength of your own digestive fire (the power of digestion, ability to produce enzymes). For some people it is not a problem, but for many who experience excessive gas and bloating, this can make a very big difference. Taking food warm assists the body’s natural digestive process. If you think of your digestion as a campfire, it is important to keep the fire healthy so that you can burn the food you put into it. A healthy fire transforms the food you put into it into nutrients. Since a fire is hot, anything cold antidotes its strength. Cooked and warm food support digestion. Food and drinks taken cold out of the refrigerator decreases it. As a rule, food and drinks are best taken at room temperature or warm, but never cold. Next time you drink water with a meal, hold the ice.”
~ 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
For more tips on healthy digestion, keep reading our posts and blogs, and scroll back to previous suggestions for keeping the digestive fires burning!