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3 conventional habits you probably have that are actually harming your digestion

Mar 17, 2024

Read Time: 5.40 minutes

Hi everyone!

Welcome back for another edition of A Joyful Life~ Thank you so much for being here every week.

Last Sunday, I said I had hoped I’d be able to share my new role with you today. But we’re still finalizing the last steps so my start date has been delayed.

I’ll share the news with you as soon as I’m able to. *Fingers crossed.* I hope everything proceeds smoothly.

Now, let’s jump into this week’s edition.

3 Conventional Habits You Probably Have That Are Actually Harming Your Digestion

Last week, I listened to a podcast episode that featured Radhi Devlukia, a clinical dietitian and nutritionist.

I want to share what I learned with you because I was shocked when I discovered three habits I had (which are super common and 'normal' in society!!!) were terrible for my digestion.

You might be surprised to discover that you also have these three habits.

Detrimental habit #1: Eating until you’re full

I always ate until I felt uncomfortable, stuffed, bloated, and lethargic….

Until I learned from Radhi this habit is *actually* terrible for your digestion.

Here’s why.

Imagine this: Your body is a big house. Your stomach is the fireplace. And agni is the fire in that fireplace—It’s the digestive fire that helps you break down the food you eat and turn it into energy.

Now, here’s the thing: If you put too much wood in a fireplace, you’re going to overwhelm the fire and it won’t burn well.

Likewise, if you overeat food, you’re going to overwhelm your digestive system.

When this happens, some of your food will remain undigested. Then, it’ll ferment in your stomach, produce toxins in your body, and you’ll experience gut discomfort, headaches, and lethargy.

So, if you’re not supposed to eat until you’re full, when are you supposed to stop? Great question.

According to Ayurveda, you should eat until you’re ¾ satisfied—not full.

Now, the question is, how do you know when you’re ¾ satisfied?

Radhi recommends two tips for this.

One, practice conscious and mindful eating.

I don’t know about you, but I tend to eat in front of a screen. I’m either watching someone’s vlog on YouTube, the latest episode of a Kdrama, or reading emails. So most of the time, I’m distracted, eating too fast, and swallowing without chewing enough.

The result?

I’m overstuffed by the end of the meal because my body didn’t know (or get the chance to tell me) I’ve eaten too much—until it was too late.

So lately, I’ve been practicing conscious and mindful eating. I will focus on my meal. I will eat slowly. I will take one bite at a time. I will make sure I chew enough. I will pay attention to how my body feels. And I will stop eating once I feel the amount I’ve eaten feels good for me.

And two, Radhi says a great indication of whether you’ve eaten too much (or the wrong foods) is when you feel under the weather or groggy instead of feeling energized by the meal you’re eating.

Detrimental habit #2: Drinking cold or iced beverages

I used to love having a mango smoothie or fresh watermelon juice while I ate.

But I am now unlearning this habit because of its harmful effects on digestion.

Here are two reasons why drinking cold or iced beverages is terrible for your digestion (and what you should do instead) according to Ayurveda.

One, the cold water dampens your agni—Your fire, your digestive power.

Just like how fire needs to be bright and hot to burn wood… your body, your digestive system, needs heat to digest your food.

And so, when you drink cold or iced beverages while you eat, you end up dimming your agni’s intensity. You end up ‘putting out the fire’ in your body.

This makes it difficult for your body to process food effectively.

Two, too much liquid while you eat dilutes your digestive juices. And again, this makes it hard for your body to digest food.

Now, if you *really* want to drink something while you eat, Radhi recommends ½ a cup of warm water with spices like ginger or cumin or herbal tea. Drink that slowly, a sip at a time, as you’re eating your food.

And if you *really really really* want to drink something cold, do it either half an hour before or after you eat.

Both of these tips will help your agni remain strong. And when your agni is strong, you’ll feel more energetic and healthy.

Detrimental habit #3: Eating a heavy dinner

Lately, my eating window has been from 10-11 AM to 6-7 PM.

The result?

I wake up feeling bloated, groggy, and heavy.

I finally learned why this has been happening from Radhi (and what you and I should do instead).

Reason #1, dinner has been the biggest meal of my day.

For lunch, I usually opt for something light—like a salad with three eggs and two pieces of toast—to stay alert and energized all day.

Naturally, this leads me to eat a larger and heavier meal in the evening.

But, this isn’t great for your body.

According to Ayurvedic principles, agni, your digestive fire, is strongest during the day when the sun is highest in the sky. It weakens as the sun sets.

So, if you eat a big and heavy meal at night, your body will have trouble breaking down the food.

Instead, it'll sit undigested in your gut, leading to toxicity.

Reason #2, I don’t give my body enough time to burn off my last (and biggest and heaviest) meal before I sleep.

Most nights, I’m in bed by 8-9 PM. So, if I have dinner at 7 PM, that’s only about an hour before bedtime.

That’s not enough time for my body to digest the food I’ve eaten before I sleep. This means, my body will be busy working throughout the night, which explains why I wake up feeling tired even after sleeping.

So, here’s what you should do instead for better digestion and sleep according to Ayurveda.

One, make lunch your biggest meal of the day. It’s the best time to eat heavier and harder-to-digest foods. And you’ll have plenty of time to burn off the meal.

Two, eat a lighter meal for dinner.

Three, your last meal should be about 3 hours before you sleep.

Bonus tip: Go for a walk after dinner to help with your digestion!

Final thoughts

“The secret to health lies in the digestive system.” — Sahara Rose.

I encourage you to try and apply these three Ayurvedic principles to your lifestyle to improve your digestion. Pay attention to how these changes impact your well-being.

Because here’s the thing: No single habit or guideline works for everyone. We all have unique needs.

So, test out these guidelines. Observe how they make you feel. And determine what works best for you.

Radhi Devlukia On The Surprising Habits That Are HARMING Your Digestion—This podcast episode inspired this week’s newsletter! I 100% recommend giving this a listen.
10 Rules for an Ayurvedic Diet—Erin Easterly shares 10 rules for tapping into the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and using it to create health, vitality, and energy through food.
Ayurveda (Idiot's Guides)—Super easy to read and understand! So far, I’ve learned about the origin of Ayurveda along with some popular Ayurvedic practices like dry brushing, tongue scraping, and rubbing oil into your skin for self-love.

Before you go

I hope you enjoyed reading today’s newsletter!

If you have a minute, I’d love for you to respond to this poll:

Also, as always, if there’s anything you want me to address, talk about, or answer, PLEASE email me your questions!

Thank you so much for being here! 😊

I’ll see you next Sunday,

Irene

P.S. In upcoming editions of A Joyful Life, I will write more about living a healthier and happier life via an Ayurvedic lifestyle!

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