While eating vegetables themselves paves the way for a healthier diet, traditional Ayurvedic medicine states that eating raw vegetables might be hard to digest for some. Here’s why. Beyond nutrition, however, raw vegetables can simply be hard to digest2. Anybody with irritable bowel syndrome knows this. You can chew and chew, but cold, raw food can upset the digestion, especially when it already isn’t working at optimum capacity. If you love salad for lunch, you don’t necessarily have to give it up altogether. Instead, try tossing it in a warm skillet for a minute or two before you eat it, just to warm it up and wilt the greens slightly. Warm salads are delicious! Try a roasted root vegetable salad, or wilted greens with roasted vegetables. At the very least, consider warming your salads during cold weather. When summer comes and your body is already warm, then it might be better to go back to those cold crispy lettuces you love—but again, it’s best at lunchtime when your digestion is the strongest. As for beverages, if you want to follow Ayurveda, you might want to drink your water warm or at room temperature and avoid iced beverages of all kinds. No ice-cold lemonade, no ice-cold beer, no ice-cold soda, and no ice water. According to Ayurveda, if room-temperature water and herbal teas are your beverages of choice, your digestion can run more smoothly. Just think about what happens when you stick your hands in cold water or snow. Your fingers may turn white, because the cold reduces blood flow to the area and vessels can clamp shut. When you drink cold liquids, such as iced tea or ice water, the same thing can happen to your digestive tract: blood vessels constrict and blood moves out of the area. The channels that move nutrients in and waste out can close up. Rather, warm liquids open up channels and encourage that flow. You want blood to flow to your digestive tract, to help facilitate healthy and efficient digestion and carry out waste easily. While there is limited scientific evidence on this process (and much more research is needed!) it’s a long-held belief in Ayurvedic principles and Traditional Chinese Medicine. As always, consult your doctor before eliminating any food groups from your diet. For now, keep drinking that warm tea—but you may want to ditch the ice in favor of room-temp water. Chaudhary has participated in over 20 clinical research studies in the areas of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. She is the author of The Prime and Sound Medicine: How to Use the Ancient Science of Sound to Heal the Body and Mind. She holds her M.D. from Loma Linda University School Of Medicine.
