Your Ayurvedic Guide To Gut Health

For overall health, beauty and wellbeing, we must look at our body holistically—balancing our inner and outer health to find a unique synergy that enables us to feel healthy, well and vital. And at the core of this philosophy lies the gut—or more specifically, the gut microbiome. As a living, breathing ecosystem in itself, the microbiome refers to the millions or microorganisms, bacteria, yeast, viruses and fungi that live inside each one of us. 

However when there is an imbalance—also known as dysbiosis—we can experience symptoms and health issues as varied as headaches , depression and anxiety, autoimmune issues , allergies or skin conditions. At the heart of many of these issues is inflammation, which is widely considered to be the root cause of all disease and so the remedy for many of these ailments and brightening skin is to reduce inflammation. But how? By rebalancing our gut.

The Ayurvedic Way to Gut Health

While modern science has only fairly recently started to connect the dots between gut health and overall wellbeing—Ayurveda has explored the mind-body-gut connection for literally thousands of years. At its core, Ayurvedic principles emphasize that any disease or health issue is linked to some kind of imbalance within the body— and stress the importance of maintaining optimal digestive health to redress any imbalances.

When it comes to diet specifically, Ayurveda also considers food as medicine11 and uses different foods as well as medicinal herbs and spices to promote balance, support healthy digestion and even target specific health complaints. But to fully comprehend how the Ayurvedic Diet can improve gut health, it’s important to first understand the fundamentals of Ayurveda:

1. Vata are typically energetic, flexible and creative, Vata-types are connected to air, often have a slender constitution, may feel the cold or have dry skin. Imbalances in Vata can be linked to feelings of anxiety or digestive complaints like constipation. 
2. Pitta connected to the metabolic and digestive systems, Pitta people are usually of medium-build, can be athletic and are tenacious, or high achievers, prone to over-exertion, skin irritations and conditions such as acne. 
3. Kapha is fairly stable, Kapha-types are linked to earth, water and the immune system. Often those with predominant Kapha constitutions are calm, strong, loving, bigger-boned, steady and deliberate—but can be prone to weight gain and sluggishness.

Not surprisingly, given Ayurveda’s holistic view of health and an individual’s physiological composition—the importance of maintaining good gut health lies at the center of this healing modality. Fascinatingly, it has also been shown that different Doshas exhibit quite unique microbiome compositions which means that eating for your Dosha can not only improve your gut health but overall sense of being also. 

Top Tips To Improve Gut Health

The good news is that no matter your dominant Dosha there are a number of Ayurvedic nutrition, lifestyle and spiritual practices that can boost Agni and subsequently support optimal gut health. 

1. Drink warm water: In Ayurveda, warm water is praised for its myriad health benefits—helping to remove Ama, cleanse the digestive tract and stimulate digestion, cleanse the body’s tissues and support healthy weight loss by boosting the metabolism. Boiled water is also thought to be lighter, making it easier for the body to digest, absorb and assimilate nutrients from. The warmth also helps to support optimal circulation, which improves energy flow around the body.
2. Dry body brushing: While you’ve likely already incorporated dry body brushing as part of your beauty ritual, in Ayurveda, the practice of body brushing is known as Garshana and is praised for its ability to assist with lymphatic drainage and remove Ama. It is also an energizing practice as it stimulates the body’s natural detoxification processes and helps to rebalance Kapha-types in particular. For Vata or Pitta constitutions, dry body brushing may only need to be practiced 2–3 times a week to experience the benefits.
3. Try probiotics: There is a building mountain of research that supports the use of probiotics for improved digestion and gut health—with evidence illustrating how probiotics can restore balance to the microbiome, help to heal and prevent gut inflammation and subsequently support skin health, immune health and overall wellbeing. Ayurvedic tradition has also incorporated natural probiotics such as lassi in therapeutic treatments for centuries as they assist with effective elimination and also help address mental imbalances which are believed to be linked to nervous system or gut imbalances. 

Consider Your Inner Beauty with LAMAV

When it comes to supporting good gut health—as well as radiant skin—an inner beauty routine is just as important as an outer beauty routine. This is because, as explored earlier, our digestive health is inextricably linked to every aspect of our health. The LAMAV Ayurvedic Beauty Powder and Beauty Restore liquid provide the perfect foundation for your daily inner beauty routine and are packed with an abundance of anti-inflammatory antioxidants, potent probiotics and powerful adaptogens (explored in more detail below) that work synergistically to strengthen and repair skin, combat oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, bolster immune health and nourish the microbiome. If nothing else, establishing a simple inner beauty practice is one way to support your gut and overall well being every single day.

Conclusion

Maintaining good gut health is key to our overall well being both now and in the future, with two critical factors of the utmost importance: the balance and diversity of our microbes. In other words, when there is a healthy balance and rich diversity of bacteria in our gut, we are well positioned to feel healthy, with an abundance of energy, clear, glowing skin and a robust immune system. 

Learn more about how a healthy gut can help you achieve a healthy and glowing skin.

 

* This article was originally published here