Q: I am a 33-year old woman who is pregnant with her first baby. I am in my fourth month, at the beginning of my second trimester. My doctor has suggested that I take prenatal vitamins. I have trouble taking pills and only remember to take them intermittently. Are there any Ayurvedic substitutes for these pills? And what can I do with food and nutrition to make sure that I am healthy throughout the pregnancy?
A: A combination of 1 cup milk, 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp ghee at night is the best for you and the baby. Turmeric and ghee strengthen the immune system and help the healthy growth of the baby while improving your complexion.
Food is most critical in pregnancy and post-delivery. Your baby is growing on the food you eat and the baby’s health and immunity depends solely on your food choices.
It should be sattvic, promoting peace and calm: organically grown, mildly spicy, favoring grains, fresh vegetables, fruits, milk, ghee and butter. Make subtle changes according to your constitution and the season.
Since you are in the 4th month, following are suggestions other than food:
4th month – Eat 3 tsp of fresh butter/day and drink a glass of fresh coconut water for baby’s tissue growth.
5th month – Eat 2 tsp ghee/day for baby’s complexion.
6th month – Shatavari ghee for the development of the brain
7th month – Shatavari ghee
8th month – Keep a pure gold ring in a glass of water overnight and drink that water in the morning to stabilize ojas (vital immunity).
9th month – Eat figs and prunes to avoid constipation.
After delivery, a vata-pacifying diet and lifestyle is important. Vata is aggravated by labor pains and actually delivering the baby. Childbirth weakens the digestive fire (agni).
Stay away from cold foods, water and a cool environment. Warm, moist, foods are vata-balancing. Breastfeed the baby. Eating more grains and drinking plenty of water and milk help increase breast milk. Take 1 tsp of shatavari ghee in a glass of milk in the morning. Getting oil massage (abhyanga) and plenty of rest helps build your strength back and prevent many postpartum problems.
Q: People say that napping after a meal is traditionally a part of Ayurveda. What is the story behind this? Doesn’t sleeping after a meal make a person sluggish? And I am a kapha-predominant person who is struggling to lose some weight. Isn’t napping after a meal contraindicated for someone like me?
A: Good question. Napping after meals is called a vamakukshi. It is a part of swastha vritta. (Ayurvedic preventive medicine).
Siesta is not new. It is very common in many countries, but in our workaholic lifestyle, we keep working endlessly without giving our body some rest when it is needed.
There is a reason why we feel sleepy. After we eat food, it goes through different stages of digestion. The first stage is called madhura (sweet) stage. Bicarbonate secretions (kledaka kapha) are released and they mix with the food making it semi-liquid and foamy, so digestive enzymes (pachaka pitta) can digest food easily in the second stage. Kapha being heavy, we feel heavy at this stage and want to doze off for few minutes. The degree of sleepiness varies. Heavy foods like cheeses, creams, fried foods or a lot of rice make us heavier and feel like sleeping for hours. Salads or sandwiches create less heaviness so a catnap is just enough. Paying attention to these subtle signals improves digestion and absorption and mental clarity.
The meaning of the word vamakukshi is napping on left side of the body. This helps to keep solar channels open (pingala nadi) in the subtle body to improve digestion.
According to conventional medicine, after we eat, the majority of the blood gets pooled towards the digestive system, so we can’t work efficiently or exercise.
So why not rest for few minutes? Don’t be busy bees. Learn something from your pets. After finishing their food, they run to the corner, take a catnap and then are ready to jump around. (Animals are more in tune with Mother Nature.)
Ayurveda states that kaphas should not sleep during daytime because it makes them gain weight. There is a difference between vamakukshi (around 20 minutes) and sleeping for couple of hours or more. Kaphas benefit by napping for a few minutes sitting on a couch.
Here is proof to validate this Ayurvedic concept. In a study published on February 12, 2007, in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Athens Medical School reported that Greeks who took regular siestas were 37 percent less likely to die of heart disease than those who never indulged in a midday slumber. The scientists tracked more than 23,000 adults for an average of six years, finding that the benefits of napping were most pronounced for working men.
Go ahead and take a nap everyday and live longer and healthier.
Q: I love drinking tea, every morning before breakfast, while I’m working at the computer or in the evening at home. Now that it’s springtime, I wonder if you can suggest any specific types of herbal tea. I’m a guy, 37 years old and I live in Santa Monica. I’m predominately vata/pitta.
A: Here comes the spring. The weather is cool and crisp. Unfortunately, for many people “April showers bring May flowers” and many flowers create allergies. So to avoid sneezing and sniffling during this season try different spiced teas like ginger, cinnamon, tulsi/holy basil or mint. The slight pungent and astringent taste in these herbs help prevent mucus and congestion. Go for warm herbal teas, not iced tea. Anything cold worsens allergies.
If you are very enthusiastic and want to prepare a tea at home, here is a recipe:
1 cup or glass hot water
1/2 lime or lemon
1 tbsp honey
1/8 tsp fresh ginger
One clove
1 inch stick cinnamon
Add all the ingredients except honey to the glass of hot water. Steep for a few minutes. Strain and then add honey. Enjoy your tea.
As always, consult a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner before undergoing treatments or starting medications.
As always, consult a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner before undergoing treatments or starting medications.
