Why Your Belly Hurts and What to Do About It

There is seriously nothing worse than an upset stomach at the wrong time to ruin your fun. It can take an intimate dinner straight to the depths of cramping belly hell and is really stressful for those who experience this regularly, especially if you are having trouble identifying the root cause. Fear not, Ayurveda is once again here to save the day! From food combining to how we eat, get ready for a journey that will forever change the way you view (and feel about) eating food.

Digestion is King

Ever hear that saying, “you are what you eat”? Cue wrong buzzer sound. Nope. Not True.While seemingly subtle, this is the first myth that needs to be dispelled.

You are what you DIGEST. And what you don’t. Period.

What does that mean? Yes, eating high quality, fresh foods appropriately cooked and spiced according to your constitution is critical your health. But even more so is having the ability to absorb the nutrients from what you consume.

What happens when we don’t digest our food well?

All kinds of things, and none of them good.

First off, if you aren’t digesting your food well, you are much less likely to get nutrients critical to being healthy.

This can leave you feeling sluggish and fatigued, even if you’re eating all the “right foods”.

Secondly, this can lead to the formation of āma, or toxins within the body.

And this shit can seriously mess you up. My story is a great example.

I had chronic back pain for years, which was attributed to a number of things according to which doctor I was working with. “Slipped disc”, “scoliosis”, and “I don’t know  but here is a prescription for vicodin” were some of the answers I was given. My back would “go out” for up to a week at a time from doing something completely innocuous like bending over the sink to wash my face. No joke. This went on for well over a decade and led to me having to quit my band and studying martial arts. I was miserable, in pain, and pissed off.

Fast forward to India,  a 104-degree fever, and my subsequent stay in an Āyurvedic hospital.

There I learned that my back pain was caused by toxins or āma from my colon that had moved into the space of my spinal nerves, causing pain and inflammation. I went on a protocol of herbs and changed my diet and BOOM. Problem solved.

Following good food combining principles was a total game changer that improved my life one thousand-fold, and  can do the same for you.

How did poor food combining cause back pain?

The colon is a semipermeable membrane as its job is to remove water from your stool. This means other stuff can move with it. Hence the am moving into the space of my nerves. I was also incredibly active which created a very strong centrifugal force in my body thus moving toxins out at a greater rater.

Many athletes wrongly think they have injured themselves when in fact they are just eating bad food combos, creating toxins, and essentially pushing them into the deep tissues with their physical activity resulting in pain and inflammation

It’s true! Even rheumatoid arthritis is at its root an issue of toxins moving into the body from the GI tract.

90% of our health problems are caused by things we are doing on a daily basis. 

This is the good news. The bad news (for some)- you can no longer blame your state of health on anyone but yourself. Yup. That’s right. You are the architect of your own destiny, and this includes your physical health. So shape up and get healthy for reals! The quality of your life and possibly of those around you depends on it.

Back to food.

So what are these terrible food combinations and ways of eating that are to be avoided?

At this point you are probably wondering, “What the f__ am I supposed to eat?!”.

Well, not the above combinations, that’s for sure.

Don’t despair! It’s okay to occasionally have a bad food combo, just don’t make it a habit.

What makes food combinations incompatible?

Great question! Short answer-

When 2 or more foods have different tastes, energy, and post-digestive effects, your digestive fire (called agni in Sanskrit) gets overwhelmed and is no longer able to do its job well. It’s like excessive multitasking- you might get more things done, but the quality greatly diminishes.

Overloading your stomach with bad food combos can inhibit the production of adequate enzymes to digest each type of food, leading to the production of toxins.

The same foods, if eaten separately, might actually stimulate agni and can even help to burn up accumulated toxins!

What are some of the physical effects of poor food combining?

Indigestion, gas, fermentation of foods within the gut (melon alone!), and even disease, of which my back pain is an example. For example, eating bananas with milk decreases agni, produces toxins, and can even cause sinus congestion, colds, and allergies. Damn, son! No more banana milkshakes!

What are some easy ways to improve digestion and mitigate the effects of poor food combining?

• Eat fruit alone. This is a great first step!
• Cook your foods well and spice them- spices are great for helping us to kindle our digestion and can mitigate the ill effects of less desirable combinations.
• Antidotes. Cilantro is great to help mitigate excess spice, salt is a very powerful digestive, and so is ginger root. Cardamom to coffee is another wonderful example, as it helps reduce the negative effects of this powerful beverage. Gone is the Wind is my go to and lives in my bag when I travel. Total life saver and takes away my stomach pain every time, which is why I now produce and sell it. 
• Chew your food properly. Seriously! So many people don’t chew their food well enough, which is just leaving more work for your internal organs. So be kind to your belly and be thoughtful in your consumption of meals.
• Drink 8 oz of warm water with meals. Not ice water. WARM WATER. Ice water is terrible for your digestion and actually impedes it! It’s like throwing ice cubes into a frying pan right before cooking. Avoid too much water with your food as this dilutes your digestive enzymes thus impeding digestion.
• Eat a moderate amount of food. Don’t stuff yourself, but don’t starve yourself either! If you are tired after you eat, this means you have eaten too much. Eat enough that your tummy feels happy and to keep you going, but not so much that you need to lie down.

These are incredibly helpful tips and will change your flora for the better if employed properly.

What should I eat?

If you asked yourself this question after reading the food combining list, don’t despair. You are probably overly reliant on fast foods if pizza and bean burritos are a staple, and now that you know why they are bad, seize the opportunity to investigate healthier ways of eating. While eating right is done according to constitution type and is not something I am covering here today, there are some blanket truths that everyone can follow 

• Eat fresh, local, and organic. Support your local farmers market and stay in tune with what’s in season. Always a great choice.
• Favor a plant-based diet. SOS- this does not mean you should go raw! Very few people have constitutions that are suited to a raw diet, and it not usually the people following them that have it. Meat production and the associated inputs are very damaging to our environment and consume massive resources. Be mindful as we can no longer pretend like our actions don’t impact others- they do, and greatly so! There are plenty of sources of protein besides red meat, and if you do eat meat, choose local, organic, and thoughtfully sourced.
• Cook your food. I know, I know, cooking can be a real pain in the ass. But your health and wellbeing are worth it. Take turns with your roommate, or so if you can create or join a cooking collective so that you only have to cook once a week or so but can still retain the benefits of cooked food every day.
• Eat mindfully and without distraction. Digestion begins with your eyes. There are visual cues that help our bodies know what enzymes to release so that we can digest our food properly. Avoid watching tv or reading, and instead focus on savoring the gift of life that sustains you. Your body will thank you.

This is a lot to ‘digest’, I know, but fear not! You can totally do this.

Start small and work your way down the food combining list one day at a time.

I still love pizza as much as the next person, I just happen to know what herbs I can use to help mitigate it's ill effects (hint Gone is the Wind).

Thanks for listening- Now get out there and get awesome with your new food combining super skills!

 With love,

Sarah

SEX. There is little else in this this world that is as simultaneously beautiful, exciting, dramatic, scandalous, and that has caused so much passion, love, and strife the world over. From the Trojan War to the love of Shiva and Parvati, nothing excites, captivates and makes us crazy quite in the same way.

Our focus today is on the Ayurvedic perspective on sex, who should have it more, who should have it less, and how to help manage some conditions like dryness, excessive sexual desire, and no desire at all!

According to Ayurveda our bodies are made of 7 essential tissues called “dhatus”. Of these, rasa, rakta, and shukra are the most important to our conversation about sex.

Shukra dhatu, or the sexual fluid tissue, is a very refined form of rasa (plasma fluid), and its quality is largely dependent on rasa’s quality. Rakta is the blood tissue and is responsible for giving enthusiasm and being “hot-blooded”.

The internet and western culture lead us to believe that orgasms are limitlessly beneficial. From releasing stress, producing oxytocin, and cultivating a sense of connection between partners, orgasms can indeed be a wonderful thing.

Ayurveda is more discerning in its view and sees orgasms as depleting to rasa and reproductive fluids. It’s like having a glass of wine at night vs a bottle- a little can be an excellent way to relax and reduce stress, but a lot gives you a hangover, leaving you depleted and feeling like shit.

Ayurveda teaches us that excessive sex per our constitution type leads to excess vāta dosha in the body. Having sex at vāta times such as sunrise and sunset is to be avoided and is best done in the kapha hours of the day. Ayurveda also teaches us that the times to have more sex are winter and early spring! Ever notice how people tend to cozy up with a single person in the fall after they’ve had their summer flings and fun? Winter and spring are considered to be building times of year, compared with more depleting summer and fall which are higher in vāta, leading to naturally decreased levels of rasa and shukra, thus are less desirable for rasa depleting activities such as sex.

The Doshas and Desire

How can we understand the relationship of dosha to desire? Different doshas tend towards different sexual needs and desires. Read on and learn how to interest, excite, and balance the different doshas, as well as ways we to manage common imbalances and the  lesser desired effects of sex, namely depletion of precious sexual fluids.

Variable Vāta

Of all the doshas, vāta is the one that should have the least sex from an Āyurvedic perspective. Why? Having orgasms is considered to be physically depleting, thus should be done less frequently by those who have less robust constitutions. This means you, Vāta dosha friends! Vāta is prone to dryness and is most likely to suffer from conditions like dry yoni, premature ejaculation, and general low libido.

What are some remedies to help deal with vāta conditions like dryness and low libido?

Dryness of the yoni means you have dryness in the body, thus increasing rasa is an integral part of this process. What is rasa? Loosely translated as plasma fluid, rasa is the lubricating element of the body. If you tend to urinate frequently, have dry skin, and scanty periods, it is likely that you are lacking in rasa dhatu. Some simple solutions include drinking electrolyte fluids (and lots of them) like coconut water, or regularly adding chia seeds to your water. You can also try Ayur-ved-ade, which is lime (or lemon in winter) in water with a pinch of salt and sugar.  Well-cooked moist foods are also integral to this process. Put down those crunchy chips in favor of a juicy mango, it will serve you well. Ghee is another excellent choice to replenish your tissues and get you juicy.

How can we excite a vāta dosha person?

Vāta people are creative and spontaneous, and like new experiences and change. Having sex in an unusual place or setting can be really exciting for vāta folks more so than a planned endeavor. Think silly, surprising, and out of the ordinary to get your vāta lover excited!

Passionate Pitta

Ah Pitta. This visually oriented dosha is the one most likely to be interested in sex, perhaps with lots of people, and is most likely to check out other people out wherever they go. Naturally hot-blooded, pitta tends to enjoy and seek out sex more than other doshas. Their appetites are often bigger than their physical capacity to stay healthy while having that much sex, and must learn to tame their sexual appetites, especially pitta with vāta secondary constitution types.

What are some ways to help cool excessive sexual desire?

One herb that can be used, albeit with caution, is neem. I say with caution because neem dries out our sexual fluids, so should be used mindfully lest we cause unintended side effects. You can try a ¼ tsp in the mornings and progress from there. Following a strictly vegetarian, sattvic diet can also help reduce excessive flames of desire.

So what gets Pitta excited?

Recalling that Pitta is very visually oriented, they are most likely to be turned on by designer lingerie, well groomed…well, you know, and a thoughtfully decorated, intimate setting. Get fancy to get a pittas fire going!

Kapha

Sweet and sensual Kapha is the most able to handle lots of sex but may need some coaxing to participate. My teacher used to say Kapha people are like freight trains- it takes a lot of energy to get them moving, but once going are nearly unstoppable. Kapha are most likely to be balanced sexually and are sweet, loyal lovers when balanced. Conditions such as leukorrhea are kapha based and can usually be managed with some simple herbal remedies and dietary changes such as reducing fat and dairy in the diet and taking triphala regularly.

 The biggest problem we see with Kapha tends to be excessive attachment and slowness to take interest in sex. Maintaining a healthy internal fire is very important for Kapha and helps keep their libido burning. This is best accomplished by a kickass exercise routine and avoiding excessively fatty or oily foods. They can thrive on plant-based diets far more than Vāta or Pitta doshas can and going vegan can be an excellent choice as dairy can contribute more to the “sticky”, attached quality. These lifestyle choices can help kapha people to access their sexual reserves, which are more robust than the other constitution types.

How can we engage kapha sexually?

The best way is through sweet enthusiasm- your excitement will get them excited! Remember that kapha can take a little time to get excited, so be patient and understand that they may need a little boost in order to get going- the freight train analogy! To be clear, I am in no way suggesting that you persist when a person has given a clear “no”, be it verbally or physically. I am referring to established lovers maintaining and understanding one another so they can respond without ego and with lots of love!

Ayurveda gives some general guidelines for frequency of sex, from as little as 1x every few weeks in the summer to 2x a week in the winter. This of course depends on your constitution type and what imbalances you have. Be smart with your sex, and most importantly, engage in this sacred act with love and reverence! And have lots of fun, too :)

Use code LUSTVDAY for 20% off your preorder of our desire and libido enhancing formula! Orders will be shipped out next week.

Copyright Sarah Otto-Combs and Siddha Labs 2019

The phone is ringing, you’re trying to read last night’s emergency email from your boss, and now your breakfast is burning on the stove because -damn it!- you forgot about it in the midst of all the chaos that is in your now.

Does this sound like a familiar scenario? I’m certainly guilty of this, and I know better! Western science says that multitasking is less than ideal for brain performance, and Ayurveda agrees. Not only does multitasking decrease performance, it can set you up for disorders of vāta dosha, which as you will learn if you didn’t know it already, are less than ideal.

So why is multitasking bad for you and how does it impact your doshas?

Let’s review vāta dosha for a moment. Composed of air and ether, vāta governs the principle of movement within the body. It is also the most easily disrupted of all the doshas and is the one we are most concerned with keeping in balance! In Ayurveda, it is said that there is no pain unless vāta is blocked, which gives you an idea of how important it is to have unimpeded flow!

Now think for a moment about how you feel when there is no traffic on the freeway and you are able to just cruise. This is what many of us enjoy about driving, right! Now reflect on how you feel in stop and go traffic. Irritated, tense, perhaps really regretting your choice of buying a stick shift? Bottom line, you are far more likely to be tense in the latter situation. Why? When you get right down to it, it’s because the stop and go doesn’t allow us to enter a state of flow or focus.  

And it REALLY pisses vāta off.

This is the same kind of situation we create for ourselves when we multitask incessantly. Our minds and bodies are prevented from reaching any kind of state of flow and are instead essentially stuck in the stop and go that we ourselves have created! Think about it!

It’s like we are voluntarily creating situations of LA rush hour proportions within our organisms. VOLUNTARILY. Dang. We should probably stop doing that.

So what is this doing to vāta dosha and why do we care?

Classical Ayurveda teaches us that 80% of disease is caused by vāta, which is why we dedicate so much time to mitigating vāta through proper diet and lifestyle and why oil is so prevalent in Āyurveda (it has the opposite qualities of vāta thus is perfect for balancing it). Multitasking is actually blocking the flow of vāta because its stop and start action impedes unrestricted flow of thoughts, ideas, and even our bodies. This causes vāta to buildup in the body, which is what we want to avoid at all cost (80% of all disease!!). Vāta also naturally increases as we age, thus making it doubly important to be mindful lest we create unwanted diseases in the future.

This means creating flow is doubly important. Not only does focusing on one thing at a time improve our brain functioning via neuronal connections, it keeps vāta calm, pacified, and happy! Which we definitely want, to not only improve the quality of our focus now but to preserve the quality of our mental prowess as we age.

How can we avoid the multitasking rut?

Step 1) DO ONE THING AT A TIME! I can feel you cringing like my boyfriend’s family while watching Aquaman, but seriously, this is the most important thing you can do to help maintain balance in your focus and with vāta dosha. My favorite app to help me with this is called Forest in which you plant “trees” by committing blocks of time to one activity. Be it 15 or 50 minutes, keep working at it until you find yourself immersed in the task at hand instead of distractedly checking your phone every 10 minutes.

Step 2) Make a plan. Putting the tasks you need to get down on paper really helps you to stay on task and cultivates a special kind of shakti or energy when you tick things off your list. Take a few moments to organize and prioritize before rushing off into the madness of your life. You will be thankful you did.

Step 3) Dedicate time away from your electronics for a portion of each day. Mindlessly scrolling Facebook and Instagram can actually suck hours away from your day without you even realizing, creating a feeling of crunch time later because you wasted your precious free time without even knowing it! It also increases vāta, which we don’t want to do for reasons already discusses.

Step 4) Read a book for 30 minutes a day. Seriously! This helps train your brain to focus and can help you regain some of the attention span you may have lost over the years you’ve had your “smart” phone. If ever there was a misnomer… while many people prefer kindle, as someone who grew up in the library (my mom is a librarian) I’m a fan of paper books for many reasons, one of which is they don’t emit any electric signals or radiation. Be that as it may, choose whatever medium you prefer, and get that attention span to work!

Thank you for reading! Please free to contact Sarah with questions or concerns via email- sarah@siddhalabs.com.  May your vāta remain calm and your attention span long. Om.