I live in the inbetween.

I love going into the weeds of nutritional science and determining exactly what macros and fiber amount is ideal for me. I know my caloric needs and how to structure meals to get the most nutritional bang for my buck. In times when I’ve drifted from where I feel my best (hello pandie pounds and menopause), with a little effort and discipline I’m able to reset. So, understanding dietetics has not only been a passion of my but incredibly beneficial.

Yet, the extreme reductionistic nature of nutritional science just felt like we were missing a big part of the picture.

Enter Ayurveda.  I love that it is comfortable holding both the scientific and esoteric aspects of nutrition.

Carl Sagan famously wrote, “the absence of evidence, is not the evidence of absence”.

This is so true. To throw away 5000 years of observational science because we don’t have the tools to measure it seems a bit short sighted of mainstream medicine.

For example, the nutritional profile of a bag of spinach may be identical to that of spinach from your garden.

But Ayurveda would say there is very little life or prana in that bag of spinach that made the long trip from Peru to your grocery shelf.

You can’t measure prana so does it even exist? 

Yet, anyone who has eaten vegetables fresh from the garden knows the difference. There is a vibrancy, it’s like you can taste the sunshine and all the elements that assisted the plants growth. I feel different after a meal fresh from the garden vs the store. It may not be a measurable compound, but I can feel something is different.

But prana isn’t the only unique concept of Ayurvedic nutrition. Perhaps, the most significant is its view of digestion.

There are 2 key distinctions between the notion of digestion in Ayurvedic Nutrition vs Mainstream Nutrition. 

And the 2nd one absolutely blew my mind.

1. Ayurveda emphasizes digestion vs consumption.
• Mainstream nutrition says, “you are what you eat”, while Ayurveda says, “you are what you digest”.
2. Digestion is anything and everything we take in.
• Modern medicine defines digestion as a mechanical and chemical process of breaking down substances into a form that is absorbable into the bloodstream.
• Ayurveda states digestion is not only a mechanical and chemical process but also a metaphysical one. We also digest through each of our senses: touch, sight, taste, smell, and sound.
• We are not just affected by the foods we take in but everything that the senses take in is digested by the body and can have a profound effect on a person.

This concept is incredibly important for our wellbeing.

I teach my students that it doesn’t matter if you are eating the healthiest organic food for dinner if you’re doing it while watching the most horrific news of the day.

Y’all, I must admit, I digested way too much of the Murdaugh Trial this week. Ugh. #crimesagainstwisdom

I have witnessed this phenomenon 100’s of times with clients. Many come with chronic digestive issues that Drs have been unable to help. They are meticulous with their food yet have little discipline with their mind.

We must be as discerning with the thoughts and information we allow in as the food we allow in.

Here’s a good exercise. Look at your browser history. Now think about any physical or emotional symptoms you may be experiencing. Do you see a correlation?

Now go look at the top-ranking podcast and tv shows. What could that tell you about culturally what we’re digesting as a society? How might that affect our mental and physical wellbeing? Or societal wellbeing?

What changes can you make to bring more peace, ease, and less suffering in?

With love and gratitude,

Anna