Yoga – Digestive system and Food – The why what when where

The first sentence in the Patanjali Yoga Sutras (the book considered to be the bible of Yoga) says “Atha Yoga Anushasanam” Patanjali explaining now (atha) the science of yoga and discipline (anushasanam) needed to follow this science. The main objective of yoga is to control or manage self-thoughts, emotions, and actions. Lifestyle discipline starts with diet, food. The practise of yoga is far more effective if one follows discipline, balance in food habits.

Stomach recognises food broadly in three ways. Proteins, Fats and Carbohydrates. Complex structures like glucose and fructose are broken down into simpler structures

Digestive organs are involuntary and hence not controllable. The flow of food is through the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine.

The hormone which controls sugar in the body is generated by the pancreas. Pancreas controls the blood sugar levels in the body. The liver which weighs nearly 1-1.5kgs is responsible for the detoxification and the cleansing after we eat.

The digestion process starts with the mouth where the food is mixed with the saliva. Saliva is anti-bacterial (one of the reasons why cats and dogs lick their wounds). Protein and fat take more time to digest. Carbohydrates take far lesser. During digestion, the food remains in the stomach for about 2-2.5 hours before it leaves the stomach. The small intestine performs the function of absorption of the nutrients into the blood, which then goes to the liver. The liver checks the quality of the blood and then rejects, detoxifies. Anything which has a preservative, colouring agent, toxins are cleaned up by the liver. After detoxification, the food gets into the blood. This blood is then supplied to the various cells of the body. Cells then produce energy. The pancreas is responsible for managing the sugar levels in the body. Our liver takes about 40% of our body energy in the process of digestion.

Our stomach, liver, pancreas, and the other digestive systems are designed to work with certain food quality and quantity in mind. The more we eat, the more the stomach works. The more preservatives, toxins, and colouring agents we consume, the more liver is made to work. The more sugar we have, the more the pancreas need to work. In all these cases, each of these digestive organs demand more blood from the heart. The heart needs to work more. This also implies lesser blood goes to other parts of the body. This is specifically observed after a heavy lunch, a person starts feeling drowsy.

Every type of food excess causes stress to the digestive system. All these stresses are too minute for a human to identify and notice during the process of digestion. The simplest form is fat accumulation in cells due to excesses. The heart has to work much more to service cells with more fat than they were designed for.  The increased heart rate, also increases the need to eat more. A slow vicious cycle. Over a period of time they all add up. Multiple diseases (physical and mental) over a period of time are caused because of this.

Ayurveda and Yoga says that there is got to be balance in what we eat. Some of the defining principles for eating

1.       Eat only 70% of your capacity. (Less stress on your stomach)

a.       Stomach secretes two hormones, leptin and grelin which send signals to the brain about the amount of food that we have eaten

b.       The process of the brain registering this is extremely slow. It can take as much as 20 minutes for the brain to register a full stomach. By the time the brain registers the amount of food a person has eaten, its already excess.

2.       Eat local and natural. Your body adapts the best to the food grown locally. (Less stress on your liver)

3.       Reduce additional sugar to zero or minimise it completely (Less stress on your pancreas)

4.       Sip small portions of water during the process of eating, aids in digestion.

5.       Eat mindfully, preferably in silence. If you eat in silence, higher chance that you know when to stop.

a.       People eat food for two broad reasons, one because the body needs it, secondly because the tongue needs it.

b.       The need for the sensory organ, the tongue, overrides the need for the body multiple times, when we do not eat mindfully.

c.       In a binge eating process, a 2-inch tongue dictates the stress for the 25 feet (!!) digestive pipeline in every adult’s body and the entire digestive system surrounding it, including the liver and pancreas. This 25 feet pipeline starts from the mouth and ends in the anus.

6.       Eat balanced food. Does not talk about how much carbs you should eat and how much protein.

7.       Sleep 3 hours after dinner

a.       The digestion slows down significantly when we sleep

b.       This will imply that some digestion will resume after we get up. One of the reasons we feel bloated in the morning after a late-night binge

8.       Frequency of eating and fasting

a.       Ayurveda prescribes eating 2 times a day. Once at 11 and once before sundown at 6.

b.       Any fasting is beneficial for the body. Intermittent or otherwise. Some practise an intermittent fasting every day. Some fast for a full day every 15/30 days. The objective is to give the digestive system to rest and heal

c.       A practical approach is to find a system which works best for your body with the underlying principle of avoiding excess and seeking balance

9.       Who makes the food: Yoga prescribes making the food yourself and eating it yourself. Not something most people can practise. Yoga and ayurveda also say that a cook who has affection for you, likes you, will always make food which will be good for your body!

The books talk about sattvic diet, and also understands that lot of the above is not practical in a practical world. The focus is continuously on reducing excess, through balance and mindfulness.

Note on Sugar

Too much research has been done on the harmful effects of sugar, especially refined sugar on our bodies. Natural food has plenty of natural sugar that is more than enough for our body. Like excess carbs, excess sugar (all of it is excess) settles as fat. Cancer cells feast on sugar to grow and multiply. My personal opinion is that sugar is the worst food item ever invented by a human being.