What Ayurveda says
In Ayurveda, every disease is traced back to disturbed agni — the digestive fire that converts food into tissue and clears āma (residue). Strong agni feels like clean morning hunger, easy elimination, steady energy and a clear tongue. Weak agni shows up as bloating, heaviness after meals, irregular stools and a coated tongue.
Possible dosha pattern
Vāta digestion is irregular — sometimes ravenous, sometimes nothing; gas, bloating and constipation dominate. Pitta digestion is sharp and hot — early hunger, acidity, loose stools, irritability when meals are late. Kapha digestion is slow and heavy — little appetite, sluggish stools, weight that creeps on.
Foods to favour
- ·Warm, cooked, mildly spiced food — kichari, dal, soups, stewed apples
- ·Ginger, cumin, coriander, fennel, ajwain, cardamom
- ·Ghee in small amounts; warm water sipped through the day
- ·One main meal at midday when agni is strongest
Foods to reduce
- ·Iced drinks, raw salads at night, leftovers older than 24 hours
- ·Heavy dairy, cheese, deep-fried food, processed sugar
- ·Snacking between meals and eating after 8 p.m.
- ·Coffee on an empty stomach (especially for Pitta)
Daily routine
- ·Scrape the tongue and sip warm water on waking
- ·Walk 10–15 minutes after lunch and dinner
- ·Eat at roughly the same times each day
- ·Stop eating 3 hours before sleep
Herbs (with cautions)
- TriphalaFull guide →
½ tsp in warm water at bedtime for regular elimination
Caution: Avoid in pregnancy, acute diarrhoea, IBS flare
- Ginger
Slice of fresh ginger with lime and salt 15 min before meals to kindle agni
Caution: Reduce in active gastritis or ulcers
- Hingvastak Churna
Pinch with the first bite of lunch for gas and bloating
Caution: Avoid in Pitta excess and hyperacidity
When to see a doctor
See a GP for blood in stool, unintended weight loss, severe or persistent pain, vomiting, fever, or any change in bowel habit lasting more than three weeks.