DESCRIPTION

CAUSES

REMEDIES

DIET

Are you prone to a problem with 'Slow, heavy digestion'?
Find your imbalances and create a diet for your Digestion by taking the free digestion quiz.

TAKE THE DIGESTION QUIZ

Do You Have the Sluggish Digestion Blues?

Friends don't let friends eat twinkies(TM). My neighbor's kids, astounded by my 15 year twinkie fast, somehow convinced me to eat one. Against my better Ayurvedic judgment, I indulged in this former childhood pleasure. It was 'another learning experience.' Two days later I could still feel the twinkie in my gut. It was like a brick in the pit of my stomach. I knew I was the victim of slow, heavy digestion.

Slow, heavy digestion is when you feel like a bomb is lodged in your stomach. The bomb of undigested food plugs up your digestive tract, making you feel bloated and slightly nauseas. The thought of more food makes you queasy, even if you are hungry. The longer the foods sits there, the more it churns and the more sour you feel.

A sluggish gut can make you so tired that even getting up off the couch seems difficult. Externally, your belly may appear big and puffy. You may feel, in these circumstances, that you are overweight. However, the real problem is you've got a food baby to digest. A laxative will deflate the balloon in your belly, and you will feel 10 pounds lighter.

A major cause of slow, heavy digestion is heavy or gooey foods, like oatmeal, soggy french toast, bread, and cheese. These foods bog down your gut in mucus. Poor food choices, like twinkies, or foods laden with preservatives are another common cause of slow, heavy digestion. A client of mine once ate a big mac(TM), and burped up the taste of it three days later! Her health spiraled downhill after that big mac, and a few years later it took us a month to help her back on track. Although we were able to revive her digestive system she is still recovering from hypothyroid. That is a big price to pay for what must have seemed like a cheap meal.

Ayurveda has an antidote to gooey foods and slow, heavy digestion. Next time your stomach feels lethargic, try aromatic spices. Aromatic spices accelerate gastric emptying, propelling food out of the stomach and into the small intestine and beyond. Aromatic spices include common kitchen spices like mint and cinnamon. Cardamom, fennel, and hing are also supberb aromatics. In fact, any spices with a strong smell can be a great aromatic.

Chronic slow heavy digestion, in the absence of a big mac or twinkies, usually points to blood deficiency, low metabolism or poor circulation. For example, anemia causes poor enzyme production (a vata condition). Hypothyroid makes digestive muscles very sluggish (a kapha condition). These conditions are all cold disorders in Ayurveda. In addition to aromatic spices, if your digestion is cold you can warm it up and reduce food stagnation through pungent spices like ginger and black pepper. Warm foods that are easy to digest like soups and kitchari are also helpful. Avoid cold, heavy foods like ice cream and cold milk.

Joyful Belly's herb formula Digestive Bitters is rich in aromatics and may be helpful for those with sluggish digestion. The opus of Ayurveda includes many other striking tips to improve your digestion if you have that slow and heavy food bomb feeling.

DIET REMEDIES FOR 'SLOW, HEAVY DIGESTION'

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COMPUTE MY DIET FOR SLOW, HEAVY DIGESTION
OR, GET A GENERAL DIET FOR BALANCING SLOW, HEAVY DIGESTION

Augment your diet with these specially chosen ingredients below which may be useful for 'Slow, heavy digestion'. Individual results vary depending the cause of your imbalance and by constitution. Please research the ingredients below to find which are most helpful for you, and check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.

HERBS & PRODUCTS FOR 'SLOW, HEAVY DIGESTION'

MORE DIGESTION TIPS

DISCLAIMER: The pathogenesis of each person's condition is unique, and so the diet must be fit to the individual and the unique root causes of the condition in your body. The information on this page is for educational purposes only and should not be used to treat a medical condition. It is not a substitute for medical care. Please check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.

AVOID DIETS, LIFESTYLES & HERBS THAT AGGRAVATE THESE EFFECTS

According to Ayurveda, one or more of the following doshas and qualities may aggravate 'Slow, heavy digestion'. If you have an excess of one of these doshas or qualities below, Ayurveda recommends reducing foods and lifestyle habits that aggravate them. Click on the quality to learn what foods and lifestyle habits should be reduced.

V = VATA, P = PITTA, K = KAPHA

GUNA	FOODS TO AVOID	DO YOU HAVE THIS IMBALANCE?
COLD ABOUT COLD GUNA Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow. LEARN MORE ABOUT COLD	AVOID COLD FOODS THAT MAY AGGRAVATE SLOW, HEAVY DIGESTION	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Cold' guna.
HEAVY ABOUT HEAVY GUNA Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY	AVOID HEAVY FOODS THAT MAY AGGRAVATE SLOW, HEAVY DIGESTION	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Heavy' guna.
OILY ABOUT OILY GUNA Oily refers to anything fatty, or that increases fat. LEARN MORE ABOUT OILY	AVOID OILY FOODS THAT MAY AGGRAVATE SLOW, HEAVY DIGESTION	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Oily' guna.
GOOEY ABOUT GOOEY GUNA Gooey is identified by anything gelatinous (such as oatmeal), or by mucus congestion. LEARN MORE ABOUT GOOEY	AVOID GOOEY FOODS THAT MAY AGGRAVATE SLOW, HEAVY DIGESTION	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Gooey' guna.
TOXIC ABOUT TOXIC GUNA A substance that causes toxicity in the body, or that harms the body. LEARN MORE ABOUT TOXIC	AVOID TOXIC FOODS THAT MAY AGGRAVATE SLOW, HEAVY DIGESTION	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Toxic' guna.
SWEET ABOUT SWEET GUNA Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET	AVOID SWEET FOODS THAT MAY AGGRAVATE SLOW, HEAVY DIGESTION	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Sweet' taste.

To learn more about the symbols above, click on them.

SEE A DIET WHICH REMOVES THESE CAUSES

Are you prone to a problem with 'Slow, heavy digestion'?
Find your imbalances and create a diet for your Digestion by taking the free digestion quiz.

TAKE THE DIGESTION QUIZ

FAVOR DIETS, LIFESTYLES & HERBS WITH THESE MEDICINAL EFFECTS

Everything you eat has an effect on your body, which Ayurveda categorizes in a simple and easy way, using gunas. Gunas are qualities (like cold and hot) that describe the effect a food or herb has on your body. Cooling foods like cucumber, decrease metabolism. Heating foods like chili pepper, stimulate your body and increase metabolism. For 'Slow, heavy digestion', you should select foods with the following qualities (gunas). Individual results will vary, based on your body type and the root cause of your imbalance.

GUNA	FOODS TO FAVOR	CONDITION IN YOUR BODY
CLEAR ABOUT CLEAR GUNA Clear refers to anything that cleanses or flushes out wastes, or that digests ama. LEARN MORE ABOUT CLEAR	CLEAR INGREDIENTS CLEAR RECIPES	Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Clear' guna
BITTER ABOUT BITTER GUNA Bitter is disagreeable and stimulating rejection, and a strong taste often associated with black coffee, dark chocolate, and most salad greens. LEARN MORE ABOUT BITTER	BITTER INGREDIENTS BITTER RECIPES	Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Bitter' taste
PUNGENT ABOUT PUNGENT GUNA Pungency is characterized by irritation, or sharp, spicy foods that irritate the mouth such as black pepper. LEARN MORE ABOUT PUNGENT	PUNGENT INGREDIENTS PUNGENT RECIPES	Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Pungent' taste

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Digestion:

Carminative

CARMINATIVE

Stimulates the release of gas. Helpful for bloating or cramping abdominal pain. Propels food downward.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CARMINATIVE

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Digestive

DIGESTIVE

Herbs that encourage healthy digestion.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DIGESTIVE

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Spleen Tonic

SPLEEN-TONIC

An herb that strengthens spleen function by improving strength of the blood. Spleen tonics Builds agni, brighten the person's appearances & firms up tissues.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SPLEEN-TONIC

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Stomachic

STOMACHIC

An herb that increases appetite or settles a nauseas or nervous stomach. These generally increase the digestive fire, therefore relieving symptoms of sluggish or difficult digestion.

LEARN MORE ABOUT STOMACHIC

Energy Vitality Strength:

Stimulates energy

STIMULATES-ENERGY

This category groups thyroid and adrenal stimulating herbs

LEARN MORE ABOUT STIMULATES-ENERGY

Heart & Circulation:

Cardiac stimulant

CARDIAC-STIMULANT

Herbs that increase the heart rate. Useful in cardiovascular health, blood stagnation, and subjective feeling of heaviness in the chest area.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CARDIAC-STIMULANT

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Blood Tonic

BLOOD-TONIC

An herb that produces more blood cells in the body or otherwise strengthens blood. Helpful for anemia and other types of deficiency.

LEARN MORE ABOUT BLOOD-TONIC

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Vasodilator

VASODILATOR

A vasodilator is an herb that widens the blood vessels by the relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, thereby increasing circulation systemically or to a local area.

LEARN MORE ABOUT VASODILATOR

Bowel-Poop-Elimination:

General Laxative

GENERAL-LAXATIVE

Promotes a bowel movement. General laxative is an umbrella term that refers to several different types of laxatives...

LEARN MORE ABOUT GENERAL-LAXATIVE

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ADDRESS ISSUES IN STAGE OF DISEASE 1

SLOW, HEAVY DIGESTION IS IN STAGE OF DISEASE 1 - AFFECTING DIGESTION

If you have symptoms in this category, your body is sending you a warning sign. Since digestion is so metabolically intensive and sensitive to stress and emotions, the earliest warning signs of imbalance usually appear in the digestive tract first. You may have gas and bloating, for example, or acid reflux. Ayurveda recommends paying careful, close attention to warning signs. They indicate that an imbalance is starting to accumulate. Correct these warning signs before they accumulate further and weaken your body's resistance. This is usually accomplished by removing diet and lifestyle habits that aggravate your imbalanced doshas and qualities.

REDUCE THESE RELATED SYMPTOMS & HABITS

The following symptoms & habits may be related to 'Slow, heavy digestion'. See your quiz results for a computerized assessment of your body type. Please click on the symptoms below to learn more about them.

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