Last month I shared the story about “it’s probably not because of that”. Something I hear more often: clients start to feel better, but it probably isn’t because of the small daily changes in food or lifestyle they’re making. In reply I got a lovely message from another client of mine, which I’d like to share with you today.
“I never put spices in my food (except cinnamon in my coffee as a sugar substitute); I thought I’d be adding too much to the food, that I’d have trouble digesting it, since my digestion was naturally slow already… that I want to eat food as pure as possible, without the spices ‘covering’ the original taste… and so on. Thank you, Rianne, for recommending the spiced milk. Every morning I drink milk, oat or soy milk with cumin, turmeric and black pepper. It stimulates my appetite (which is rare for me) and makes sure I can go to the toilet (also rare, because I suffered from constipation). Now I put spices in almost every meal, because it helps my digestion, stimulates my appetite, and I no longer feel it ‘overshadows’ the original taste.”
What touches me most in this is why she avoided spices. Her digestion was slow, so she didn’t want to add anything to it.
In Ayurveda it’s exactly the other way round: a slow digestion is the one that needs the digestive qualities of spices to get going.
So at times it can be that simple. Sometimes a lot more is needed to get appetite and digestion moving again, and what works for her won’t work for everyone. But changing something in what you do now changes something in how your body behaves, and adding spices is often a good place to start.
What are you careful with, because you think your body can’t handle it, or that it won’t do anything anyway? And have you ever tested that?
If you’d like to take a first step, the free At Home in Your Body starter kit has a short test, a movement practice and background information on Ayurveda, to help you discover a good starting point for your body and your situation.
much love, Rianne
