Five Tips To Avoid Ama (Accumulating Toxins) During Christmas Indulgence

It’s that time of the year again when we indulge in festive treats. With Christmas and New Year around the corner, everyone is excited about meeting friends and families and getting together. “However, it’s also when your digestive system can play truant if not properly cared,” says Dr. V.C. Ajith Kumar, Director and Principal Consultant of Ayush Ayurveda, Singapore.

Ama can develop in the digestive system due to poor digestion. “Ama in Ayurveda is a toxic substance formed due to poor metabolism. When digestion is poor, it gives rise to ama, and it causes toxins to stick to the intestine and mixes with the doshas. It is a toxic waste product of incomplete digestion,” adds Dr. V.C. Ajith Kumar, Ayurveda Doctor, Ayush Singapore.

Symptoms

Some signs or symptoms of accumulated ama include feeling tired, bloating, low energy levels, and chronic fatigue. With many edible delights, how can we stay away from accumulating ama? With overeating and snacking comes ama, which can weaken your immune system if left unchecked. Dr. V.C. Ajith Kumar, Ayurveda Doctor, Ayush Singapore, says that people with ama will experience joint stiffness, respiratory issues, allergen reactions, occasional constipation, or weight gain.

So, what is the Ayurvedic way of getting rid of Christmas-time ama? Simple, you must keep the digestive fire, called agni, burning. When agni is strong, your body can digest food efficiently without leaving toxins. Over-indulgence in rich Christmas treats will crush your digestive agni. Agni breaks down food to nourish cells and purifies metabolic waste. But when it is weakened, the rest of the body, too, becomes weak.

To avoid building up ama, the following tips will help, says Dr. V.C. Ajith Kumar, Ayurveda Doctor, Ayush Singapore.

1. Eat your main meal between 12 and 2 pm

Christmas lunches are lavish affairs. But indulging in them late in the afternoon may not be a good choice. Agni is at its best, and you can digest rich, high-nutrient food midday. Hence, schedule and complete your Christmas lunch between 12 noon and 2 pm. It is better not to have a big meal for the evening as it would upset the digestive system and your sleep. It would help if you cared to have a light and easily digestible meal at least three hours before bed.

2. Don’t skip meals

Having your food at fixed times helps a lot. Also, one should not skip meals as it can upset and weaken agni. Our body loves regular and small meals, around the same time, to keep the agni balanced.   

Dr. V.C. Ajith Kumar, Ayurveda Doctor, Ayush Singapore, says, “Eat only when you are hungry. Hunger is our body’s signal showing that the agni has processed the previous meal. When you eat, if you are not hungry, the partially processed food will get trapped, giving rise to ama.”

3. Listen to your body

Dr. V.C. Ajith Kumar, Ayurveda Doctor, Ayush Singapore, says, “We advise people to listen to their bodies. Eat only if you are really hungry. Do not eat out of habit or compulsion. Also, stop eating before you feel full. The Ayurvedic rule is to leave 25% of your stomach empty at the end of a meal. One should feel satisfied but not full. This helps the digestive acids and enzymes to do their work properly.” People often ignore body signals and end up feeling bloated and tired when people surround them with conversations, drinks, and food.

4. Use herbal drinks

“When you break the above rules, especially over Christmas, reach out to spices and herbs. Sip warm or hot water between meals, and drink ginger or cumin tea 30 minutes before eating or with the meal. A thin slice of fresh ginger with little lemon juice, honey, and salt is also good,” says Dr. V.C. Ajith Kumar, Ayurveda Doctor, Ayush Singapore,. 

5. Exercise daily

Thirty minutes of daily exercise will keep off the extra pounds and improve your agni and burn off ama. Something like a short walk after a meal is good to aid digestion and help the detox, concludes Dr. V.C. Ajith Kumar, Ayurveda Doctor, Ayush Singapore.

About the Doctor

V.C. Ajith Kumar is a veteran of Ayurvedic Medicine. With over 32 years of experience treating patients using the ancient science of Ayurveda, Dr. V.C. Ajith Kumar is well-known in India and abroad. A Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from Ayurvedic College Coimbatore, India in 1988, V.C. Ajith Kumar was mentored by his guru Bhramasri Ashtavaidyan Vaidyamadam Valiya Narayanan Namboothiri. Dr. V.C. Ajith Kumar, perfected the science of Ayurveda by staying with his guru for four years and became an expert in Ashta Vaidya, particularly in the Vaidyamadam tradition. V.C. Ajith Kumar had worked for a year at Coimbatore Ayurvedic College and subsequently 14 years as a Medical Officer with the Tamilnadu Government Medical Service. In 2004, he moved to Malaysia and served as a Senior Ayurvedic Consultant with Promotil Ayur Health Centre Sdn Bhd. In 2008, Dr. V.C. Ajith Kumar established Ayush Ayurvedic Pte Ltd in Singapore to offer traditional Ayurvedic treatments to the people.