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Iron deficiency remains one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the world, and India continues to carry a significant share of that burden. According to national surveys, anemia affects a large proportion of the population across age groups, making low iron status far more common than most people realize yet what makes me curious is that iron deficiency doesn’t always announce itself through anemia.

As a Functional Nutritionist, this is often the space that interests me the most. The space where the body has just started compensating for declining iron stores, so standard blood reports may not appear alarming enough to raise concern. The space where a person is constantly tired, struggling with hair fall, finding it harder to recover from exercise, feeling unusually cold, or battling brain fog but is repeatedly reassured that everything looks “normal.” This is because iron deficiency is a gradual process. Our body is designed to preserve the energy in order to sustain the danger. Before hemoglobin begins to drop, before anemia is diagnosed, the body starts making subtle adjustments to preserve its most essential functions.

And this is where ferritin becomes an incredibly valuable marker. Ferritin reflects the body’s stored iron reserves. In many cases, these reserves begin declining long before anemia appears on a blood test. By just paying attention to ferritin, I’m able to identify a problem much earlier, when the body is still compensating, rather than waiting until it is completely depleted. That’s how I fix the root cause!

Looking Beyond the Lab Range

One of the core principles of functional medicine is that health exists on a spectrum. Rather than asking whether a marker is simply “normal,” we ask whether it is optimal. For instance, a ferritin level of 15 ng/mL may technically fall within the laboratory reference range, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the body has adequate iron reserves to support energy production, thyroid function, cognitive performance, healthy hair growth, and overall well-being. This is where the difference between conventional and functional interpretation often becomes important. Hence, I only focus on identifying the stage long before symptoms progress into a diagnosable deficiency.

Research suggests that ferritin levels below 30 ng/mL are often indicative of depleted iron stores, even when other markers may still appear “normal.” That’s why I consider the levels in the range of 50–150 ng/mL to be a more supportive range for optimal physiological function. My goal is simple, to create an environment where the body has the resources it needs to thrive.

The Hormonal Domino Effect

This cellular bankruptcy quickly creates a domino effect across your entire hormonal ecosystem, starting with your thyroid. Iron is required for the activity of thyroid peroxidase, an enzyme involved in thyroid hormone synthesis. When iron stores become depleted, the body may struggle to produce and utilize thyroid hormones efficiently, contributing to symptoms such as low energy, poor concentration, a sluggish metabolism, and increased sensitivity to cold.

Hair health can also be affected. Hair follicles are among the most metabolically active tissues in the body and require a steady supply of nutrients, including iron, to remain in their growth phase. When iron stores begin to decline, the body prioritizes more critical functions, often leaving hair follicles with fewer resources than they need to thrive. The result can be increased hair shedding, reduced hair density, and slower regrowth. Sometimes a compromised gut lining, chronic digestive issues, or inflammatory gut conditions can reduce the body’s ability to absorb iron efficiently. In other cases, inadequate stomach acid may be the missing piece, since an acidic environment is essential for liberating iron from food and making it available for absorption. For women, heavy menstrual bleeding, fibroids, endometriosis, and other menstrual irregularities can gradually deplete iron stores over time. And occasionally, persistently low ferritin may warrant further investigation for hidden blood loss from ulcers or other gastrointestinal conditions.

What makes iron deficiency particularly challenging is that it often appears as a collection of seemingly unrelated complaints: difficulty concentrating, poor exercise tolerance, low mood, brittle nails, restless legs, frequent headaches, or a lingering sense that your energy and resilience are not what they once were.

Rebuilding Iron Stores: Food First, Supplements When Needed

When it comes to improving ferritin levels, I always start with food before reaching for a supplement. Iron-rich foods such as lentils, beans, garden cress seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, raisins, dates and dark leafy greens provide the building blocks needed to replenish iron stores.

However, intake is only one part of the equation, absorption matters just as much.

Pairing iron-rich foods with vitamin C sources such as lemon, amla, guava, citrus fruits, or bell peppers can significantly enhance iron absorption. At the same time, habits like consuming tea or coffee alongside meals interfere with iron uptake and are often worth addressing. Digestive health also plays a crucial role, as adequate stomach acid and a healthy gut environment are essential for extracting and absorbing iron efficiently.

In some cases, dietary changes alone may not be enough, particularly when ferritin has remained low for an extended period. Strategic supplementation can then become a valuable tool. The form of iron matters here, iron bisglycinate is often preferred over conventional forms such as ferrous sulfate due to its superior tolerability and absorption profile.

It’s equally important to remember that iron does not work alone. Nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin A, copper, folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6 all contribute to healthy iron metabolism and red blood cell production.

Ultimately, restoring iron status isn’t simply about increasing iron intake. It’s about creating the right conditions for the body to absorb, utilize, and retain it effectively.

The Bottomline

Ferritin may appear as a small number on a blood report, but anyone who has experienced low iron knows it rarely feels small. The fatigue, poor recovery, brain fog, reduced stamina, and day-to-day struggle with energy can quietly influence every aspect of life. Which is why the conversation shouldn’t end with whether a value falls inside a reference range. It should begin with understanding why those reserves became depleted in the first place and what the body needs to rebuild them because the goal isn’t simply to achieve a “normal” result. It’s to have the energy to live well.

If you’d like a deeper, root-cause analysis of your blood work and personalized guidance, let’s book a discovery call with me to map out a personalized strategy for your health.

A few years ago, if someone complained of acidity, bloating, or frequent burping, the advice was usually simple.

“Don’t eat spicy food.” “Have some antacid.” “Your digestion is weak.”

And to be honest, many people are still following the same advice today.

What fascinates me is how common digestive discomfort has become. We’ve normalized carrying antacids in our bags, keeping digestive tablets in our kitchen drawers, and blaming every symptom on stress or outside food. The burning sensation after meals, bloating that makes your stomach feel stretched by evening, constant burping, and heaviness that lingers for hours after eating. But sometimes there’s a deeper reason behind these symptoms, one that many people have never even heard of.

That reason is Helicobacter pylori, more commonly known as H. pylori. Despite affecting a significant portion of the global population, H. pylori remain relatively unknown outside medical and nutrition circles. Many individuals live with it for years without realizing that a bacterium may be contributing to their digestive complaints.

In this article, I want to shift the conversation away from simply “killing the bacteria” and focus on something equally important: creating an internal environment that supports healing. Because while treatment matters, what you eat every day also matters.

What exactly is H. pylori?

Before we label H. pylori as the villain, there’s something important to understand.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a spiral-shaped bacterium that has coexisted with humans for thousands of years. In fact, nearly half of the world’s population carries it, yet many people never develop symptoms. So, simply having H. pylori isn’t always the problem.

Interestingly, when H. pylori exist in small numbers and remains in balance with the rest of the stomach environment, it has beneficial roles. It contributes to immune system development, the regulation of stomach acidity, and the production of hormones such as ghrelin, which influences appetite and energy balance. This may explain why millions of people carry the bacteria throughout their lives without experiencing any digestive complaints.

The trouble begins when that balance is lost.

Factors such as chronic stress, a diet consisting of ultra-processed foods, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, frequent use of acid-suppressing medications like proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), repeated courses of antibiotics, poor sanitation, or anything that weakens the stomach’s protective mucus layer can create an environment where H. pylori begins to multiply beyond the body’s ability to control it.

As its numbers increase, the bacteria gradually damage the stomach’s protective lining, allowing inflammation to build over time. This process is usually slow and silent, which is why many people initially dismiss symptoms like bloating, nausea, frequent burping, a bitter taste in the mouth, early fullness, heaviness after meals, or persistent acidity as “just poor digestion.”

But what often appears to be a sudden digestive problem is, in reality, the result of an imbalance that may have been developing quietly for months or even years. Left unaddressed, this chronic inflammation can progress to gastritis, peptic ulcers, impaired absorption of nutrients such as iron and vitamin B12, and, in some individuals, increase the risk of more serious gastric complications.

What Happens Inside the Gut?

One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter is that H. pylori is only a stomach problem. In reality, its effects often extend far beyond the stomach. When inflammation develops within the stomach lining, digestion can become less efficient, leading to nausea, loss of appetite, stomach pain, and an unusual taste. Food may remain in the stomach longer than it should. Protein digestion may become compromised. Nutrient absorption may begin to suffer. This becomes particularly important because the stomach is the first major step in the digestive process. When that step is impaired, the consequences can ripple throughout the entire digestive system. Over time, some individuals may begin experiencing symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, hair loss, poor concentration, reduced exercise recovery, and low energy levels.

Research has shown associations between H. pylori infection and lower levels of nutrients such as iron and vitamin B12 in certain individuals. This is one reason why addressing the digestive environment becomes so important, rather than focusing solely on symptom management.

The Antibiotics Part No One Talks About

I want to be very clear about something: antibiotics absolutely have a place in H. pylori treatment. In many cases, they can successfully eradicate the bacteria. However, where the conversation becomes dangerously incomplete is what happens afterward. Many clients complete their grueling antibiotic course, receive a negative test result, and yet continue to suffer from chronic digestive symptoms. Worse, a few months later, they experience a full-blown relapse.

Why does this happen?

Because killing a pathogen and rebuilding an ecosystem are two completely different things. Antibiotics may reduce H. pylori, but they act like a carpet bomb, wiping out the beneficial gut microbes that act as your primary defense system. Studies show that antibiotic therapy slashes microbial diversity and alters the balance of good gut organisms. So, when you finish treatment and fail to fix the damaged, inflamed stomach environment, you leave the door wide open. If you do not rebuild the gut lining, lower stress, and remove inflammatory foods, the terrain remains broken. The next time you are exposed to H. pylori, or if a tiny fraction of the original bacteria survives, it bounces back with a vengeance.

But this time, it is much worse. The bacteria have evolved.

Just as humans adapt to survive, bacteria are masters of evolution. When exposed to antibiotics without the host’s terrain being fundamentally healed, H. pylori mutates. It develops mechanisms to pump the medication out of its cells or shield itself entirely, becoming resistant to the treatment.

This is the cycle of antibiotic resistance. When H. pylori mutate, the standard medications stop working. This is exactly how people get trapped on a medical merry-go-round, taking round after round of harsher drugs, destroying their microbiome while never truly finding relief. That is why I always say and believe: “All disease begins in the gut, and the cure must begin in the gut, too.” You cannot just kill the bad; you must change the environment so the bad can no longer survive.

How I Focus on Improving the Gut Terrain

When I work with someone diagnosed with H. pylori, our conversations don’t begin with supplements. They begin with understanding what the stomach needs to heal.

I often ask people to imagine a scrape on their skin. You wouldn’t expect it to heal if it were being irritated every few hours. An inflamed stomach lining works in much the same way. Every meal can either calm that inflammation or add to it.

That’s why my nutritional approach isn’t centered around “starving” or “killing” the bacteria with food. Diet alone cannot eradicate H. pylori. Instead, my goal is to reduce irritation, support the stomach’s protective mucus layer, improve digestion, and create an internal environment that complements medical treatment and allows the tissue to repair.

Foods I Temporarily Eliminate

One of the first things I discuss with my clients is that healing isn’t only about adding the right foods; it also means reducing the things that keep irritating an already inflamed stomach.

During the initial phase of healing, I often recommend temporarily reducing foods that either promote inflammation or trigger digestive symptoms. This isn’t because these foods “cause” H. pylori, but because they can make it much harder for an already damaged stomach lining to repair itself.

For many individuals, this means taking a short break from gluten, dairy, raw vegetables, highly acidic foods, excessive chili and spices, processed foods, and, where appropriate, foods such as corn and peanuts if they consistently aggravate symptoms. Raw vegetables, despite being nutritious, demand more mechanical digestion and may feel uncomfortable when the stomach lining is inflamed. Highly processed foods contribute very little nutritionally while often promoting systemic inflammation, and heavily spiced or acidic meals can further irritate an already sensitive gastric mucosa.

I also encourage clients to temporarily avoid common triggers such as coffee, strong tea, alcohol, aerated beverages, and energy drinks. Caffeine and carbonated drinks can aggravate symptoms like acidity, excessive burping, and bloating, while alcohol directly irritates the stomach lining and slows the healing process. The goal is simply to give the stomach a period of calm so it can begin rebuilding its protective mucus barrier.

Foods I Encourage

Once we’ve reduced the constant irritation, the next step is providing the body with the nutrients it needs to repair.

I encourage plenty of gently cooked or steamed vegetables such as spinach, carrots, pumpkin, okra, beetroot, and sweet potatoes. I usually prefer them steamed because steaming softens the tough plant fibers (cellulose), allowing your body to more easily absorb their generous amounts of beta-carotene and vitamin A, which support the regeneration of the stomach lining.

Colorful berries such as blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, our own Indian gooseberry (amla), kiwi, and sweet lime are another staple. They’re naturally rich in polyphenols, anthocyanins, and vitamin C. Clinical studies show this specific plant compounds prevent H. pylori from being able to physically glue itself to your stomach wall. These foods act like a natural “Teflon coating” for your stomach, forcing the bacteria to slip off and be flushed out. Amla (gooseberry) is especially critical because its high vitamin C content provides the raw material needed to rebuild gastric collagen and heal micro-ulcers.

Herbs and spices also deserve a place at the table, but the right ones. Carom seeds can help ease nausea, bloating, and delayed stomach emptying, while turmeric provides curcumin, a well-studied compound known for its anti-inflammatory properties. I also like incorporating saunf in small amounts for its supportive role in digestion and gut health. Meanwhile, fresh ginger is a potent natural prokinetic; it helps move food smoothly out of the stomach and into the small intestine, preventing the painful post-meal heaviness, fermenting gas, and bloating that H. pylori cause.

Pomegranate juice, high-quality green tea, and alkalized pure cacao powder also deserve a place in the diet. These act as natural antimicrobials that suppress the enzyme (urease) that H. pylori use to neutralize your stomach acid.

Healthy fats are equally important. Extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds provide essential fatty acids and polyphenols that help support cell membrane integrity and tissue repair while contributing to a less inflammatory internal environment.

No single food can eliminate H. pylori. But when we consistently remove the foods that irritate the stomach and replace them with foods that nourish, repair, and support the gut lining, we create an environment where healing becomes much more possible.

CALMING THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

I can design the most nutrient-dense meal plan and recommend the right supplements, but if someone is living in a constant state of stress, healing often becomes much slower than it needs to be. Hence, the approach has always been holistic because I see the whole body, not just the symptoms.

Digestion is one of the first functions the body downregulates when it perceives stress. Instead of investing its energy in breaking down food and repairing the stomach lining, the body shifts its priority toward survival. Over time, this can influence digestive secretions, slow tissue repair, alter immune function within the gut, and make it harder for the stomach to recover from ongoing inflammation.

This is why I spend just as much time talking about the nervous system as I do talk about nutrition.

One practice I frequently recommend is something called Box Breathing. Before your meal, take 10 minutes to inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale slowly for four seconds, and pause again for four seconds. Repeat this for three or four rounds.

It may seem surprisingly simple, but this brief pause helps activate the body’s “rest and digest” response through the vagus nerve. Many of my clients notice they eat more mindfully, digest their meals more comfortably, and feel less bloated when they make this small ritual part of their day. I also encourage Bhramari Pranayama (the humming bee breath). The gentle humming creates soothing vibrations around the face and throat while promoting slower, deeper breathing. Many people find that it helps quiet a busy mind and brings a greater sense of calm before eating.

Another habit I value is stepping outside for 10–15 minutes of morning sunlight soon after waking. Morning light helps regulate our circadian rhythm, supports healthy cortisol patterns, and often improves sleep quality, an important but frequently overlooked pillar of gut repair.

For those who enjoy mindfulness or spiritual practices, meditation, gratitude, and journaling can also become meaningful parts of the healing journey. While these practices are not treatments for H. pylori itself, they may help reduce perceived stress and cultivate a greater sense of emotional well-being, which can positively influence the gut-brain connection.

Sometimes, supporting your gut isn’t about adding another supplement.

Sometimes, it’s about reminding your body that it’s finally safe enough to heal.

The Bottom Line

Recovery from H. pylori does not begin and ends with a prescription. In reality, healing is often a much longer process.

The bacteria may be eliminated within weeks. The digestive system may require months to fully recover. This is why I encourage clients to think beyond eradication and focus on restoration.

Support the stomach lining.

Rebuild microbial diversity.

Prioritize nutrient-dense foods.

Reduce unnecessary irritation.

Give the body the raw materials it needs to repair itself. Because the ultimate goal isn’t simply testing negative for H. pylori. The goal is creating a digestive system that feels resilient, comfortable, and capable of supporting long-term health.

If you really want to heal the root cause of your health, let’s chat in the comments below or book a root-cause discovery call with me to map out a personalized strategy for your gut health.

We have been conditioned to believe that goodness is staying kind in all situations. We are taught from a very young age that being flexible, accommodating, and endlessly patient is the gold standard of a good character. So, we learn to soften our edges. We smile when we are exhausted. We swallow our boundaries to keep the room comfortable. We say a pleasant, half-hearted “yes” when every cell in our body is screaming “no.”

We call it harmony, but your biology calls it a threat. As someone who spends every day looking at the deeper patterns of human health, I see a striking trend. People arrive at my door with pristine food journals. They avoid the seed oils, they drink the detox teas, follow every trend and they buy the high-grade supplements. Yet, their inflammatory markers remain stubborn. Their digestion is sluggish, and their fatigue is deeply rooted. When your lifestyle is completely flawless, but your body is still burning with systemic inflammation, the culprit isn’t on your plate. It is the silent, exhausting energetic leak of choosing compliance over authenticity.

The Anatomy of a Half-Hearted “Yes”

What happens to a boundary when it is swallowed instead of spoken? It doesn’t just disappear into thin air. Every unspoken “no” is an emotional debt that your physical tissue has to pay. Centuries ago, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners didn’t look at the body as an isolated machine, but as a living garden. They understood that health depends entirely on the smooth, uninhibited flow of life force energy (Qi).

In this ancient theory, the Liver is considered the “General” of the body, responsible for ensuring that this energy moves freely and gracefully through every channel, but the Liver has a vulnerability: it stores unexpressed frustration, resentment, and the daily friction of burying your own truth. When you chronically force a “yes” to accommodate others, you create what Eastern medicine calls Liver Qi Stagnation, meaning a blockage that piles up your unspoken frustration. Think of it like a wild, rushing river that has suddenly been dammed up by a wall of compliance. The water stops moving. It becomes heavy, thick, and toxic. In nature, when things stagnate for too long, they begin to ferment and create physical heat (Inflammation). You will experience symptoms like irritability, mood swings, demotivated, PMS symptoms throughout the month in case of females, just general frustration with the world, bloating, tightness in stomach, feeling of a lump in your throat that won’t go away when you are stressed, headaches, tight jaw, forgetting to take a deep breath for long then suddenly frequent sighing.

To dissolve this situation, your kitchen must become a tool for movement. Your Liver thrives on the color green and slightly sour or bitter tastes. Flood your body with dark greens like spinach and dandelion greens and add a fresh squeeze of lemon or lime to your water to gently stimulate bile production and break up physical tension. Most importantly, clear that toxic buildup of your bloodstream with a daily cup of roasted dandelion root or chrysanthemum tea. What is fascinating here is that all of these traditional foods are the exact same ones we recommend in modern functional nutrition. Science shows that bitter greens and sour citrus are packed with powerful antioxidants and compounds that switch off inflammatory pathways in the gut and optimize your liver’s detoxification.

The Burden of Emotional Digestion

Traditional Chinese Medicine also teaches that the Spleen is the powerhouse of our digestion, responsible for breaking down food and turning it into vital energy. But the Spleen also digests our experiences. The psychological behavior that completely collapses the Spleen is obsessive worry, overthinking, and endless mental rumination. This is the exact, frantic mental loop of a recovering people-pleaser:

“Did I say the wrong thing?” “Are they upset with me because I didn’t help?” “How can I fix this so everyone likes me?”

This constant, anxious hyper-vigilance completely drains your vital energy. When your Spleen Qi is starved, your physical digestion fails. You experience bloating, food intolerances, and an inability to absorb nutrients. You are quite literally trying to digest the toxic energy of your own suppressed feelings, leaving your gut inflamed and your cellular health compromised. Your nervous system simply cannot feel safe when you are constantly abandoning yourself to keep others comfortable. You will experience symptoms like low digestion, IBS, loose stools, lacking a real desire to eat but intense craving for sweets as the body is searching for artificial happiness/ energy. While the liver needs to be cooled and moved, the Spleen needs to be warmed and protected. The absolute worst thing for a weak Spleen is cold water, iced smoothies, raw salads, and dairy; these act like a bucket of ice water dumped onto a struggling campfire, paralyzing your gut. Instead, stoke your inner metabolic oven with warm, cooked, easily digestible foods. Lean into naturally sweet, grounding root vegetables like sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and carrots, and enjoy slow-cooked stews and broths infused with warming spices like ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon. Exactly the same approach we take for IBS cases or for gut healing!

The Hard Thing That Saves You

We often think that setting a boundary or saying a firm “no” is a harsh, aggressive act. We worry it will break our relationships or make us look selfish. But I want to offer you a completely different perspective here: doing that hard thing is an act of cellular preservation.

When you finally choose the momentary discomfort of an authentic “no” over the long-term resentment of a resentful “yes,” something miraculous happens to your biology. Your nervous system drops out of a chronic fight-or-flight state. Your liver energy unlocks. Your cells stop swimming in a sea of stress hormones, and the fires of systemic inflammation finally begin to cool down. Your body does not have a statin deficiency, and it certainly doesn’t have a deficiency in “being nice.” It has a boundary deficiency.

You must be thinking – how can I practically move away from this cellular depletion and step into true preservation?

So when I host healing retreats, I watch people carry years of unsaid “nos” physically trapped in their tight jaws, heavy shoulders, and sluggish digestive tracks. To release this gridlock, we must practice practical ways to resolve it . Our brain gets a quick signal when we do a few things by action or purposely every single day. So here are two highly effective, actionable tricks I use and teach to guard your cellular health:

First is the 24-Hour Buffer Trick: Never give an immediate “commitment” on the spot. When a demand is made on your time, use the phrase, “Let me check and get back to you by tomorrow.” When you use this phrase , no person is going to be furious and this brief pause removes the people-pleasing panic, drops your nervous system out of an immediate fight-or-flight trigger, allowing you to evaluate your true capacity from a place of biological safety.

Another transformative practice I live by comes from the philosophy of Focus on What Matters. Every morning, identify your few non-negotiable core priorities, your health, your family, or it can be anything. If a new request does not directly serve those vital areas, it is automatically a “no.” By filtering your day through what truly matters, you stop wasting your finite energy on minor social obligations and preserve your physical life force.

A Moment to Pause and Recalibrate

My only purpose in writing this today is to make you pause and look at your health through a much wider lens. You can take every supplement on the planet, but you cannot heal a body that you are constantly forcing to hide its truth.

True anti-inflammatory living isn’t just about what you put into your mouth. It is about what you allow to leave it.

The next time you are faced with a choice that drains your spirit, violates your peace, or stretches your capacity to a breaking point, remember this: Saying “no” to someone else is often the most profoundly healing, anti-inflammatory “yes” you can ever give to yourself.

If this article resonated with you, share your thoughts in the comments or book a root-cause discovery call, and let’s work together to support both your emotional and physical well-being.

Some people often talk about IBS as a digestive disorder. Yet, some of the strongest predictors of symptom severity aren’t found in my clients’ food diaries. They’re found in sleep patterns, stress levels, emotional health, workload, and the capacity to recover from daily demands. It means the gut and the nervous system are far more interconnected than most people realize.

IBS Is More Than What You Eat

Before we dive in deep, let’s quickly understand what IBS actually is.

IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, or a combination of both.

It can present as:

• IBS-C (constipation predominant)

• IBS-D (diarrhea predominant)

• IBS-M (mixed type)

While these categories help us understand symptom patterns, they don’t explain why those symptoms occur. And that’s where the gut-brain connection becomes important.

Your Gut Is Constantly Listening to Your Brain

One of the most fascinating things about digestion is that it doesn’t actually begin in your stomach; it begins in your brain.

Think about it. The moment you see food, smell something delicious, start preparing a meal, or even think about what you’re going to eat, your body is already getting to work. Signals are sent through the nervous system, preparing your digestive tract to receive, break down, and absorb that food. This happens because your gut and brain are in constant communication through what we call the gut-brain axis, a complex network involving the vagus nerve, hormones, immune signals, the gut microbiome, and even the nervous system embedded within your digestive tract. In simpler terms, your brain is constantly talking to your gut, and your gut is constantly talking back. This is exactly why digestion isn’t influenced only by what you eat. It’s also influenced by how you feel.

Have you ever noticed butterflies in your stomach before a big event? Or felt nauseous when you were anxious?

Maybe you’ve had an urgent trip to the bathroom before an important presentation.

That’s the gut-brain axis in action.

What happens in your mind doesn’t stay in your mind. Your gut hears it too.

Why Stress Can Trigger IBS Symptoms

One analogy I often use with clients is this:

Imagine a tiger standing right in front of you. At that moment, your body isn’t thinking about digesting breakfast or absorbing nutrients. It’s thinking about one thing: survival. Your heart starts beating faster. Stress hormones are released. Blood flow is redirected towards your muscles so you can fight or run. Every system in your body shifts its focus toward keeping you safe. Now, your body responds in a surprisingly similar way whether the threat is a tiger, a difficult conversation, a mounting workload, financial stress, or a never-ending to-do list. Of course, your logical brain knows the difference. But your nervous system responds to both by activating the same stress pathways, a response commonly known as fight or flight.

In stressful situations, clients often report:

• Increased bloating

• Abdominal discomfort

• Constipation or diarrhea

• Food reactions

• Changes in appetite

Not because their gut is failing them, but because their body is doing exactly what it was designed to do: prioritize survival over digestion.

One of the more fascinating areas of research is the relationship between stress and intestinal permeability. You can think of the intestinal lining as a highly selective barrier. Its job is to absorb nutrients while preventing unwanted substances from entering circulation. Chronic stress may weaken this barrier through hormonal and inflammatory pathways. At the same time, stress can also influence the gut microbiome. In fact, some studies suggest that psychological stress may reduce microbial diversity and alter the balance of beneficial bacteria.

This creates a cycle: stress affects the gut. The gut becomes more symptomatic. Symptoms create more stress. And the cycle continues.

The Cortisol Connection

One of the primary hormones involved in the stress response is cortisol. Before you villainize cortisol, let’s be clear: it is not bad. In fact, we need it. The problem arises when cortisol remains elevated for extended periods. In clinical practice, I often find that clients dealing with chronic stress also struggle with poor sleep, irregular blood sugar spikes, increased inflammation, fatigue, and digestive symptoms that seem to have no obvious food trigger.

Over time, chronic stress can influence gut motility, impair the intestinal lining, and alter the environment in which digestion takes place.

One obvious question comes to mind:

Why do some people experience constipation while others develop diarrhea?

In some individuals, stress slows gut motility, allowing stool to remain in the colon for longer periods and contributing to constipation. In others, stress accelerates motility, leading to urgency and diarrhea. This helps explain why two people can eat the same meal, experience similar stress levels, and yet have completely different IBS symptoms.

A 2022 systematic review examined 37 case-control studies comparing individuals with IBS to healthy controls. Researchers exposed participants to acute psychological stressors and evaluated changes in gastrointestinal symptoms, gut motility, autonomic nervous system activity, stress hormone responses, and brain activity. They found that mental stress consistently increased gastrointestinal symptoms and altered gut function in people with IBS. In other words, stress wasn’t simply making people feel worse emotionally; it was measurably changing how the digestive system behaved.

Researchers have also observed that stress can amplify visceral hypersensitivity, one of the hallmark features of IBS. This means the brain and gut become more reactive to normal digestive sensations, contributing to abdominal pain and discomfort even in the absence of structural disease.

Why Food Still Matters

At this point, I want to be very clear: before you assume, “Oh, it’s a stress-related condition, so I can eat everything,” stop right there! Because the gut still needs the right environment, nutrients, and building blocks to repair and function optimally. This is where a targeted nutrition strategy becomes important. The nervous system cannot function optimally without the raw materials required to produce neurotransmitters. The microbiome cannot thrive without proper nourishment.

Here, my goal is to reduce the burden on the gut while supporting repair.

1. Remove Common Trigger Foods

In the initial phase, I often recommend temporarily removing foods that commonly contribute to inflammation, immune activation, or digestive distress. These may include:

• Gluten

• Dairy

• Corn

• Soy

• Eggs

• Peanuts

The goal isn’t restriction forever. The goal is to create a calmer environment, so the gut has an opportunity to heal.

2. Focus on Gut-Healing Foods

During this phase, I encourage foods that are generally easier to digest and supportive of gut repair, such as:

• Well-cooked vegetables – Raw veggies have high fiber content that can irritate the gut lining, often worsening the symptoms. Stir-fried, boiled, or steamed vegetables like carrots, beans, mushrooms, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, etc.

• Homemade broths like okra water, dal or rice water, and gond katira water.

• Stews and soups like pumpkin soup and bottle gourd soup.

• Easily digestible protein sources like tofu, edamame, tempeh, chia seeds, quinoa, and hemp hearts.

Many clients find that cooked foods are far better tolerated than raw salads when symptoms are active.

3. Consider Targeted Nutrients

Depending on the individual, I may consider nutrients that support gut lining integrity and nervous system health, including:

• L-glutamine

• Zinc

• Omega-3 fatty acids

• Vitamin D

• B vitamins

Of course, supplementation should always be personalized rather than taken blindly.

Don’t Forget the Nervous System

Nutrition is only one side of the equation. If the body continues to perceive danger, digestion may continue to suffer. This is why I often encourage simple practices that help shift the body out of survival mode and into a more parasympathetic, “rest-and-digest” state. Some of my favorites include:

Grounding

Spending time barefoot on natural surfaces can be a simple way to slow down and reconnect with the present moment.

How to do it: Walk barefoot for 10–20 minutes daily. Prefer natural surfaces over concrete or tiles. Morning or evening is usually most comfortable. Many people find that spending time in nature helps them feel calmer, more present, and less stressed. When stress levels reduce, the nervous system shifts away from “fight-or-flight” mode, which can indirectly support digestion, sleep, and overall well-being.

Box Breathing Before Meals

A few rounds of slow breathing before eating can help signal safety to the nervous system and prepare the digestive tract for food.

How to do it: Before each meal, inhale through the nose for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale slowly for 4 seconds, then hold again for 4 seconds. Repeat for 4–6 rounds. This activates the parasympathetic (”rest-and-digest”) nervous system, signaling to the body that it is safe to eat and digest food efficiently. Many people notice improved meal awareness and reduced bloating when they slow down before eating.

Yoga

Gentle movement, particularly yoga, can support both stress regulation and digestive function. None of these practices are meant to replace nutrition. They’re simply another way of reminding the body that it’s safe enough to heal.

Practice for 20–30 minutes daily, or at least 3–5 times per week.

Gentle styles such as restorative yoga, Hatha yoga, or beginner-level flows are ideal.

The Bottom Line

If you’ve been struggling with IBS, I want you to remember this:

Your symptoms are not always a sign that you’re eating the wrong foods. Sometimes they’re a sign that your body no longer feels safe enough to prioritize digestion. Your food, gut microbiome, stress, everything matters.

But lasting recovery often requires us to look beyond the plate and explore the environment in which digestion is occurring. Because sometimes the missing piece in IBS recovery isn’t another food restriction. It’s helping the nervous system shift out of survival mode and back into a state where healing can finally occur.

Let’s chat in the comments below or book a root-cause discovery call with me to map out a personalized strategy for your metabolic and cardiovascular health.

One of the most common questions I get during consultations is, “Will I have to give up my doodh wali chai?”

Others come in with partial information they’ve picked up online, already convinced that dairy causes inflammation, affects the gut, worsens acne, or contributes to autoimmune conditions, but often don’t know where these claims originate or whether they apply to them.

And honestly, this confusion makes sense. For generations, dairy products have been considered a staple food. Milk is often marketed as a complete source of nutrition, rich in protein, calcium, vitamins, and minerals. From childhood onwards, many of us are taught that dairy is synonymous with strong bones and good health. Yet, over the last decade, dairy has become one of the most debated foods in the nutrition space. Some people consume it daily without experiencing any noticeable issues. Others report bloating, digestive discomfort, skin flare-ups, congestion, fatigue, or worsening autoimmune symptoms after regular consumption.

So, when my clients bring up this topic, I kind of first step back and explain how modern dairy production differs from the dairy our grandparents consumed. Because when we discuss dairy today, we’re not necessarily discussing the same product that existed generations ago.

THE COMMERCIAL DAIRY LANDSCAPE TODAY

The dairy industry has changed dramatically over the last several decades. When discussing dairy and its potential impact on health, I think it’s important to recognize that modern dairy production is designed to meet the demands of a growing population. Milk is collected, processed, homogenized, pasteurized, packaged, transported, and then distributed at a scale that would have been unimaginable a century ago. Nature says cows produce milk to feed their calves after birth, but modern dairy farming focuses on continuous milk production through repeated breeding and lactation cycles.

Another important consideration is how modern farming practices have influenced the composition of milk itself. Selective breeding has favored higher milk production and efficiency, which has altered dairy’s protein profile compared to traditional cattle breeds. One key difference involves beta-casein, a major milk protein that exists in A1 and A2 forms. Many traditional cattle breeds primarily produced A2 beta-casein, while modern breeds produce both A1 and A2. During digestion, A1 milk can release BCM-7, a peptide, researchers have studied for its potential effects on digestion and inflammation.

YOUR GUT LINING: MORE THAN JUST A DIGESTIVE TUBE

The intestinal lining serves as one of the body’s most important protective barriers. Its job is to allow nutrients from food to enter the bloodstream while simultaneously preventing unwanted substances from crossing into circulation. To perform this task effectively, intestinal cells are connected by structures known as tight junctions. I often describe these as security gates, constantly deciding what is allowed through and what should remain within the digestive tract.

When these gates are functioning as intended, the immune system remains relatively calm. However, when the integrity of this barrier becomes compromised, it increases membrane permeability and causes larger food particles, bacterial fragments, and inflammatory compounds to pass through it and into the bloodstream.

This process is commonly referred to as “leaky gut.”

DAIRY & AUTOIMMUNITY

One of the most discussed theories in functional and integrative medicine is the relationship between gut permeability and autoimmune disease.

Autoimmune conditions occur when the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues due to immune hypervigilance and molecular mimicry, leading to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, psoriasis, and eczema. Researchers increasingly recognize that genetics alone cannot explain autoimmune disease. Environmental triggers, infections, stress, dietary factors, and gut health appear to play important roles. Some studies suggest that, in genetically susceptible individuals, increased intestinal permeability may precede the development of certain autoimmune conditions.

The proposed mechanism is simple:

When the gut lining is repeatedly exposed to factors such as chronic stress, poor dietary habits, certain infections, medications, or foods that an individual may be sensitive to, it can become less effective at doing its job. The protective barrier may become more permeable, allowing substances to pass through that would normally stay within the digestive tract.

Imagine having a security guard at the entrance of a building. Under normal circumstances, only approved visitors are allowed in. But if that security system goes rogue, it may start letting in people it wasn’t supposed to. A similar thing can happen in the gut. Larger food particles, bacterial fragments, and other compounds may come into closer contact with the immune system. Over time, this can contribute to increased immune activity in susceptible individuals.

This doesn’t mean dairy causes autoimmune disease. However, in people who are already genetically predisposed or dealing with existing immune imbalances, certain dairy proteins act as one of several factors that keeps the immune system on high alert.

Research highlighted via PubMed indicates a link between milk consumption and the development of Multiple Sclerosis. Using amino acid sequencing, studies identified that the milk protein butyrophilin shares structural similarities with human myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) that triggers cross-reactive autoantibodies that lead to immune-mediated myelin destruction

This is why, in some individuals with conditions such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, eczema, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or inflammatory bowel disorders, reducing food triggers helps improve their symptoms. The goal isn’t to blame a single food. The goal is to understand whether that food is adding to the overall burden the body is already trying to manage.

Practical Considerations for Reducing Dairy

I strongly encourage a temporary dairy elimination trial when individuals experience:

• Persistent bloating after consuming dairy

• Frequent digestive discomfort

• Chronic sinus congestion

• Acne that worsens with dairy intake

• IBS symptoms

• Certain autoimmune conditions

• Eczema or inflammatory skin concerns

• Unexplained fatigue despite otherwise healthy habits

For a period of 3–6 weeks, I remove obvious sources of dairy, such as milk, paneer, cheese, ice cream, whey protein, and milk-based beverages.

During this period, pay close attention to changes in digestion, bowel habits, skin health, energy levels, sinus congestion, and overall well-being.

At the end of the elimination phase, reintroduce dairy systematically and observe your body’s response. However, in my practice, I often find that reintroduction becomes unnecessary for many clients because they experience such a noticeable improvement without it.

After eliminating dairy for a period of time, clients frequently report feeling lighter, less bloated, more energetic, and mentally clearer. Many notice improvements in digestion, skin health, sinus congestion, and overall well-being. Clients dealing with autoimmune concerns often observe positive shifts in their antibody markers and symptom burden, while those struggling with hormonal imbalances such as PMOS commonly report improvements in cycle regularity, inflammation, and metabolic health.

What I find most interesting is that the decision to remain dairy-free often comes from the clients themselves. Once they experience the difference firsthand, they no longer view dairy elimination as a restriction but as a conscious choice that supports how they feel.

By the end of my program, I don’t encourage fear around food. My message is simple: understand what works for your body. If you choose to enjoy dairy occasionally during a celebration, social gathering, vacation, or special occasion, that’s perfectly fine. Health should support your life, not isolate you from it.

My goal is to create a lifestyle that helps you feel your best while remaining practical and sustainable.

The Bottom Line

Dairy is neither a healthy food for everyone nor a poison for everyone. Like many foods, its impact depends on the individual consuming it. The more important lesson may be that nutrition is rarely about finding universally good or bad foods. Instead, it is about understanding how your own body responds. Health is built not by blindly following dietary trends, but by developing the ability to observe, interpret, and respond to your body’s signals. Sometimes the most valuable nutrition strategy is not asking, “Is this food healthy?”

It is asking, “Is this food helping me feel and function at my best?”

For more in-depth guidance let’s chat in the comments below, or book a root-cause discovery call with me to map out a personalized strategy for your optimal health 

Intermittent fasting has evolved from a niche wellness practice into one of the most widely discussed nutrition strategies in the world.

Over the last decade, it has gained immense popularity for its potential benefits, from fat loss and improved blood sugar regulation to metabolic flexibility and healthy aging. In a world where we’re constantly looking for ways to simplify our lives, fasting can seem like the perfect solution: fewer meals to plan, fewer food decisions to make, and often, some encouraging changes on the weighing scale.

But, as I often tell my clients, just because something works well for one person doesn’t automatically mean it will work well for everyone.

Today, almost everything we need is available at the tap of a screen. Food arrives within minutes, entertainment is endless, and answers are instantaneous. We’ve become accustomed to living in a world where convenience is expected and results are desired quickly. Unfortunately, we’ve also started approaching health with the same mindset. We chase quick fixes, rapid transformations, and shortcuts to wellness. Somewhere along the way, skipping breakfast became a badge of health consciousness.

While intermittent fasting may be beneficial for some individuals, it is important to ask whether it is supporting your body, your hormones, and your long-term health. This question becomes even more important when we talk about women, particularly those already navigating thyroid dysfunction, hormonal fluctuations, chronic stress, demanding careers, household responsibilities, and caregiving roles.

Your Thyroid Doesn’t Work in Isolation

Many people think of the thyroid as a gland that simply controls metabolism. In reality, it is part of a highly interconnected network involving the brain, adrenal glands, reproductive hormones, blood sugar regulation, nutrient status, and energy production.

Your thyroid plays a critical role in determining how every cell in your body produces and utilizes energy. To perform this job effectively, it requires a steady supply of calories, amino acids, and key nutrients such as iron, selenium, zinc, iodine, and vitamin A. This is something I frequently discuss with women who are following aggressive fasting protocols. If you are eating only two meals a day, which is very common with intermittent fasting, you need to ensure that your daily nutrient requirements are still being met. Unfortunately, many women unintentionally reduce not just calories but also protein, iron, and other essential nutrients when they shorten their eating window.

Another important layer to consider is how the body interprets prolonged periods without food. Your body does not always recognize fasting as a wellness strategy. Sometimes, it interprets it as a potential threat to survival. When energy availability appears uncertain, the body may shift into a conservation mode. One way it does this is by slowing the conversion of inactive thyroid hormone T4 into active thyroid hormone T3, which helps regulate metabolism and energy production. From an evolutionary perspective, this makes perfect sense. When resources appear scarce, the body becomes more efficient with the energy it has.

Women are already constantly adapting to changing circumstances, whether it is hormonal shifts, emotional stress, career demands, family responsibilities, or caregiving roles. When aggressive fasting is layered on top of these existing stressors, it can sometimes create additional strain rather than support healing.

Iron status deserves special attention here. Iron is not only essential for oxygen transport and healthy red blood cell production, but it also plays a crucial role in thyroid hormone synthesis and the conversion of T4 into T3. In practice, it is not uncommon to see women with low ferritin levels experiencing symptoms that look remarkably similar to thyroid dysfunction, including fatigue, hair fall, poor concentration, brain fog, cold intolerance, and low energy.

When fasting is combined with inadequate calorie intake, low protein consumption, poor sleep, intense exercise, chronic work stress, or existing hormonal imbalances, women may experience increased fatigue, brain fog, worsening hair fall, poor exercise recovery, mood changes, and stubborn weight-loss plateaus despite doing everything right.

This does not mean fasting is entirely responsible for thyroid problems. However, when fasting is added to a system that is already under stress or dealing with nutrient deficiencies and hormonal imbalances, it may amplify symptoms that are already present.

The Blood Sugar and Thyroid Connection

Another important mechanism worth considering is blood sugar regulation.

Many women, particularly as they age, already experience some degree of impaired glucose handling due to chronic stress, poor sleep, sedentary lifestyles, or diets heavily reliant on refined carbohydrates. Thyroid hormones influence how efficiently cells utilize glucose, how insulin functions, and how energy is produced at a cellular level.

When fasting is introduced into a system that is already struggling to maintain stable blood sugar levels, symptoms can appear quickly. Women often report feeling shaky, irritable, anxious, lightheaded, unable to focus, or constantly hungry. Others experience intense cravings later in the day, leading to overeating and creating a cycle of restriction followed by compensation.

It is important to remember that this is not a lack of discipline or willpower. The body is remarkably intelligent. When energy intake becomes unpredictable, biological mechanisms increase the drive to seek food. The body is simply trying to ensure survival. This is why context matters far more than trends.

What the Research Says

A 2025 study published in the European Journal of Endocrinology investigated the effects of short-term energy restriction in 19 healthy young women with normal thyroid function. Participants followed both an energy-balanced diet and a calorie-deficient diet providing approximately 55 percent fewer calories for five days each.

Interestingly, even over this relatively short period, researchers observed reductions in T3 and TSH levels, alongside an increase in reverse T3, a less metabolically active form of thyroid hormone. These changes occurred despite the participants being healthy and having no underlying thyroid disease. The authors concluded that the thyroid axis adapts rapidly to reduced energy availability, likely as an energy conservation mechanism.

These findings do not suggest that intermittent fasting causes hypothyroidism. However, they reinforce an important principle that I often share with clients: your thyroid is highly responsive to perceived energy availability.

Practical Considerations for Women with Thyroid Dysfunction

1. Focus on Building Better Meals Rather Than Eliminating Them

One of the biggest mistakes I see is people trying to lose weight by simply eating less frequently. In reality, satiety is influenced not just by quantity but also by meal composition. Instead of skipping meals, focus on creating meals that contain adequate protein, fibre-rich vegetables, healthy fats, and quality carbohydrates.

For example, a simple plate of dal and rice may leave you hungry soon afterward. But adding a generous salad, vegetables, and a protein source such as tempeh, tofu, edamame or legumes can dramatically improve satiety. Sometimes, sustainable weight loss comes not from eating less food, but from eating more strategically.

2. Consider a Gentle 12-Hour Overnight Fast

For many women, especially those dealing with thyroid dysfunction, blood sugar instability, chronic stress, or hormonal imbalances, a simple 12-hour overnight fasting window can be a more sustainable place to start. Finishing dinner by 7:30 PM and having breakfast around 7:30 AM naturally gives the digestive system a period of rest without creating excessive stress on the body.

This approach is often easier to maintain than extended fasting windows and still allows you to support digestion, blood sugar balance, and overall metabolic health while meeting your nutritional needs.

3. Add Movement Before You Chase Perfection

Many people assume exercise needs to be intense or complicated to be effective. In reality, consistency matters far more than complexity. A simple strategy is to set a five-minute timer and choose two exercises you enjoy. Alternate between them until the timer ends. Five minutes may not sound impressive, but it lowers the barrier to starting and helps build momentum. Small actions, repeated consistently, create powerful results over time.

4. Work with a Functional Medicine Practitioner

If you are struggling with thyroid symptoms, fatigue, weight changes, hair fall, or hormonal imbalances, working with a functional medicine practitioner can help you look beyond the diagnosis and understand the root causes contributing to your symptoms. Factors such as nutrient deficiencies, gut health imbalances, chronic stress, poor sleep, blood sugar dysregulation, and inflammation can all influence thyroid function and overall well-being.

A functional medicine approach focuses on understanding your unique health history, lifestyle, and nutritional status to create a personalized plan that supports healing. The goal is not just to manage symptoms but to improve energy, hormone balance, metabolic health, and long-term resilience.

The Bottomline 

Intermittent fasting can be a useful tool for some women, but it is not the only path to better health. If fasting leaves you feeling exhausted, irritable, constantly hungry, or struggling with worsening thyroid symptoms, it may be worth reconsidering your approach. Health is not about how long you can go without food. It is about creating an environment where your body feels nourished, supported, and able to function at its best. Sometimes, the most effective strategy is not the most restrictive one, but the one that your body can sustain comfortably for years to come.

Let’s chat in the comments below, or book a root-cause discovery call with me to map out a personalized strategy as per your health goals 

Is there anyone who does not have any kind of stress at all? Clearly not. The crazy busy life we lead today and our self-inflicted pressure and competition make our mind race at a speed that is not quite apt for our healthy existence but regular practice of meditation can help cope up with these pressures. It leads you to discover a sense of calmness, mental peace and makes one more aware of their actions, thoughts and speech. 

But which is the most effective type of meditation? The answer is there isn’t one best technique. It depends on individual preference and what works the best for you. Here’s a breakdown of some of the popular types of meditation. 

Guided meditation: In this type of meditation, usually a teacher or an expert guides you to imagine or focus on a particular subject through a detailed and beautiful explanation which refreshes us as we distract our mind from worrisome thoughts to what we are being told to focus on. This slows our racing mind and helps centre ourselves. It could be in person or even via a recording, application etc. This technique is most suited for beginners.

Unguided/ mindful meditation: This technique just involves sitting in one calm room/corner and focusing on how the mind works, recognizing the thoughts without judging them and coming back to the object of meditation, such as breath. This self-knowledge helps to overcome impatience and distractions. It has been known to reduce depression, stress, anxiety and help you cope up with difficult situations in life with utmost calmness.

Movement meditation: This is a good choice for people who find it troublesome to sit still for even a few minutes. It encourages one to focus on the body in motion. This type of meditation can be associated with yoga or any form of martial arts. It is aimed at strengthening the nervous system, thus helps cope up better with everyday stress. It also helps to form some form of physical discipline. However, we must take time for ‘Savasana’ aka corpse/ relaxation pose to relieve the body tension and unwind. 

Focused meditation: This is the basis of living a healthy life. In this kind of meditation, we fairly focus exactly on the thing that we are doing at the moment– a complete opposite of multitasking. Jumping around various thoughts and activities leads to a scattered mind and dissatisfaction. A musician, athlete and a craftsman would not be who they are if they were not connected to the present. For instance, if you are eating, you must focus on sensations in your mouth, gulping the food down and with practice you will rediscover the joy of being in present. 

Visualisation meditation: This technique invites you to visualise a particular image in your mind. Simply close your eyes and imagine a beautiful scenery, water body or sunsets or any other visualization that speaks to you. Some people consider it to be an escape from the chaos as it brings a sense of peace via mental activity and uses the creative aspect of mind for positive transformation. 

Chanting meditation: Here, the idea is to focus and quiet your mind with the sound of the words of the mantra. The subtle vibrations of the mantra can encourage a peaceful yet alert state of mind- increased self-confidence and compassion. ‘Om’ is one common word used for chanting meditation. 

Reflection meditation: This kind of meditation process enables you to better recognize our thoughts, values, emotions and beliefs and their reality. The technique invites you to ask within questions such as,” what are you most grateful for?” However, the focus here must be on the feelings and not the thoughts attached to it.

Whichever form of meditation you choose, committing to regular meditation practice is sure to offer you holistic health benefits. A few minutes a day is all you need for the rest of the day to be a fantastic one.

Mindful Eating

“You cannot control everything in life, but you definitely can control what you feed your body.”

In current times, our busy lives have made mealtimes rushed affairs. Often, we are eating while commuting to work, or at the desk, or on the couch with mobile in one hand and eyes on the Television. We gulp down food, regardless of whether we’re still hungry or not.

Mindful eating is maintaining an in-the-moment awareness and focus on your experience at mealtimes. The concept of mindful eating is more about how to eat rather than what or how much you are eating. It is to focus all your senses and being present as you shop, cook, serve, and eat your food.

Here are some actionable ways to practice this way of eating.

• Breathe before you eat

Just before you pick a fruit or a bar to savour on or sit on your dining table for a meal, its important to slow down and breath. Most of the time we are fogged up with our thoughts and our daily chores which puts more in a fight and flight mode rather than a rest and digest mode. To be able to digest and assimilate our food well we need to calm down and allow our brain to perceive the food in front of us so that it can signal our digestive system to initiate  the digestion process and connect with our food in a more deeper way.

• Chew thoroughly and enjoy your meals without distraction

Everything seems to have been sped up – on the go breakfast or quick lunch in between a meeting has become a part of our culture. Because of this food ends up entering the stomach barely chewed and can cause digestive distress like bloating, constipation etc.

Slowing down the process of eating allows you to be in present and truly assess – If you are still hungry or just mindlessly eating?

It’s important to slow down the pace of your eating. Consciously experience – the tastes, texture, look and smell which together contribute to the experience of eating.

The more we chew our food, the more time the brain has to communicate with the stomach, release acids and enzymes and eventually pass the satiety signal.

• Trust your hunger cues

Your hunger cues are your body’s way of telling you that it requires energy. Instead of eating calorie guided scheduled meals or eating by the clock, mindful eating helps you determine hunger cues and eat in response to that to satiate yourself rather than satisfy your situational or environmental triggers. This will help you improve your relationship with food and cope up with boredom, stressed and emotional eating.

• Strike a balance between foods that nourish you and satisfy you

Providing the body with essential nutrients for various functions is important. But besides fuelling our body, food is also about connection, pleasure, culture, celebrations and fun. It is absolutely normal to want and enjoy the taste of something that is not specifically nutrient-dense.

Find foods that are nutrient-dense as well as you enjoy and also don’t feel guilty for enjoying foods that you like but aren’t as nutritious.

• Express gratitude and journaling

When you sit down to eat – express gratitude for what all you have. The more you appreciate, the more in-the-moment you will be with your choices.

Journaling can help you resolve mindlessness over time. Just start by noting down your relationship with various foods, struggles and feelings after eating them and see where your mind takes you. It also helps to measure your progress in a tangible manner.

• Self Check-In

By checking on self before and after meals, you can become self-aware and determine if you are hungry or full, relaxed or stressed and also understand why is it that you are eating. Before and after eating, always take a moment and ask yourself, “How do you feel?”. By doing so, you will develop a habit of being mindful of your eating habits.

The perfect doesn’t exist. For those practising mindful eating for years may also give in sometimes but that totally okay. It makes you think and realise that if you weren’t eating mindfully then why were you eating only? And this learning and its reflections on situations help you understand yourself better and also improve your digestion and make a positive significant influence in your life.

SKIN DEEP!!

Healthy, supple, smooth skin is a dream for most people. But it’s super easy to fulfil this dream. The more natural and wholesome you eat, the better your skin gets. Here are a few skin-friendly tips which you may want to try!!

#1 Fruits & vegetables are a storehouse of vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A-rich foods such as papaya, peaches, carrots, green leafy vegetables etc. increase resistance against infections & support skin growth.

#2 Vitamin C rich foods such as lime juice, amla, oranges, sweet lime, guava, spinach etc. help in collagen synthesis, a protein that holds the skin cells together, promoting clear skin and a fresh complexion.

#3 Vegetable juices are a fantastic option to provide vitamins and minerals to the skin as they are directly absorbed into the bloodstream and also keep you hydrated throughout.

#4 Sprouts are wonder foods concentrated in essential nutrients. They are called ‘live foods’ as they contain enzymes that help in better digestion and absorption of proteins, necessary to maintain skin texture.

#5 Tomatoes are rich in lycopene- an antioxidant that protects the skin from internal damage.

#6 Flaxseeds, walnuts, chia are all excellent sources of omega 3 fatty acids that reduce skin inflammation and improve skin texture.

#7 Nuts and seeds like almonds, pistas, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds are rich in vitamin E, which increase blood flow to the skin, making it smooth and supple.

#9 Excess tea/coffee dehydrates the skin & interferes with the absorption of nutrients adding to the dead, dull and dry look. Avoid it! Instead consume green tea which is an excellent antioxidant & skin rejuvenator.

#10 Avoid processed, refined or ready to eat foods as they contain preservatives and chemicals which add on to your skin woes.

#11 Limit the intake of alcohol as it provides nothing but empty calories, leaching away the essential oils from your body.

#12 Lastly, exercise regularly to improve blood flow throughout the body and improve skin oxygenation.

After all, ’Beauty comes from within’!