You’d think living in a warm place like Florida, my diet would be full of raw foods like salads, smoothies and more salads. For the sake of our digestion (and leaky gut), think again.

Tapping into the Ayurvedic way of eating, with counsel from my Nutrition Guru, Andrea Larsen, I’ve learned warm foods are much easier on the digestive tract, reducing the amount of ‘work’ our stomach has to do, which means better absorption of our food’s nutrients among other benefits.

If you’ve ever had food (shredded carrots, almonds, etc) in your stool, that’s a tell-tale sign you’re not absorbing your food correctly.

The Ayurvedic Way

From an Ayurvedic perspective, our health is determined not only by the foods that we eat but our ability to metabolize those foods. In other words, we’re not defined by ‘what we eat’ but more, what we digest and absorb.

Ayurveda regards raw foods as being cold, dry, light, rough, and Rajasic—a Sanskrit term that means activating or enervating.

Consuming foods with these qualities can strain our digestive fire and decrease our digestive capacity, particularly for those of us with weak digestion to begin with. This can lead to poor absorption of nutrients, lack of nourishment to our tissues, imbalances in our body, and, ultimately, illness or disease.

“I’ve seen a number of people suffer adverse effects from eating primarily raw, uncooked foods, including gas, bloating, constipation, insomnia, dry skin, decreased vitality, feeling cold, and low libido. When they’ve shifted to a more balanced, Ayurvedic diet, their symptoms disappeared.”

Dr. Valencia Porter, Director of Integrative Medicine at the Chopra Center.

That’s not to say I don’t enjoy my kale ceasars or coconut ice cream mind-you. To counter the coldness, here’s a few tips I regularly follow:

  • Before each meal, I’ll often drink a cup of warm water to prepare my stomach (and digestive tract) for in-coming food.
  • When making a salad at home, I’ll lightly steam some of its ingredients such as kale or diced cauliflower – sliced avocado too.
  • For veggies like carrots and zucchini, I’ll use a spiralizer. A game changer for easier digestion, and the kids love the colours too.
  • When eating out, I’ll order a puréed soup or request a hot cup of water with lemon. If I’m having a salad, I’ll often pour a bit of the soup right over it.
  • Along with cinnamon and nutmeg, my pantry is always stocked with digestion-friendly (gas-reducing) cumin and fennel.
  • For healthy snacks such as almonds and cashews, I’ll soak them overnight or buy sprouted almonds at my local Whole Foods.

To learn more about warm-based eating and whether this approach might be right for you, you’ll want to determine your Dosha. For those with a Vata constitution (like me), warm is always best. However, for those whose constitution is Pita for example, eating raw foods can be totally fine.

Discover your Dosha Type by taking this quiz from the Chopra Center.