Understanding Obesity: Ayurvedic Insights and Solutions

Obesity especially with a belly not only weakens the confidence and personality of the person but is also an indicator of several underlying problems like very high heart rate leading to weak heart in the long run, cancer, PCOD, endometrium thickness, indigestion, poor circulation, hypertension, snoring, sleep apnea, dry mouth with strange taste especially bitter one in the mouth etc. This blog will explain the reasons and the strategies to avoid and undo bellies and risks associated with it. The blog will also explain that how exercise can further create health issues and even heart attack in people with obesity issues unless we are mindful of our eating habits.

*** The blog uses basic terms of Ayurveda called as Vata, Pitta and Kapha which are referred as Doshas. In layman and simple terms, Kapha is that which gives bulk/tissues (shape) to our body, Pitta is various chemical in the body in form of enzymes and hormones etc which create heat and reactions necessary for metabolism and life, Vata is hollowness which creates channels in the Kapha/tissues of the body through which Pitta moves from one place to another. All three forces are essential.  

Now, whenever we consume the six tastes of food as categorized by Ayurveda (i.e. sweet, astringent, pungent, bitter, sour and salty) in the wrong proportion, which in not in line with changing weather conditions and our own constitution, we invite diseases. This is the reason that we must know that how different tastes work in our body.

Here is a detailed example to understand this concept…

To begin with, let us understand that sour taste expands our body cells whereas astringent taste constricts them (hence both work opposite to each other), pungent taste increases speed of electricity in the nervous system and other cells whereas bitter taste reduces it (of course different bitters and pungent tastes work on different parts/tissues of the body, hence both work opposite to each other if applied properly), sweet taste provides strength to the body as it comprises of proteins, fats, carbohydrates which are building blocks of the body especially proteins. They also provide energy to the body especially carbohydrates. Even vitamins and essential minerals also form part of sweet taste. Salty taste comprises of the several minerals (around 84) that form part of natural rock salt and their task is provide minerals for several processes in the body as human body is also like a battery which needs several minerals (electrolytes) to create current and flow it from one place to another. Similarly, minerals generate electricity in our body to direct nutrition and waste from one part to another.

Now different weather conditions create different doshas in our body. For example, during rains, the temperature drops suddenly by around 15-18 degrees C. This sudden drop also drops down the rasa (i.e. the interstitial fluids) in our body (remember that our body comprises of around 70-80 percent water).  Thus, our bodily fluids due to cooling down go inwards (towards the core as well as the lower part of the body). Now since bitter foods reduce pungency, they also drop rasa/blood towards the core/lower body. This is the reason that Ayurveda (Vedic sciences) say that as a thumb rule, we must not consume bitter foods like onion, garlic, coriander during the four months starting with rainy season (sawan/shrawan mass in Hindi- mass means month). This is because these foods will further drop down the rasa of the body which has as such gone inwards due to the sudden drop of temperature.

*** The effect of Tea and coffee is even worse for people with high Vata in upper body, as they are highly pungent due to caffeine which overstimulates the nervous system and increase our metabolism thereby burning the blood and other tissues and putting more pressure on the heart. The better thing for such people is to use hot chocolate with milk as it is very low on caffeine and high on magnesium. Here magnesium keeps the effect on caffeine in control as magnesium works like speed governor in the body.  Chocolate is bitter but again its caffeine balances it whereas caffeine of coffee/tea is overstimulating (and is good only for true Kapha people). Chocolate is highly astringent which shrinks the inflated cells due to sourness. The milk of hot chocolate provides proteins, fats, carbs and minerals to the newly formed body when it shrinks due to astringency. Please remember that astringency shrinks the cells at their place itself whereas bitter shrinks the entire body inwards due to reduced metabolism. Both have their plus and minus depending upon on which constitution they are used.

The nutrition in the living beings roams around in the body through the fluids only i.e. blood and other interstitial fluids like lymphatic fluids and other inter-intracellular fluid. So, what will happen, when we consume such foods (bitter) during these four months? This will further drop down the rasa towards the core/lower body which has as such gone inwards due to sudden temperature drop. As a result, it starts feeding the lower body much more than the upper. This causes an imbalance (Vata imbalance). The result is that upper body especially brain remains more hungry (than the lower body) causing excess vata/hollowness in the brain and other upper chakras (prana vata becomes more in Ayurvedic language). This subconsciously pushes one to consume heavier and sweeter foods to provide more dense nutrition in the limited blood flow in upper part of the body including brain thereby narrowing our blood vessels and also thickening the blood (arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis in medical terms respectively) and pushing more pressure on the heart.

The person also begins to consume more sour foods which swell the cells and push fat into them thereby putting on a paunch/belly. Thus, excess Vata (hollowness) in the upper body pushes Kapha in the lower including swelling of Kapha (pseudokapha). In absence of understanding of this phenomenon, we start exercising thinking that this will reduce belly fat. However, exercise cannot reduce this imbalance. Instead, it will increase blood circulation (speed which is Pitta in Ayurvedic terms) and put more pressure on the heart due to narrowed blood vessels and thick blood. In other words, wrong food/lifestyle cannot be undone by exercises. Instead, it will be counterproductive which is why many gymnasium freaks develop heart disease and at times suddenly collapse.

The Cure

The reversal of any disease in true sense can be achieved only by doing exactly opposite of what has caused it. Hence such people to begin with should consume less bitter (especially in rainy season) and less sour in summers when sourness is as such high due to heat which increases acidity and thus sourness.  Even red color in food/clothes should be avoided as it pushes more pungency. Hence red chillies, tomatoes should be totally avoided. Consuming green chillies with red coloured foods will also have the same effect. One should also avoid heavy and fried foods. Abstinence from such spicy (Pungent), red, sour and extremely dense/heavy foods will deflate (constrict) cells of the body including blood cells and thus undo atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis thereby reducing load on the heart.

Another important thing that the native would need to do is to push rasa in upper parts of the body with the help of asanas/kriyas like moolbandha asana, Udyan bandha. This should be followed by light mantras like udgeet (silently recited AUM) to create new channels in the newly pushed rasa and readjusted rasa in the entire body. Bhastrika and kapalbhati should be avoided in such cases as it will further weaken the heart. Even mountain pose will help. The native would need to eat a very balanced diet full of vitamins and minerals. They may also need to take more than usual vitamins and supplements as an imbalanced body needs more of them while regaining balance. Bitter should be avoided unless one is experiencing acidity/burning in stomach (please remember that acid reflux is because of blockage in the stomach which pushes acid in the upper tract instead of releasing it through stools, thus bitter foods will not help here instead foods like ginger etc will that will dissolve fat in the stomach which is blocking acid. This also means that acid reflux and acidity/burning in stomach are opposite phenomenon and need opposite strategies).

*** On the other hand, people with high Pitta/acidity/burning in the stomach will need opposite strategies as strong fire in stomach tends to push kapha/digested food of such people in the upper body and also peripherals i.e. brain. However, burning in the stomach is also an indication that tissues are lesser than heat which is why flame is flickering and expansive. This means that such an agni (digestive fire) will create excess gaps/hollowness (Vata) in the body thereby making them high on VP (Pitta moving quickly through outward channels). This also means that such people will have a weaker core even though they will have a wider approach to life due to expanded consciousness (more inter-neural circuits in the body). Such people would need cooling bitters like coriander, cucumber, non-spicy (non-pungent), nourishing foods that keep the fire inwards. Of course, such people would need warm/hot and nourishing foods to provide strength and energy to the core however hot should be zero or very less on pungency (mars) and instead should be high on bitterness like mint/betel leaf etc. so that heat remains more towards the core and pungency does not cause it to travel outside which will otherwise weaken the core by reducing nutrition from there. Such people would also need to perform asanas that push rasa towards core like bhujangasana and naukasana and then perform light udgeet pranayama to create new circuits inside the newly adjusted rasa in the body.

*** This explains that how important is Agni of the stomach as it determines that how food will spread in the food (whether it will remain inwards like first category people who are high on Kapha in stomach or it will push outwards and create Vata like it happens in pitta people. This is the reason that fifth house is considered so important in Astrology as it indicates the make of Agni of the stomach (digestive fire/Jatharagni).

 *** This also means that traditions (like that of avoiding bitter during four months starting the rainy season) are more of a thumb rule however if everyone follows them right from the beginning, the world can become a beautiful place to live and we shall not accumulate doshas at all.

*** Ideally Asanas should be performed under the morning Sun (may be noon one in winters), as Sun creates Vitamin D which metabolises calcium and deposits it (calcium) in the body in a specific way closer the heat and where rasa of the body is. If Sun is not available and vitamin D is low, then one should consume it and perform asanas so that Vitamin D pushes calcium where Rasa is thereby creating permanent channels and their direction as intended.

*** From astrological viewpoint, the birth chart of those exhibiting phenomenon where high Vata in upper body is pushing excess Kapha will show Rahu in the upper body and obviously Ketu in lower. Such people will have Jupiter and moon in lower chakras/houses indicating expansion (deposition of fat in lower body). If their metabolism is too high (i.e.  Mars), then their VP will be very high and thus such people will have a very unsettled mind. Their high VP may not show paunch but they will be high on metabolism. Please also note that there are many other astrological factors that govern one’s constitution however this brief note is to explain the logic behind this health issue.