Let me say this as loud as I can. A LOT of health food trends are based in Ayurveda. Yes, you read that right. Let's dive into the whole foods trend, and why it's one that I'm able to get behind. Here's why. 

Digesting food from an Ayurvedic perspective actually takes a lot of effort and work. Eating has become such a random act and just a "to-do" in our life, that we've sort of taken it for granted. And even if we get digestive discomfort, unless it's really bad, we often pay no heed to it. 

But in Ayurveda, what we eat AND how it digests is so key to our whole health, vitality, and ultimately the joy and bliss we feel. 

Gut health. It sure has become quite the hot topic amongst wellness influencers. But honestly, Ayurveda has been talking about this for thousands of years. The phrase "you are what you eat" isn't really a random thing to say. Everything that we put into our body is hopefully absorbed in a meaningful and useful way for the body. And all of that actually starts with digestion. 

Understanding how our digestion is Ayurveda 101. As much as we've been trained to think that gas and bloating is somewhat normal--just take gas-x, heart burn is a byproduct of the food we eat--take a tums, feeling sleepy after eating--just take a nap. None of these are actually normal. It's a tell-tale sign that our digestive capacity isn't where it needs to be, and we're not actually digesting (meaning breaking down and assimilating the food) into our bodies in a way that actually nourishes. This tends to be the starting point of poor bowel movements or lack thereof, various other gut issues, and a disturbance in our gut microbiome. 

In this series, I want to breakdown what is healthy and what isn't, what is appropriate and what isn't, and what does our body need and what it doesn't. Because, honestly, we've all fallen to the whims of a one-size-fits-all method of looking at our health, and that unfortunately is just not the way our bodies work. We are a unique and beautiful combination and permutation of so much--the 5 elements, different qualities, our genes, plus plus plus--and if we look at our digestive health and just take some probiotics and call it a day, well, we've missed the mark on what is actually good for us. So, what is agni?

I'm not sure why I felt so compelled to start this, but I thought it would be so fun to share what is on my Thanksgiving menu this year. It's been a while since we've actually had a Thanksgiving meal on the day of. Usually we're traveling somewhere and piece-mealing grilled cheeses together (also a beautiful family tradition of ours)! But if you know me at all, you know how much I love to host and more important love to feed folks, so here is what's happening in the Shah household in a few days, and my overall game plan!