Lose the Weight, Part II

So now you've dedicated yourself to losing weight and getting fit. You're watching your caloric intake with a fancy app on your phone, and you're practicing yoga asanas and walking daily. It's helping, but you still can't seem to shed the last few pounds. Here's a health tip for you: unless you address your digestion, those pounds will not go away permanently. In this article, I'll give you the ayurvedic supplement that will help you cleanse your digestive system and get rid of that nagging, bulging-but-not-budging, belly fat.

In last week's Wednesday night yoga class, we talked about the ideal yogic diet and nutrition. Part of the lecture was on proper food combining and how certain foods, when eaten together, create havoc inside our stomachs causing indigestion, gas, bloating, and most notably - aama or toxins. When this happens over and over, meaning meal after meal we combine incompatible foods, aama increases to the point where the toxins are released to other parts of the body, ultimately causing disease. A poorly functioning digestive system means you’re unlikely to be getting much nutrition from the food you eat. This tends to stimulate hunger, as the body tries again and again to get the nutrition it needs, leading to weight gain as well as general tiredness and the feeling of being run down. I'll write a separate article on food combining later but for now just know that part of our stubborn fat comes from undigested food particles that are trapped inside our intestines as compacted waste matter, accumulated over time.

So what can we do about this? One is to adopt an optimal diet for your specific body type (or dosha) and second is to eat simple meals, and avoid mixing different food groups together. For example, never mix fruit with dairy. (Ayurveda states that one of the worst food combinations is milk and bananas...)

And the third thing to do is to start taking the Ayurvedic formula called Triphala to cleanse your digestive system, remove the trapped waste matter, clear your intestines, and increase your ability to absorb nutrients thus shedding the stagnant body fat and reducing hunger. While triphala has a long list of amazing benefits (in fact, it's now considered a superfood), in this article I highlight it's effectiveness specifically for weight loss.

After a few weeks of taking triphala, you'll notice many changes. The first and most noticeable is a decrease in belly fat - losing an inch or two around the waist and dropping 3 to 5 pounds effortlessly. This is because triphala actively works to clear out the junk from your digestive system, particularly the colon. (Some studies have even shown people who regularly took triphala lost 10 pounds or more. I just don't want you to get too excited here.) You'll see a visibly flatter belly and feel lighter due to improved elimination in the mornings. You'll also experience less hunger, less cravings (especially for sweets), and more energy (meaning more calories burned).

How to Take Triphala for Weight Loss

1. Purchase a high quality Triphala Churna (powder). It's important to get the powder as capsules and tablets are not as effective for this purpose.

2. Add a teaspoon of powder to a cup of warm water and stir. Do not add any other ingredient. Let sit for an hour or longer. (Can increase to two teaspoons after your body adjusts.)

3. Before bed, and at least two hours after dinner, drink the churna water. (Don't think - just drink! Taste will become more palatable over time.)

4. For extra strength, you can leave a churna mixture overnight and drink again upon waking (or an hour after breakfast if it upsets your stomach). Do not exceed 12 grams in a day.

Triphala is NOT a laxative. It is non-habit forming. It is composed of three ingredients - dried fruits of amalaki, bibitaki, and haritaki. It has incredible body cleansing and rejuvenating properties. It may cause loose stools in some people when taking the first time. If this happens, take the mixture after a meal, not on empty stomach. Those with IBS, IBD, gastric ulcer, hyperacidity and heartburn should avoid taking triphala until their digestion is back in correct balance.

Triphala is excellent as a blood cleanser, for strengthening the eyes, for the skin, for hair growth, for liver and kidney cleansing, and so much more. I'll have to dedicate another article on all the benefits of triphala, so stay tuned!

Hari OM