Is it true that we drinking water on a fully empty stomach first thing in the morning, before breakfast, will improve your health by reducing bloating, flushing out toxins, cleansing your colon and activating your bowels? Is it true that it will increase your appetite? That it can prevent headaches? Reduce bad breath? The SVA answer is “no, not at all!”
But why?
- We need Samagni – balanced agni or metabolic fire – in the stomach, to have balanced digestion. The agni in the stomach is called “pachag agni,” from the verb “pachan” to cook. It “cooks” the food we ingest. If we pour a glass of water on our digestive fire first thing in the morning, all we are doing is putting out the fire. In order to have balanced digestion which results in proper elimination, we need to re-awaken, gently re-ignite the digestive fire after the hours of nightly sleep. Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning is the opposite action and will result in putting out.
2) The stomach is not just a receptacles where food and liquids get churned and go through. It is a highly sophisticated organ where 3 different cosmic principles are in action 24/7. These are called “sub-doshas.” The subdoshas are an expression of the the cosmic creative powers of Soma, Agni, and Marut in our physiology. Each subdosha fulfills a different function in the following manner:
-
- Samana Vata – an expression of Marut – provides mobility for the food to be churned
- Pachak Agni – an expression of Agni – breaks down and processes the food
- Kledak Kapha – an expression of Soma – lubricates and moisturizes the stomach environment
When the subdoshas are in balance, in their optimal state, not stuck, or hindered, they then create a “perfect” digestive environment where there is a state of “samagni” – balanced digestive agni, or digestive fire. This is the state where you feel hungry, then you eat a proper nourishing meal, and you feel satiated after digesting. When you have samagni, you don’t experience lack of appetite, or excessive appetite, sour or acid stomach, or bloating, gas, or heaviness, after eating.
As you’ve guessed by now, in order to maintain a state of digestive samagni, there are a few things one should and should NOT do, because keeping your digestive fire in balance is important for your overall health.
Total health starts in your stomach. So if your digestive is sluggish, this is when you have a low metabolic fire (mandagni) then you experience little or no appetite; if your digestive fire is too high (tikshnagni) then you will overeat – in the sense of not even being able to stop even after eating a full meal. If you feel sometimes very hungry and other times not hungry at all, when you should actually be hungry, then you have what is called vishmagni (erratic digestive agni).
So what should you do before breakfast? Whether you wake up hungry, or thirsty, or feeling not hungry at all, Vaidya Mishra’s “one size fits all” SVA delicious recipe is stewed fruits steamed/cooked with 1-2 cloves. You can make this fresh early in the morning, or peel and slice an apple and pear, one or either, add a little water, 1-2 cloves, in your slow cooker, and let is stew overnight. You can add 1/4 or 1/8 stick of cinnamon. In the morning, before you drink or eat anything, enjoy your stewed fruits.
This stewed fruit recipe is balanced in its Soma, Agni, and Marut properties. It has enough of each in a perfect ratio to gently re-ignite your 
digestive fire after a night of sleep. In addition, if you have an imbalance, it will correct it! It is the best way to start your day. After your morning stewed fruits, you can have your regular breakfast, whether its your oats, or your high protein meal. You can also have your stewed fruits before your yogic or morning prayers, as it is light enough not to interfere with your practice.
If you feel you are still thirsty after having your stewed fruit, add a little extra water while cooking it and sip on that juice while eating the fruits, as it is not a good idea to drink water with your stewed fruits, or any fruits for that matter. To your health!
Read more on Vaidya’s blog: https://www.svayurveda.com/?s=stewed+apple
Explore Vaidya’s full line of unique ayurvedic formulations to support stomach Samagni –
As Apple is American…what fruit will Kerala people eat…