Food is Medicine Part 2: Ama

Missed Part 1? Read it here.

Strong agni supports health by building the tissues of the body and boosting vitality and vigor (ojas). Agni turns the food we eat into the ahara rasa, or the juice of life. The quality of the ahara rasa is vital because it is this juice that nourishes and builds the organs, muscles, blood, and other tissues and creates ojas. If agni is not strong and consistent, then instead of building strong dhatus (tissues) and ojas (vitality), we will build ama. 

Ama is translated to mean undigested or raw. We can think of it as unmetabolized food that cannot be used to build healthy tissues. The accumulation of ama further dampens agni by blocking the energy channels and causing stagnation. When we have ama accumulation, it means that we are not able to turn the food we are eating into energy our body can use.

Ama has the opposite qualities of agni. Agni is hot, sharp, light, dry, subtle, clear, spreading, and fragrant. Ama is cold, dull, heavy, oily, gross, sticky, stagnant, and foul. Ama gunks up the channels in the body, prevents the flow of prana, and is the root cause of disease. 

One of the things I love about Ayurveda is that it intervenes before an issue progresses to a disease state. By practicing mindfulness, you can learn to notice the early signs that something is off, and take steps to correct course and prevent it from becoming a bigger issue down the line. Below are some of the early warning signs that something is off:

Signs of ama accumulation

• Clogged channels (think sinus congestion, swelling, constipation, cysts)

• Fatigue, dullness

• Heaviness, weight gain

• Obstruction of prana [which can result in excess energy moving upward (e.g. heartburn) or excess energy moving downward (e.g. diarrhea)]

• Indigestion, gas, bloating, constipation

• Sticky, stinky stools, mucus in stools

• Signs of malabsorption

• Stagnation 

• Low appetite, nausea

• Fogginess and lack of clarity

• Impaired memory and concentration

• Low libido

• White, yellow, or other colored coating on the tongue

• Joint pain and stiffness

Diseases that can result from ama accumulation

• Atherosclerosis 

• High blood sugar, diabetes

• Rheumatological diseases

• Bacteria overgrowths and infections (helicopylori bacteria, candida, cibo, leaky gut)

• High red blood cells and platelet counts

• Gout

• Gall and kidney stones

• Increased liver enzymes

• Glaucoma

• Fevers 

• Tumors 

What causes ama accumulation?

• Low agni

• Overeating, emotional eating, eating when not hungry, or eating at irregular intervals

• Eating before the previous meal has been digested (which takes 4 - 6 hours)

• Eating while standing up, walking, driving, working, or watching TV

• Sleeping before your food has been digested

• Eating foods that are not seasonal

• Eating foods that are not appropriate for your constitution

• Eating an excess of heavy, fried, processed, and/or sugary foods

• Eating excess amounts of cold or raw foods, especially during the cold seasons

• Eating an excess of sweet, sour, or salty tastes

• High stress

• Repressed or unresolved emotions

• Lack of sleep

• Lack of routine and rhythm to the day

• Excessive or inadequate exercise

The good news is that we each have the power to build agni and reduce ama with simple, accessible tools. One of the beautiful things about Ayurveda is that we can use food as medicine and make simple shifts in our daily routine to intervene before imbalance turns into serious illness. When we think of food as medicine, then we can learn to make choices that are truly nourishing. A good place to start is by looking at your relationship with your food and applying a mindful, yogic approach to preparing, eating, and digesting your food so as to get the biggest pranic benefit. Through Ayurveda, you can learn to read your body’s signs and to give yourself exactly what you need to heal yourself.

If you are interested in applying a yogic lens to digestion and nutrition, and want to use an integrative approach to healing, I’d love to work with you. This approach can be especially helpful for people recovering from injuries as the quality of the digestive fire directly impacts the ability to repair injured tissues. Book an integrative health session with me today.

With love and support,

Rachel

PS - I’ve been sharing simple recipes using spices and food as medicine to improve the digestive fire and decrease ama in my newsletter. If you haven’t already, scroll to the bottom of this page and subscribe to my newsletter!

PPS- The nervous system and metabolism are directly connected. Stay tuned for more in the Food is Medicine series.