Following a light diet is everyone’s to-do thing in life, especially when binge-eating, gluttony, and stress-eating have become youth’s guilty pleasures. Overexposure to non-healthy ways of living and a rapid addiction to high-cal foods is a slippery slope. With fast food joints brimming in almost every corner of the streets, one is always looking for ways to feel light after eating too much. Light yet fulfilling food choices are what will separate us from falling into the pit of common unhealthy eating practices, leading to long-term health issues.

Health Shots spoke to Ayurveda expert Vikas Chawla, who rolled out various methods one can incorporate in their diet routine to feel full but light too after meals.

Chawla says, “Ayurveda has, since time immemorial, propagated that we should practice restraint in our food choices and choose healthy and nutritious dietary options which strengthen our internal defence mechanism and protect us from diseases. There are healthy and plausible ways of keeping your stomach full and still feel light after eating, even in the age of extreme and disastrous diet regimes.”

Here are 6 Ayurvedic ways to feel light after eating a full meals:

1. Include 6 Rasa

“Follow the Ayurvedic diet, a wholesome, salubrious diet plan that does not require you to abnegate any desirable food but encourages you to practice mindful eating that is feasible for everyone. The ancient medical institution advocates the intake of 6 rasas or tastes, meaning that people should have healthy foods that are sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent, and astringent in taste. It helps to manage the doshas and regulate the body’s functioning,” says Chawla, founder and director, Vedas Cure.

2. Start the day with fruits

There is always a healthy alternative to full-fat junk food and drinks. A new day should be started with sweet and high-nutrient fruits like apples, watermelon, litchis, cherries, citrus fruits like oranges. Fruit juices, soups, and homemade detox drinks hit the nail and qualify as lighter and healthier options. Another nourishing dish is quinoa, a nutritional flowering plant-based food with enriched protein, iron, and fibre-rich components.

3. Make friends with moong

Ayurveda stresses the need to make better choices to lead a healthier and balanced life. “An Ayurvedic diet is incomplete without Moong Dal, which improves Agnimandya, the weak digestion fire. Along with anti-diabetic, anti-bacterial, and anti-tumour properties, it reforms Pitta imbalance in the body and cures hyperacidity,” says Chawla.

4. Drink lassi

Lassi is a fulfilling drink that acts as a promising agent for good heart health, immune function, losing weight, and digestion. Post-lunch, having a glass of lassi or a bowl of yoghurt once a day is good for digestion regulation and keeps the body full. People can also add cumin, ginger, and salt to increase their taste. This will help break down the food and make you feel light after eating too much.

5. Maintain gap between meals

The other important factor to keep in mind is maintaining a gap between meals. Nuts, oats, and seeds are also fulfilling foods that are healthy and efficacious at the same time. Have light food in the wee hours of the morning.

According to Chawla, “Ayurvedic literature suggests that the best time to take breakfast is between 6-10 AM in the morning, for lunch, it is 12-1 PM, whereas, for dinner, it is 6-7 PM. This is the perfect time when our digestive system works at its full potential and our Pitta dosha works in its full force.”

6. Mindful eating

Mindful eating and temperance are open secrets for wellness in life. Physical and mental health are closely intertwined. Physical wellness is largely dependent on what we eat and how to control it. One should put a plug on excessive eating as it can pose major risks and also cause plenty of problems to our mental health. Eating in moderation is an important life skill to acquire and the Ayurvedic diet helps to achieve that goal.