Children and Ayurveda

My Niece- Sydney Boyd

This Sunday I attended a very sweet and inspiring lecture at my Alma Mater, Vedika Global. The topic was on Children's Health and Ayurveda. I left feeling the strong desire to share this invaluable information with the world, and thanks to the internet and your help in spreading the word, I feel very grateful to be able to manifest that desire and make this ancient knowledge more accessible. 

According to Ayurveda, children have a natural predominancy of Kapha Dosha until they are at least  20 years old (some ancient texts say up to 30 years old). Healthy Kapha is necessary for healthy growth and development, however if the Kapha is poor in quality, or too much in quantity, disease can occur. Excess Kapha can lead to the formation of toxins in the body and this creates a swampy environment that acts as a lovely host for unwanted bacteria and virus's  and can also lead to digestive issues such as poor appetite, indigestion, obesity and skin issues such as eczema. 

 When there is an excess of kapha and/or toxins in the body, there will naturally be less hunger. If your child is not hungry, their natural internal regulation system may be taking over. All children are different, some need more food and some need less. If you have a picky eater, I would suggest allowing your child to let your child get slightly hungry before chasing them around with a spoonful of their food favorite food just so they eat something.  Also, when they are hungry they are more likely to enjoy new foods that they might not try otherwise. It's perfectly okay for your child to get a little bit hungry. If we keep feeding our children snack after snack without allowing the previous meal to digest, we are not letting their digestive fire complete it's job. It's like adding wet logs on a dying flame. I would recommend having your child eat 3 square meals a day. If they are hungry in between, try offering them a healthy light snack such as seasonal fruit or a rice cake. 

Another wonderful thing you can do to help boost your child's health is to oil them up! Warmed unrefined sesame oil is wonderful for improving digestion, circulation, metabolism and immunity, and decreasing stress. It is recommended to oil them all over their entire body before bath time at least once a week. This is a wonderful way for you to connect to your children and spend some extra time loving them up!

Here are some common ailments that children suffer from, and home remedies you can give them to help.

1. Tummy ache- Bishops weed (ajwain seed) and Cumin with warm water or mixed with honey.

2. Constipation- 1 teaspoon of Ghee at night or 10-15 raisins or dates.

3. Gas/Bloating- Mix 1 pinch of Asafetida (also known as hing) with a spoonfull of ghee and rub around the belly area in circular motions. Try a small test patch on the arm first to make sure the skin does not react.  (If your child has extremely sensitive skin there is a possibility of redness or rash occurring)

4. Cold/Allergies - 1 teaspoon of Raw Honey with Turmeric and Black pepper mixed in.

Thank you to the speakers at Sunday's event,  Shunya Pratichi Mathur, Dr. Abhijit Jinde, and Dr. Sanjay Kadlimatti. Most of this post has been inspired by their lecture. 

It is my true pleasure and deepest joy to share this knowledge. If you haven't yet done so, please become a fan of my facebook page, and feel free to share this blog with friends and family that might benefit.  If you want to know what foods would be best for your child, and what they should avoid, please click HERE to schedule a free consultation. 

Love and Light,
Brittany Barrett

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