Have you ever given a thought on how your body digests food? We all know that we eat and then, the next morning, we poop. Well, if the body is done with what we eat in a few hours, then we must die if we don\’t eat the next meal right? Well, that\’s not quite true because, people undertake fast for a whole day once every 15 days and some people fast for several days at a time and they don\’t die. Therefore, the question arises, how does your body digest its food?
The human body is a complex system which is has been understood by the ancient Sages of Ayurveda. The say, the entire process of digestion takes about 36 days, ending with the creation of ojas—the most refined by-product of digestion. Ojas is the prime energy reserve of the body. It is said to be present in the heart in the form of ghee like liquid, measuring 8 ounces and smells like burnt rice. And it is the seat of our immune system. It protects life, gives us strength, controls our heartbeats, and maintains the balance of all of our tissues.
How does your body digest its food?
The food that we consume, goes through a process of nourishing our body. The nutrition goes through the seven tissue layers in our body, providing the nutrients to each of the tissues.
From Days 1–5: blood plasma, serum, and lymphatic fluid form
Days 6–10: new red blood cells form
Days 11–15: new muscle tissue forms
From Days 16–20: new fat tissue forms
Days 21–25: new bone tissue forms
Days 26–30: new bone marrow and nerve tissues form
From Days 31–35: new sperm and ovum form
On Day 36: Ojas forms
In Conclusion
The body is an incredible vessel, with seemingly perfect systems in place and maintains itself pretty well. Ayurveda teaches us that the process of digestion is complex, and undoubtedly crucial to our health and well-being. Learn how it works and how you can improve your digestion. And discover what you can do to keep your agni burning bright and strong.
— Dr. Mahesh Krishnamurthy
