Fermented foods carry probiotics that restore gut bacteria, ease gas and improve digestion. Curd, buttermilk, dhokla and mild pickles taken in small amounts by day keep the stomach light.
Sprouted methi loses its bitterness and eases gas and blood sugar — a spoon of sprouts with warm water in the morning.
Traditional
CautionTaken with diabetes medicine it can push the sugar too low — keep checking. Not in pregnancy — it stimulates the uterus. Not with blood thinners either.
अंकुरित जौ · Sprouted barley
Sprouted barley is cooling and light on the gut — boil into a thin porridge to soothe acidity and aid digestion.
Traditional
अंकुरित ज्वार · Sprouted sorghum
Sprouted jowar is gluten-free and light — dry, grind and mix into rotis or porridge for easy digestion.
Traditional
ढोकला · Dhokla
Steamed fermented gram-flour cake — light, spongy and gentle on digestion. The fermentation makes the besan far easier to absorb.
Traditional
खमन · Khaman
Soft yellow steamed cake of fermented gram flour — a light protein-rich snack that sits easy on the gut.
Traditional
हांडवो · Handvo
A baked savoury cake of fermented rice-dal batter with bottle gourd — nourishing, fibre-rich and easy to digest.
Traditional
दही · Curd (yogurt)
Fresh home-set curd is full of probiotics that heal the gut — eat by day, at room temperature, never at night or heated.
Traditional
छाछ · Buttermilk
Thin spiced buttermilk with cumin and black salt after a meal settles digestion and cools the gut — the finest digestive in Ayurveda.
Traditional
लस्सी · Lassi
Sweet or salted churned curd drink — cooling and probiotic; take at midday, not with a heavy dinner.
Traditional
कढ़ी · Kadhi
Simmered curd-and-gram-flour curry — the mild fermentation of the sour curd base is gentle and warming for the gut.
Traditional
घर का अचार · Home pickle
A little sun-fermented pickle awakens appetite and adds good bacteria — a small piece with a meal, not a heap.
Traditional
नींबू अचार · Lemon pickle
Salt-cured lemon pickle matured in the sun aids digestion and carries vitamin C — a classic with dal-rice.
Traditional
सिनकी · Sinki
Fermented radish root, dried and cooked into a sour soup — a traditional gut tonic from the hills.
Traditional
दही वड़ा · Dahi vada
Soft urad-dal dumplings soaked in whisked curd — the ferment of the dal plus probiotic curd make it lighter than it looks.
Traditional
On this page Documented — There are human studies behind this ingredient for this particular complaint. Traditional — Carried by tradition and experience; modern evidence for this particular complaint is limited.
All of this is what others have found — tradition, shared experience and the studies done so far. It is not advice given to any one person. Before changing your diet, and especially if you take any medicine, ask your dietician or doctor.
Naturopathy
Take curd and buttermilk by day at room temperature — never at night, never heated.
A glass of spiced buttermilk after a meal is the finest and safest digestive.
Bhojanveda
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