22/07/2026
One thing Iâve always found beautiful about our traditional way of eating is how gently babies are introduced to food.
In many Indian homes, babies donât start with a bowl of dal. They begin with dal ka paaniâthe water from cooked lentils, sometimes with just a pinch of cumin and, in some families, a little salt. The digestive system is allowed to get used to it first. Only then do we slowly move on to the whole lentils.
Ayurveda has always taught us this: donât rush the body. Introduce foods gradually and let digestion adapt.
Somewhere along the way, we forget this as adults.
People suddenly start eating wheat again after years of avoiding it. Or they decide to eat lentils every day because theyâre âhealthy.â Then they end up with gas, bloating, constipation, or heaviness and conclude, âLentils donât suit me.â
Not always.
I remember one patient who told me, âKhichdi gives me so much gas.â
I asked her to bring the khichdi she was eating.
The moment I opened the container, I knew why. The lentils were still firm, the rice wasnât cooked properly, and there were barely any digestive spices. It wasnât the khichdi causing the problemâit was the way it had been cooked.
Sometimes itâs not the food. Itâs the preparation. Sometimes itâs not the ingredient. Itâs the timing. And sometimes, the body simply needs a gentler introduction.
Thatâs exactly why I started this Khichdi Series.
Weâll talk about which lentils suit whom, polished vs. unpolished, how to cook them so theyâre actually digestible, and the food, lifestyle, and herbs that support healthy digestion.
If youâre trying to heal your gutâor know someone whoâs on their own khichdi makeover journeyâsend this post to them.
Your digestion deserves patience, not punishment. đ
