Summers are in, and so our craving for consuming cold foods and drinks arises. Amongst all foods, the best and first option which comes into people’s minds is our age-old Dahi or curd. All health-conscious ones, pregnant or lactating mothers, elderly or young, especially kids drool over curd and its products. It is a staple food to every Indian kitchen and people.
Curd has immense benefits for health:
1) It’s a natural probiotic source that contains a huge quantity of good and live bacteria, which not only aids in digestion but also makes it subtle to consume in periods where people suffer from diarrhea or stomach upset.
2) It is great for Immunity as the live bacteria present in it fights off the infection-causing germs. It keeps our intestines safe and healthy.
3) Great for bones, as a cup of curd contains nearly 275 mg of calcium, which not only helps in maintaining bone strength but also gives density to them.
4) Good for Weight loss. Low in calories, low in fats, good in calcium and protein, curd makes itself best for people to consume it every day!
5) Improves Skin and Hair. The moisturizing effect of curd works best for healthy skin and even for hair related problems.
Curd or Dahi has many other benefits over human health some of which we know and some are yet to be known. But can we consume curd at night? A lot of Indian people are found saying that one should not consume it after sunsets. But what could be the possible reason?
Let’s find out what Ayurveda has to say.
Ayurveda says one should not consume curd (Dahi) at night as it leads to mucus formation. Basically, our body is regulated by 3 doshas which are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, which gets affected by what we eat, when we eat and how we eat. According to the Ayurvedic concept, Kapha Dosha in our body increases at night, and Curd increases Kapha and Pitta while pacifying Vata. If already Kapha is increasing in the night time, then further eating something that triggers or aggravates Kapha gets it even worse. This is even lethal for people who suffer from cold, cough, asthma, or feel suffocated easily and frequent fever.
An imbalance in Kapha and Pitta doshas causes joint pain, skin-related disorders, inflammation and swelling, depression, lethargy, drowsiness, congestion in sinuses, cold and cough, indigestion, and muscle spasms.
Secondly, Curd has hot potency and is heavy to digest, therefore when consumed at night it interferes with sleep, as an extra amount of energy is required by the body to digest it.
Few Tips while Consuming Curd in the daytime:
- Never take hot curd.
- Always watch your portion size.
- If because of any health issue you have to avoid curd, then go for buttermilk instead.
- Add digestive herbs while eating curd-like roasted cumin, black pepper, fenugreek powder etc.
Can we mix fruits and nuts too italong with honey in curd.