87. How to Rebuild Your Digestion After Antibiotics: An Ayurvedic Recovery Protocol
Everyday Ayurveda with KateShow Notes
Antibiotics are sometimes necessary — Kate shares her own experience with a 2019 sinus infection that required treatment, and how she tracked the recovery process closely. What she learned from that experience forms the backbone of this episode.
What We Cover:
Why antibiotics kill agni (digestive fire) and what that means for your health The two-week protocol: what to do while taking antibiotics AND the critical week after Why the post-antibiotic period is more dangerous than the treatment itself One-pot healing meals: kitchari, meat stews, soups, and hot cereals Ayurvedic probiotic approaches: lassi (diluted yogurt drink) and small-batch ferments CCF tea (cumin, coriander, fennel) and ginger tea as digestive rebuilders What to avoid: cold foods, fruit mixed with dairy, heavy proteins, raw salads How to track hunger as a sign your agni is returning How this protocol applies to colonoscopy prep recovery How to apply all of this for children as well
Kate also addresses the all-important listener concern: 'Do I really have to be careful for a full week after I finish the antibiotics?' Yes, friend. And she explains exactly why — with warmth, zero judgment, and a lot of practical wisdom.
Resources mentioned:
Everyday Ayurveda cookbook by Kate O'Donnell — lassi recipe and anti-ama meals Banyan Botanicals Breathe Easy Balm (Kate's personal sinus support) Cumin, coriander, and fennel (CCF) tea Fermented vegetables: sauerkraut, kimchi, local small-batch options
For deeper support on seasonal routines, digestion, and Ayurvedic wellness, visit healwithkate.org.
Health Disclaimer: The information shared on Everyday Ayurveda with Kate is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, supplements, or wellness routine. Connect with Kate: https://www.healwithkate.orgCulinary Training in Indiahttps://ayurvedicliving.institute/ayurvedic-culinary-nutrition-trainingFall Cleansehttps://ayurvedicliving.institute/kitchari-cleanse-ayurveda-fall Ayurvedic Living Institute Membership: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/membership Women's Health Collection: https://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/collections/womens-healthhttps://courses.ayurvedicliving.institute/products/courses/copy-of-fall-community-cleanse-2024Panchakarma in India: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/panchakarma-in-indiaThanks to our Sponsors: Banyan Botanicalshttps://alnk.to/eOQb34qTriphala Support:https://alnk.to/bPhiKjx
More from Everyday Ayurveda with Kate
When the weather turns dry and cold, the bowl-of-salad habit stops working. Your digestion starts asking for food that is warm, cooked, soft, and a little moist. In this solo episode, Kate answers the question “what do I actually eat?” with the quick, repeatable go-tos she uses every fall. Kate explains why fall calls for warm and moist qualities to balance the dryness and coldness of the season, and how that dryness can show up in hair, skin, nails, thirst, and sluggish elimination. Then she gets practical: three kitchen tools, three breakfasts, a prep-ahead routine, soups, pickles, protein, and simple sides, all designed for people who like homemade food but don’t want to spend hours at the stove. What we cover
If our food isn't "full power," will we feel full power? In this conversation, Kate talks with Pat Miletich, a UFC champion, martial arts coach, and Hall of Famer whose life mission is now soil health. Pat shares how a childhood of respiratory illness set him on a lifelong search for answers, and how that search led from human performance to the soil that grows our food and our herbal medicines. Kate and Pat explore why they see soil as a living ecosystem, how they see the diversity of microbes in soil mirroring the microbiome in our gut, and why Pat believes mineral diversity in soil matters for the plants, animals, and people who depend on it. They talk about what organic and regenerative labels may leave out, what to ask the grower at your farmers market, and what you can do whether you have a backyard, a tiny plot, or no garden at all.
Are apples good for you according to Ayurveda? It depends on your digestion, and on how you prepare them. In this solo episode, Kate O'Donnell explains why apples are one of the best fall foods for cooling excess heat (pitta), why a raw, crisp apple can feel hard on a cold or sensitive gut, and how to cook apples so you get all of the medicine and none of the bloat.
Are apples good for you according to Ayurveda? It depends on your digestion, and on how you prepare them. In this solo episode, Kate O'Donnell explains why apples are one of the best fall foods for cooling excess heat (pitta), why a raw, crisp apple can feel hard on a cold or sensitive gut, and how to cook apples so you get all of the medicine and none of the bloat.
So many of you have written in asking about GLP-1s, the Ozempic class of drugs. This week Kate talks with Dr. Sheena Sooraj, chief clinical officer at Kerala Ayurveda Academy and Wellness Center, who sees clients on these medications every month. Dr. Sheena explains how GLP-1s work in the pancreas, stomach and brain, who tends to need them long term and who may be able to come off them with their doctor, and how Ayurveda supports digestion, hydration and the enjoyment of food while someone is on them. This isn't a conversation about Ayurveda versus modern medicine. It's a clinician's honest look at the pros, the cons, and where the two can work together. Stay for Kate's post-roll on the vata imbalances that can come with rapid weight loss. What We Cover