Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care. (Buddha)
YOGIC DIET
One of the by products of practicing yoga is an instinctive desire to complement the good you are doing to your body with better diet.
A yogi eats to live, rather than living to eat. This doesn’t mean however, that your food has to be bland and boring! Yogic food is delicious, satisfying and full of nutrients. The diet is balanced and vegetarian, providing all the nutrients you need to maintain health; it increases life, purity, strength, health, joy and cheerfulness, promotes peacefulness and reduces stress.
Yogis believe all food have one of three qualities, or gunas: sattvic (pure), rajasic (over–stimulating) and tamastic (putrified). These foods affect levels of mental and spiritual purity, therefore good yogis eat mainly sattvic food, occasionally dipping into rajasic for a quick energy blast. The attitude of the person preparing the food is important as well, as the mood of the cook permeates the food!
SATTVIC FOODS:
Should be fresh and natural as possible, preferably organic, GM-free with no artificial flavouring or preservatives. It consists of fresh, seasonal fruit, vegetables and herbs, pulses, nuts and seeds, an exotic variety of grains like corn, barley, wheat, brown rice, oats, millet and quinoa and a moderate amount of dairy products – assembled together in a simple and creative way for optimum health.
Fruit and vegetables contain an abundance of minerals, vitamins and other supernutrients. Grains supply carbohydrates, vital for energy and amino acids needed for your body to function properly; while legumes contain essential protein and iron for your body. Pulses, nuts and seeds provide the building blocks of the body. Sunflower seeds and oil are also two of the best sources of vitamin E (other seeds, nuts and avocados are also good). Linseeds, pumpkin seeds and walnuts are also great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, which can help protect against heart disease. Many nuts and seeds also contain Omega-6, which helps to keep skin and blood healthy and reduce pre-menstrual symptoms. Brazil nuts are exceptionally high in magnesium and selenium, which protects against heart disease and cancer. Dairy products – choose organic milk, butter, vegetarian cheeses (that are not too high in fat) and calcium-rich yogurt. Unsweetened soymilk and protein rich tofu make great alternatives.
RAJASIC FOODS:
Food that cause stress and restlessness – chillies, garlic, onions, and stimulants such as tea, coffee and tobacco, as well as bitter, saline or very hot foods are rajasic. Arguing at the dinner table and eating on the run also turns sattvic foods rajasic!!
TAMASIC FOODS:
Avoid this group of stale, tasteless, putrid, rotten and impure foods that create dullness, lethargy and inertia. Meat, fish, eggs (although high in protein, iron and omega-3, yogis suggest sattvic substitutes), alcohol, mushrooms (because they grow without the sun’s energy), vinegar, white sugar and frozen and processed food are all tamasic. Honey becomes tamasic (poisonous) when heated. A sattvic meal becomes tamasic if reheated the next day or frozen, and overeating also turns sattvic food tamasic.
THE CASE FOR VEGETARIANISM:
Yogic diet is especially important if we want to elevate our consciousness to the stage where we’re feeling love and compassion for all living beings – including animals. Yogis believe that the fear of death permeate every cell the body of an animal when it is slaughtered, and therefore, it will indirectly have an influence over our physical, mental and emotional well being!
Furthermore, modern research has shown that vegetarians are generally in better health than meat eaters. Proteins that can be obtain from nuts, dairy products and legumes are generally of a better quality than meat.
NUTRITION ACCORDING TO AYURVEDA:
Another important point to consider is how any particular diet suits an individual's particular constitution and circumstances. Ayurveda, the classic system of Indian medicine, classifies people, as well as food into three categories according to their nature. These three doshas (categories) are Pitta (hot and oily), Vata (dry and light) and Kapha (cold and moist) and in Ayurveda, the individual's diet should be tailored to his/hers constitution to keep the doshas in balance. Some foods which are recommended for a particular Ayurvedic constitution may not be suitable for another.
One of the by products of practicing yoga is an instinctive desire to complement the good you are doing to your body with better diet.
A yogi eats to live, rather than living to eat. This doesn’t mean however, that your food has to be bland and boring! Yogic food is delicious, satisfying and full of nutrients. The diet is balanced and vegetarian, providing all the nutrients you need to maintain health; it increases life, purity, strength, health, joy and cheerfulness, promotes peacefulness and reduces stress.
Yogis believe all food have one of three qualities, or gunas: sattvic (pure), rajasic (over–stimulating) and tamastic (putrified). These foods affect levels of mental and spiritual purity, therefore good yogis eat mainly sattvic food, occasionally dipping into rajasic for a quick energy blast. The attitude of the person preparing the food is important as well, as the mood of the cook permeates the food!
SATTVIC FOODS:
Should be fresh and natural as possible, preferably organic, GM-free with no artificial flavouring or preservatives. It consists of fresh, seasonal fruit, vegetables and herbs, pulses, nuts and seeds, an exotic variety of grains like corn, barley, wheat, brown rice, oats, millet and quinoa and a moderate amount of dairy products – assembled together in a simple and creative way for optimum health.
Fruit and vegetables contain an abundance of minerals, vitamins and other supernutrients. Grains supply carbohydrates, vital for energy and amino acids needed for your body to function properly; while legumes contain essential protein and iron for your body. Pulses, nuts and seeds provide the building blocks of the body. Sunflower seeds and oil are also two of the best sources of vitamin E (other seeds, nuts and avocados are also good). Linseeds, pumpkin seeds and walnuts are also great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, which can help protect against heart disease. Many nuts and seeds also contain Omega-6, which helps to keep skin and blood healthy and reduce pre-menstrual symptoms. Brazil nuts are exceptionally high in magnesium and selenium, which protects against heart disease and cancer. Dairy products – choose organic milk, butter, vegetarian cheeses (that are not too high in fat) and calcium-rich yogurt. Unsweetened soymilk and protein rich tofu make great alternatives.
RAJASIC FOODS:
Food that cause stress and restlessness – chillies, garlic, onions, and stimulants such as tea, coffee and tobacco, as well as bitter, saline or very hot foods are rajasic. Arguing at the dinner table and eating on the run also turns sattvic foods rajasic!!
TAMASIC FOODS:
Avoid this group of stale, tasteless, putrid, rotten and impure foods that create dullness, lethargy and inertia. Meat, fish, eggs (although high in protein, iron and omega-3, yogis suggest sattvic substitutes), alcohol, mushrooms (because they grow without the sun’s energy), vinegar, white sugar and frozen and processed food are all tamasic. Honey becomes tamasic (poisonous) when heated. A sattvic meal becomes tamasic if reheated the next day or frozen, and overeating also turns sattvic food tamasic.
THE CASE FOR VEGETARIANISM:
Yogic diet is especially important if we want to elevate our consciousness to the stage where we’re feeling love and compassion for all living beings – including animals. Yogis believe that the fear of death permeate every cell the body of an animal when it is slaughtered, and therefore, it will indirectly have an influence over our physical, mental and emotional well being!
Furthermore, modern research has shown that vegetarians are generally in better health than meat eaters. Proteins that can be obtain from nuts, dairy products and legumes are generally of a better quality than meat.
NUTRITION ACCORDING TO AYURVEDA:
Another important point to consider is how any particular diet suits an individual's particular constitution and circumstances. Ayurveda, the classic system of Indian medicine, classifies people, as well as food into three categories according to their nature. These three doshas (categories) are Pitta (hot and oily), Vata (dry and light) and Kapha (cold and moist) and in Ayurveda, the individual's diet should be tailored to his/hers constitution to keep the doshas in balance. Some foods which are recommended for a particular Ayurvedic constitution may not be suitable for another.