Yoga advocates a holistic approach to our way of living. It follows five principles such as proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet and meditation. It’s essential to draw out a healthy and wholesome diet plan which complements our body and mind while involved in yoga routines.
In order to better understand yogic approach to diet, a yoga practitioner must first familiarize with the three Gunas or qualities of nature. In general, yoga practitioners adopt a lacto-vegetarian diet. They are well aware of the fact that food rich in life energy or ‘Prana’ is highly vital for the body.
Here are a few pointers summarized from several online nutrition programs:
1. Fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and grains occupy the top strata of the ‘food chain’ or ‘food cycle’. They contain essential nutrients in varying proportions and are easy to digest, adding more value to the body’s metabolism.
2. Dairy products, legumes, nuts and seeds provide vegetarians with an adequate supply of protein.
3. Yogis recommend plenty of sun foods, ground foods and earth food to be included in yogic diet.
– Sun foods are mostly fruits that grow more than 3 feet above the ground and absorb maximum energy from the sun.
– Ground foods like rice, beans and leafy vegetables grow within 3 feet above the ground and are rich in fibre content and nutritive value.
– Earth foods like onion, garlic and ginger grow below the ground level and are used as ancient forms of medicine due to their healing properties.
4. It’s quite helpful for a yoga practitioner to maintain a diet journal wherein you make note of everything you eat on a daily basis. This will ultimately help you make better decisions on where you going astray and how you can plan your diet healthier.
Yoga for beginners encourages a gradual change in dieting habits. It guides beginners to substitute meat products with larger portions of vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts until eventually they move towards a strict vegetarian diet.
Most online diet programs are devised out of yogic diet that helps you gain strength, endurance and flexibility while staying in shape. In yogic practices, food is considered as an integral part of body-mind building. It’s broadly classified into Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic food and each type of food caters to different need of a person.
* Sattvic food gives clarity and lightness. It includes most fruits and vegetables, sun foods and ground foods.
* Rajasic food instils forcefulness and will-power. Herbs, spices and most of the earth foods are rajasic in nature.
* Tamasic food must be avoided or included in moderate amounts in a healthy diet according to Vedic scriptures. It promotes sluggish behaviour, disrupting the immune system of the body. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, alcohol and intoxicating drugs belong to this food category.
Most of the times it becomes difficult to maintain a balanced diet owing to work schedules, travel, exposure to stress and pollution. This leads to loss of appetite, chronic indigestion and other health problems. A healthy and balanced diet helps cleanse the body, remove toxins and promotes a healthy lifestyle.
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