Do you know what yogis think about nutrition, how and what they eat? We will talk about this in our article.
Breakfast
Contrary to popular belief, yogis consider a hearty breakfast to be the enemy of man. This is due to the fact that from midnight to noon a person’s energy is not tuned to eating. If you still want to have breakfast, you can drink juice, herbal tea or eat some fruit. After 12 noon you can eat 2-3 times. Yogis do not eat later than 18 hours and believe that the stomach should rest between meals.
It is very important, according to yogis, in what emotional state a person prepares and eats food. Negative vibrations are absorbed by food and, instead of benefiting, will cause harm to the body. And a dish prepared in a good mood and with good thoughts will be tasty and healthy.
Meat
Yogis do not eat meat because they consider it a harmful product, both in terms of its effect on the human body and for moral and ethical reasons. Animals eat a lot of toxic substances and fertilizers along with their food. Eating meat causes rotting processes in the intestines and poisons the entire human body. Purine bases, which appear after the digestion of meat, make a person angry and irritable. In addition, meat leads to premature aging and problems with sex life.
But yogis are wise people, and realizing that it is very difficult for a Westerner to give up meat, they say that Westerners have reasons why they eat meat. The cells of Western humans, yogis believe, are genetically poisoned because for centuries our ancestors ate meat. In addition, most of us live in cold climates, and lost calories are replaced by eating meat. In addition, Western people lead a more active lifestyle, which also requires replenishing calories through meat consumption. And finally, eating meat is a habit that is difficult for many to give up. Taking all this into account, yogis believe that a Western person does not have to give up meat, but still reduce its consumption: no more than once a week. Including it in your diet large quantity eating meat will inevitably lead to serious illnesses.
Bread
Products made from flour using yeast are harmful to the body. Yeast suppresses the intestinal microflora, and this has a detrimental effect on health. Yogis bake bread at home from wholemeal flour without yeast.
If you buy bread in a store, you need to remember:
black bread is healthier than white bread;
It is better to eat bread made from wholemeal flour;
limit the consumption of bread with yeast.
An excellent way to replace bread is with sprouted wheat grains, which are extremely rich in vitamins and microelements. One to two tablespoons of grains will provide a feeling of fullness and daily norm vitamins needed by our body.
Cooking method:
Rinse the grains cold water. Place in a deep plate. Pour in cold water until the water lightly covers the grains. Cover the plate with gauze and leave room temperature for 24 hours. It should be remembered that the sprouts should not be more than 1 mm; this is the length of the sprouts that guarantees maximum benefits from their consumption.
Digestion
Yogis believe that human nutrition should be aimed solely at maintaining health and high physical and mental activity. The desire of people to enjoy food and the use of complex recipes for cooking for this purpose lead to a significant reduction in benefits and even cause harm to the human body. People forget that they are part of nature, which has taken care of ready-made food for humans. Plant food is natural, natural food for humans.
Yogi great value attach to the issue of food absorption. They believe that long, thorough chewing of food is very important and do not advise drinking while eating. Yogis see nothing wrong with eating dry food, provided that the food is chewed well. Yogis even mix liquid food first with their tongue in their mouth, and only then swallow it. They believe that this way of eating will fill the body with maximum energy.
Yogis have a nutritional motto: drink solid food (chew it thoroughly and bring it to the consistency of saliva) and chew liquid food.
Type of person and nutrition
Yogis eat simple food. When eating, they always follow the rule: in the stomach, solid food should make up 2/4, liquid 1/4, and another 1/4 should remain free. Among yoga products, special preference is given to vegetable oils, which, in their opinion, promote a clear mind and good mood.
The human body of a yogi is compared to a plant, and in order to properly feed your inner “plant”, you need to know what type the person is.
There are three types of people from the point of view of Ayurveda:
Signs of this type of person: thin body, narrow chest, thin bones, dry skin and hair. They love changes in life, think and act quickly, but also get tired quickly. These people are characterized by a constant feeling of hunger and sudden changes in mood.
PITTA type
Signs of this type of person: average build, very sensitive to the sun, hair is usually light. They attach great importance to food, and their mood depends on it. They prefer fatty foods with seasonings. They are leaders by nature and very demanding of others. Sometimes they are aggressive and overly straightforward. They do not tolerate heat well.
KAPHA type
Signs of this type of people: short stature, wide chest, oily hair, usually dark in color, prefer sweets in food. They are homebodies by nature, tolerant of others, speak little and are very thrifty.
About food that is good for yogis
One of the important rules of yoga, especially relevant for beginners, is the so-called “Mitahara”, or proper nutrition. This principle is often ignored, arguing that this is some kind of the simplest thing, such as switching to vegetarianism or simply not overeating. But the Mitahara principle is not so monosyllabic and self-evident. While all yogis can greatly benefit from limiting their consumption of meat and food in general, it is worth taking a little time to understand what was originally meant by the term Mitahara. And what, exactly, should yogis do with nutrition?
Today we have a real lecture on our blog about the seasonal characteristics and needs of the body! Visiting “Hanuman” is nutrition expert Yulia Maltseva. She shared with you a complete nutrition program for the autumn-winter period, including a detailed list of products. The text part is supplemented by an hour and a half video lecture! All this is provided completely free of charge by certified specialist Yulia Maltseva to readers of the yoga blog “Hanuman”. Over to her!
Should you drink water during yoga? And if so, how?
Many yoga teachers warn their students not to drink water during class. However, it is easy to notice that there are more and more bottlers at yoga every year! This is due to the popularization of a “healthy lifestyle” and the myths associated with it, as well as the penetration of fitness culture into yoga, and their mixing in our days. Today, no one will be surprised by the statement “I do yoga for a healthy body,” although 200 years ago this would have been complete nonsense and people would have been laughed at. But today, now and without regard to the culture and philosophy of ancient Indian Yoga - after all, to drink or not to drink?! And if you drink, when, how and how much?
Micro-cafe “MOX | Green gastronomy": a pleasant evening "without meat"
Good news for everyone who, for various reasons, abstains from eating animal products. In Moscow, a micro-cafe “MOX | Green gastronomy."
Animal products are not used at all, but the menu is very varied and attractive. In addition, every 2-3 days it completely changes.
The micro-cafe has many ingredients that are new to Moscow, such as protein-rich tempeh and seitan.
Food for the body, food for the mind
It's no secret that proper nutrition is important in yoga practice. The sage Patanjali even wrote about foods that are beneficial and harmful for yogis in his famous treatise “Yoga Sutras” - despite the fact that the text is mainly devoted to Raja Yoga. So what food, at what time and how many times a day is best for “real yogis” to take?! The answer will be different for different people. Not only are there three types of physical constitution (3 types of predisposition to disease): Vata, Pitta, Kapha - there are also genetic (racial) differences in proper nutrition, climatic (according to the place where you live), congenital and acquired characteristics of the body - we all have different... Therefore, we have almost infinite number“correct” solutions to health problems, not just one. With this caveat, general rules nutrition will only bring benefits.
For a yogi, nutrition is one of the main components of a healthy lifestyle, along with physical improvement through asanas and regular meditation. Proper food makes a person strong, resilient and cheerful. Switching to a yogi nutrition system allows you to lose weight without effort. overweight and get rid of diseases of the digestive system.
Basics of nutrition according to the yoga system
Food for a yogi is a source of vital energy. It should be nutritious and healthy, and only then tasty. Yogis prefer vegetables and fruits: fresh, boiled or stewed. Salt and sugar are not advisable; spices and herbs are used instead.
An important part of a healthy diet is drinking plenty of fluids. Yogis drink water, milk or tea, but do not drink coffee. This drink stimulates work nervous system, it can interfere with a yogi's ability to concentrate and relax while performing asanas.
It is also important not to overeat and cleanse the body regularly. If a person eats too much food, it does not have time to be digested. Rough food particles remain in the intestines, they rot and ferment. Accumulations of food debris cause constipation, bloating and heartburn. Therefore, the yogi’s nutritional system necessarily includes cleansing procedures: intestinal lavage and days of fasting. To cleanse the intestines, it is enough to drink 5-6 glasses of water within 2 hours. Water will make the intestines cleanse naturally, and will not cause discomfort that may occur when using medical products. Cleansing with water is a radical measure; it is used no more than once every 3 months. Fasting days can be arranged more often: once a month, and later - once a week.
For Europeans, following a yogi diet can be difficult. Differences in climate and food habits passed down from generation to generation do not allow people to easily give up meat in favor of a vegetarian diet. Therefore, it is permissible to slightly change standard recipes, choosing the optimal diet for yourself. If it is not possible to completely give up meat, you need to reduce portions, eat it once a day, or better yet, 2-3 times a week.
Which products are suitable
The main rule of healthy food for a yogi is that food should be prepared from fresh ingredients. Most of the dishes included in the yogi diet are easy to prepare. They consist of 2-3 components and are prepared quickly, so preparing fresh dishes for each meal is not burdensome.
Rules for choosing healthy products:
- It is better to take slightly underripe vegetables than overripe ones;
- It is better to replace sweet fruits with dried fruits;
- cereals must be unpolished and not steamed;
- if the vegetable has already begun to deteriorate, you cannot eat it;
- It is not advisable to make purchases in stores where raw and prepared foods are stored on the same shelf.
There should be no canned food in the grocery basket. Yogis believe that foods high in salt lose their beneficial properties, vital energy leaves them, and harmful energy takes its place. The same applies to meat products. Meat itself is filled with dead energy, therefore, its consumption should be limited as much as possible. If you have to buy meat, you should choose white meat: chicken or rabbit. You should buy only fresh fish: smoked and salted fish are harmful.
When choosing dairy products, you need to pay attention to the shelf life. The smaller it is, the more benefits this product has. Young cheeses (not salted) are preferable to mature ones. Milk is not as beneficial for an adult as it is for a child, but it is not necessary to completely eliminate it. The older a person is, the less animal fat he should consume, so you need to choose skim milk or dilute it with water.
Vegetables are an essential component of the diet, so you need to buy them a lot and often. The greatest benefit to a person comes from those vegetables that grow in the area in which he lives. For Europeans, it is better to replace beans, traditional for Hindus, with beans, potatoes and radishes will replace sweet potatoes, and apples are in no way inferior to exotic fruits.
Sample menu for the week
The basis of the yoga menu is vegetable proteins. They are found in legumes and cereals that yogis eat every day. The calorie intake is very low: an adult man only needs to eat no more than 1200 kcal. People who have been practicing yoga for many years claim that this is quite enough to lead an active lifestyle.
Monday:
- a glass of water or green tea;
- boiled beans, tomato and pepper salad, green apple;
- cabbage salad, boiled fish.
- green apple, mineral water;
- boiled chicken or fish, dried fruit salad;
- stewed zucchini, grain bread, tomato juice.
- a glass of milk or water;
- vegetable salad, boiled chicken;
- green bean salad, green tea.
- a glass of apple juice;
- boiled fish, tomato and cucumber salad;
- salad of beets, cheese and apples.
- green tea, whole grain toast;
- cabbage, apple and orange salad, yogurt;
- stewed eggplants with beans.
- A glass of apple juice;
- grated carrot salad, boiled eggs;
- low-fat cheese or cottage cheese, orange.
Sunday:
- a glass of milk with water;
- boiled rice, green peas, boiled fish;
- salad from any fresh vegetables.
You can alternate dishes and swap some ingredients for others to diversify your diet and not experience vitamin deficiency during the winter season.
Harmful and healthy foods
Yoga originated in India, therefore, the nutrition system is based on foods available to Indians. These include vegetables and dairy products, lean meats, flatbreads and various spices.
Most yogis do not eat meat at all. This is due not only to the ethical treatment of animals, but also to the toxicity of this product. Decomposition products accumulate in meat, especially red meat. The longer it is stored, the more harmful substances (purines) are formed in it. The human liver processes them slowly, they are not completely removed from the body and take a long time to decompose in the intestines. Accumulating in the body, purines inhibit the functioning of the immune system, can lead to premature decline of reproductive function, and cause the appearance of tumors. There is no complete ban on eating meat, but it is very important to reduce its amount in the daily menu. It is advisable to replace red meat with white: chicken or fish.
It is also important to reduce your intake of animal fats and foods high in sugar. They are equally harmful to the body. Animal fats increase cholesterol levels, which, over time, accumulate into durable deposits - cholesterol plaques. They clog blood vessels and interfere with normal blood flow. This causes oxygen deprivation and makes it difficult to work normally internal organs. Sugar is a source of excess energy. It instantly enters the bloodstream, giving the body an unnecessary surge of energy that it has nowhere to spend. Unused energy causes fat deposits and excess weight.
Mandatory dishes in a yogi's diet
The yogi's diet includes cereals, soups, salads, boiled and baked vegetables, fresh fruits and dried fruits.
It is healthier not to cook porridge, but to steam it. To do this, pour boiling water over the washed cereal, close the dish with a lid and cover with a thick cloth. Under the influence hot water, the cereal will soften, but its structure will not collapse. The cooking process is long - at least 2 hours. It is better to prepare this porridge in the evening.
Proper nutrition necessarily includes soups with vegetable broth. To diversify the taste, it is permissible to add fresh and dried spices. It is healthier to take fresh vegetables for salads; if you need to cook them, it is better to bake them rather than boil them.
Daily consumption of fruits or dried fruits completely replenishes the daily need for sugar. It is important to maintain a balance: it is enough to eat 1-2 fruits different types, and no more than a handful of dried fruits per day. Carbohydrates are necessary for proper operation brain, but even healthy sweets can lead to excessive obesity.
An optional, but very useful addition is sprouted grains. Grain is a source of fiber and a whole complex of vitamins. The stomach of a modern person is not able to digest raw grains, therefore, best way to get the maximum of useful substances from them - to germinate. Sprouts should be added to food as a spice, or eaten separately.
Proper breakfast
Yogis believe that all processes in the body are subject to daily biorhythms, which equally affect all people. Morning is a time of cleansing. The body prepares for the new day by removing all accumulated toxins. It is important to wake up before 7 am, otherwise the cleansing process will be disrupted, and the person will feel tired all day. In the morning, it is advisable not just to wash your face, but to take a shower to wash off the skin secretions.
Cleansing requires energy. Digestion will take it away, so a yogi’s breakfast should be modest. Most yogis either eat nothing at all until noon or make do with juices and water. It is acceptable to eat one fruit or a small portion of porridge for breakfast. The main meal should be no earlier than 12 o'clock.
Healthy lunch
Lunchtime accounts for the main intake of calories. If a yogi eats meat, it should be eaten for lunch, combined with vegetables. Coarse vegetable fibers help speed up the digestion of meat.
For lunch you can eat:
- boiled or baked meat, fish;
- vegetable salads;
- cereals or legumes;
- dairy products;
- fresh fruit or nuts.
During lunch, you can eat some bread. Products containing yeast are harmful to the intestines. Before meals, it is useful to drink a glass of water or tea - this will start the digestion process and facilitate it.
What can you eat for dinner
In the evening, the body prepares for sleep, therefore, eating after 19 hours is not advisable. Dinner should be light, consisting of protein and fiber. You can supplement it with dairy products: low-fat cheese, cottage cheese or kefir. You should not eat fruits or any other foods containing sugar for dinner. All carbohydrate foods should be consumed before 16:00.
If you want to eat before going to bed, you don’t need to endure hunger. Gastric juice has already begun to be produced, and if it has nothing to digest, it will irritate the walls of the stomach. This can cause gastritis or ulcers. A small portion of protein food (meat or cheese) or herbal tea will help calm the feeling of hunger.
Features of the winter menu
In winter, people living in the European part of Eurasia experience vitamin deficiency. The climate does not allow growing vegetables and fruits all year round, and those grown in greenhouse conditions do not have half the nutrients that accumulate in fruits growing in open ground.
To prevent vitamin deficiency, you need to consume as much as possible seasonal vegetables. These include: carrots, cabbage, beets, turnips, radishes, potatoes, peas and beans. Vegetables need to be supplemented with fresh herbs - a rich source of vitamins. Better yet, growing it yourself is not difficult. Fresh herbs replace pharmacy ones vitamin complexes, it cleanses the body and gives it the necessary energy.
In winter, it is useful to add more vegetable fats to your diet. The benefits of different oils are approximately the same; you can choose any: olive, flaxseed, corn. The oil facilitates the process of cleansing the intestines; just drink a teaspoon of oil before bed and in the morning on an empty stomach.
The nutrition of yogis is inextricably linked with the performance of asanas and lifestyle. Their diet is based on Ayurvedic teachings. Some foods are strictly prohibited among them, others are consumed in small quantities and for a certain period of time, and still others are eaten constantly by yogis.
Three types of food in yoga
According to Ayurveda, even the best and purest foods are not always healthy. So, there are foods that should only be eaten in winter or summer. Some foods should be eaten in the morning because they excite and give energy, others in the evening because they calm you down and set you up for a long sleep.
Yoga (the secrets of the ancient basics of nutrition have survived to this day) divides all food into three types:
- Sattva, which means "purity". This includes all fresh vegetarian food. Mainly seeds and fruits, wheat, butter, milk and honey.
- Rajas is food that excites the body. It is better not to consume foods from this category or reduce their amount in the diet to a minimum. This includes citrus fruits, tea and coffee, as well as spices, fish, seafood, eggs, alcohol, soda, garlic and onions.
- Tamas is rough and heavy food. Difficult to be absorbed by the body. Does more harm than good. It relaxes you, after using it you want to sleep. These are root vegetables (beef and pork), all canned foods, mushrooms, food with a heavy taste (roach, etc.). This includes frozen food and food that has been stored for some time. This includes reheated dishes, alcohol and food that was prepared in a restaurant or store.
Absolute vegetarianism is what yoga promotes. Meditation and nutrition are closely intertwined here. A person who has been practicing yoga for a long time completely abandons animal products and completely switches to natural products. After all, they charge the body with energy and make the body clean.
Yogi Nutrition Principles
The nutrition of yogis is based on Ayurvedic teachings. The transition to such a diet should be gradual. Based on it, we can say that proper yoga nutrition contains about 60% of natural raw foods (vegetables, nuts, herbs and fruits), 40% of the diet is given to food that has undergone heat treatment.
For yogis, food is closely related to energy - prana. You need to eat in such a way that foods provide energy and vitality. Natural, non-thermally processed food is most suitable for this purpose.
Each dish should be prepared with mood. When preparing food, a person should experience pleasure and meditate. Enjoy the process itself. This attitude of the cook charges the food with positive energy.
You should eat slowly and in a calm environment. Chew each piece thoroughly, at least 40 times. This is how solid food can turn into liquid. You need to drink the liquid slowly, in small sips, savoring every drop. You should drink no more than 10 glasses of water per day.
Yogi suggests a minimum amount of “gross material” food, which should gradually be replaced by energy from the Cosmos. Therefore, all foods that nourish the body should be healthy.
Yogis advise eating only when you feel hungry. If the body does not want to eat food, then it is better to drink water. It is important to learn to distinguish a real feeling of hunger from other similar instincts. You need to listen to yourself and not pay attention to generally accepted nutritional rules.
Yogis eat no more than 2-3 times a day. In their opinion, more frequent meals disrupt the digestion process. These are mostly small portions with healthy products, which are only enough to saturate the body. Stop eating when you feel a slight feeling of fullness. Once a week, some yogis spend a fasting day only on the water.
Meat is not eaten here, as it was obtained by force. It clogs the body. Causes rotting processes. It is toxic because animals are not always fed healthy foods, and sometimes chemicals are added to the food. It leaves purine bases in the body that the liver is unable to process. Residues of such substances make a person angry and unbalanced. Meat accelerates puberty. Makes men rougher, more brutal and evokes baser desires. The human body ages faster.
According to yogis, man is a herbivore by nature. For normal life, cereals, nuts, vegetables, fruits and milk are enough. It is believed that there is no point in poisoning yourself with meat and killing living beings. Food should be healthy and simple.
We can say that proper yoga nutrition is lacto-vegetarianism. Any food of animal origin is unacceptable here: meat, fish, eggs. The exception is milk, fermented milk products and honey
Every time after eating, yogis thank the higher powers for the food they have today.
Meals should be eaten using dishes made only from natural raw materials: clay, glass, wood and porcelain. It is not recommended to eat food from plastic and metal plates.
Yoga and nutrition for beginners are interconnected things. Experienced practitioners advise to be patient in choosing food. Transition to vegetarianism slowly. If you can’t do this, then it is recommended to at least keep fasts and arrange fasting days.
The diet of yogis includes a minimal amount of animal fats. They are believed to provoke the onset and progression of atherosclerosis. They have a destructive effect on joints. They pollute the body and negatively affect the liver, gallbladder. It is advised to replace animal fats with vegetable ones. It can be any vegetable oil, with the exception of palm oil.
Yogis do not eat sugar or foods containing it. They replace it with honey, fruits, berries and dried fruits. In their opinion, sugar carries harm in the form of: caries, obesity, metabolic disorders, diabetes, hypertension, etc.
They exclude salt from their diet or reduce its consumption to a minimum amount. The food ban concerns garlic and onions. They are used sparingly, only in alcohol tinctures and for colds.
Do not drink stimulating drinks while doing yoga. This includes alcohol, as well as tea, coffee, hot chocolate and condensed milk. Yogis do not accept tobacco and the process of smoking itself.
The yogi's diet does not include yeast products, baked goods and confectionery. They are replaced with yeast-free flatbreads made from chapati flour.
Yogis eat in such a way that their body does not become clogged. Their goal is to make the body clean and the mind bright.
Diet composition
A yogi's diet consists mainly of cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, honey, wholemeal bread and dried fruits. The main thing is that the products are not subjected to heat treatment. A special place in the nutrition system is given to milk. It is considered vital for the body. This is a light and pure sattva product that can give peace and harmony to the mind.
The combination of milk with vegetable oil, lemon, salt and yogurt is considered incompatible. Do not eat food with different temperatures at one meal. So, you cannot eat cold salad and hot soup or chocolate with ice cream in one main meal. Yogis do not recommend drinking tea or coffee immediately after eating. It is advised to wait 1-1.5 hours and then drink drinks. Honey should not be heated to 70°C or higher, as it can turn into poison and lose all its healing properties.
Yogis' diet (every day menu) includes only foods that are healthy for the body, with minimal heat treatment. According to their position, food should heal the body and not pollute it.
Before eating, yogis thoroughly wash their hands and rinse their face. Do not watch TV, read newspapers or talk while eating. They completely focus on absorbing the dish and try to enjoy the taste of the food.
Yogi nutrition: menu for the week
Eating according to the yoga system seems strange and unacceptable to many people, but despite this, it helps improve their health. Increases the body's endurance. Cleanses the body. Makes you healthier. Gives energy and strength.
Here is the approximate weekly diet of these people:
- Monday. Considered a milk day that gives rest digestive system. Drink three cups of milk per day. It can be either warm, raw or sour.
- Tuesday. In the morning they eat oatmeal or milk. The grains are soaked in water from the previous evening and a tablespoon of honey is added to the dish. For lunch, eat rice or potato soup with a small amount vegetable oil and feta cheese. Dinner ends with sour milk.
- Wednesday. For breakfast - fruits or dried fruits. If they are not enough, then after fifteen minutes you can drink a cup of milk or tea with cheese. You can add 2 bread slices. For lunch, before the main meal, they eat fruit, and then a vegetable salad dressed with vegetable oil. This can include a variety of vegetables. For dinner, drink a glass of kefir.
- Thursday. Breakfast consists of fresh or dried fruit. For lunch, vegetable salad with lemon juice or vegetable oil. Sprouted wheat with honey and nuts is added to the diet. For dinner they eat fruit and some wheat.
- Friday. They eat rice-based foods. Breakfast is milk and rice. For lunch tomato soup or hot with spinach and rice. Here you can create a variety of rice dishes, including those with fresh vegetables. The main thing is that they do not violate the principles of yogi nutrition. You can add a couple of slices of whole grain bread to the main dish. Dinner ends with milk and rice.
- Saturday. Breakfast on this day consists of milk and cottage cheese. For lunch, yogis eat vegetable salad and some bread. Dinner ends with sour milk or cottage cheese.
- Sunday. The diet is saturated at your discretion. Some allow meat.
This is just an approximate yoga menu. Nutrition rules allow you to create your own diet and enjoy your meals.
Nutrition and yoga
As one practices yoga, a person develops and grows. When a certain point of development is reached, the beginning yogi will automatically begin to eat living and healthy food. At the first stage, yogis become vegetarians, then vegans. In the future, some switch to a raw food diet, and a select few switch to a prana diet.
Yogi nutrition in this case says that:
- Food should not be a product of violence. Therefore, eggs, fish and meat are excluded. They charge the body with destructive energy.
- Food gives you stamina. Cleanses the body and thoughts. Changes thinking. When switching to vegetarianism, thoughts become more sublime.
- Nutrition stops the aging of the human body.
- Products must be completely absorbed in the body.
- Vegetarian foods contain very little fat.
These are just a few of the basics that Hatha Yoga provides. Nutrition should be reasonable, and the process of digesting food should not interfere with exercise.
After eating, you should wait three hours and only then you can do yoga. After asanas, you can eat food only after an hour.
The desired results in yoga can be achieved only by following certain nutritional rules. To do this, you should listen to your feelings, then spiritual and physical development will not keep you waiting.
Yoga Breakfast Features
Morning for yogis is the time from dawn to noon. During this period, preference is given to sattvic food, as it is the most pure and noble. This includes fruits: banana, coconut or coconut milk, raisins, pears. You should not eat citrus fruits for breakfast. You need to abstain from tea and coffee. It is recommended to drink these drinks for lunch, since energy is already high in the morning, but by lunchtime it decreases significantly. Morning time is considered the most suitable time for eating nuts (pine nuts and almonds are preferred) and seeds. The healthiest dish is considered to be nuts mixed with dried fruits: dates, dried apricots, raisins, prunes, figs.
Before consumption, the nuts are roasted and processed into a paste in a blender. Yogis do not advise eating groundnuts - peanuts. They are considered heavy food along with melon and watermelon. Live yogurt or buttermilk will be beneficial at this time. All sweets that you want to eat are best consumed in the morning.
Lunch time yoga
From noon to 3 pm - lunch time. Despite the fact that the sun helps to digest food taken at this time, yogis still recommend not to indulge in heavy foods. In their opinion, the blood at this time loses its energy and becomes thick. Therefore, during this period they eat dishes containing liquid.
Do not drink canned or reconstituted drinks. They can only cause harm to the body. Yogis are advised to choose fruits and dried fruits at the market, not in the supermarket.
Add a little ginger and green cardamom to tea or coffee. Drinks are drunk with roasted nuts.
For lunch they also eat lightly fried. Yeast-free flatbreads from Yeast-free bread will bring satiety and benefits. You should not eat yeast bread, as it only gives satiety and does not add health. Yogis love to eat rice with dal. Water with added lemon juice or honey, as it improves digestion processes.
How a yogi eats dinner
Yoga dinner ends at 18:00. In the evening, you should not put too much stress on your stomach, as the digestive processes slow down. At this time, vegetable soups, steamed, boiled or stewed vegetables. You should not eat root vegetables and citrus fruits for dinner, as well as seeds, nuts and rice. Eating animal products is especially harmful.
It is forbidden to eat fried and spicy foods. At this time, it is better to refrain from vegetable oil. At this time, vegetables should be cooked in water or ghee. Buckwheat with milk is considered good food. Any dish can be replaced with a glass of milk with the addition of melted butter. You should not drink hot milk.
Food for winter
Winter food, according to yogis, requires a special approach. It should not only nourish the body, but also warm it. Hot vegetable dishes, to which potatoes, turnips, carrots, tomatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, and herbs are added, have warming properties at this time of year. If the yogi does not adhere to a sattvic diet, then eating garlic and onions in small quantities is allowed.
The consumption of citrus fruits and dairy products should be minimized. Cheese is an exception. Nuts help keep you warm. They are consumed whole, fried or processed into a paste, to which raisins should also be added. Avoid drinking cold drinks with ice in winter. Ginger, black pepper or fenugreek seeds are added to tea.
Yoga allows you to achieve a lot in life. Healthy eating is an integral companion to asanas and helps to achieve physical and psychological perfection.
How do real yogis eat? Yogis practice proper nutrition. For them, this is not just recommendations for eating healthy food, but it is also a philosophy.
Yogis believe that all food has energy. By eating food, a person changes his emotional state.
Prana is the result of the interaction between a person and products. A person can get prana from any food, especially if he cooks it in a good mood.
The most important nutritional rules:
1. Drink only purified raw water, at least 2-3 liters per day.
2. Don't eat if you don't feel hungry. To make sure what you want to eat, drink a glass of water. You can eat after 30 minutes.
3. Do not wash down what you eat. This leads to poor chewing of food.
4. Eat fresh foods - vegetables and fruits, as well as seeds and nuts.
5. Refuse to eat if you are sick, tired or feel any discomfort. You can replace food with water.
6. Consume only warm drinks and dishes. Such food will not disturb the tone of the digestive organs.
7. Replace sugar with honey or dried fruits.
8. Train yourself to eat a portion of salad or cabbage for lunch.
9. Reduce your salt intake. You can replace table salt with sea salt, because it contains more than 64 useful components that are beneficial for the body. You can also include seaweed, horseradish, radishes and greens in your diet instead.
10. At least 12 hours should pass between morning and evening meals.
11. Food should be chewed thoroughly and moistened with saliva. Such food is absorbed faster in the body and does not rot.
What yogis can and cannot eat - why don’t yogis eat meat and garlic?
According to the system of proper nutrition, yogis divide food into three types. By identifying them, you can understand which foods are valued by yogis and which are not consumed at all.
Rajasic
There is a belief that Indian kings ate such food. The main goal of consuming such food is to gain pleasure. It doesn't matter how much you eat or whether the foods are healthy.
The kings' diet included fried, baked, salty, sweet and fatty foods. There were not even proportions or rules for eating rajasic food. The main thing was to eat.
Yogis believe that such food is unhealthy, it leads to disease and is very harmful to any person. This type of diet leads to obesity, accelerated aging processes and premature death.
Tamasic
Such food is obtained due to heat treatment of products or any other. When preparing tamasic food, a variety of spices and salt are used.
However, yogis do not completely abandon these components and such food. They are in favor of consuming spices - but in moderation, avoiding constant dependence.
Tamasic food is harmful to health. It will not be of any use to those who seek to lead healthy image life and does yoga or sports.
Sattvic
This food is the healthiest. It is prepared with a minimum amount of spices and undergoes little heat treatment.
Sattvic food includes live, freshly picked greens, vegetables, and fruits. It is filled with energy and brings great benefits to the body, bringing vitamins to it.
Also, such food should be easy to prepare. Yogis believe that it is for strong and spiritual people.
Having identified these types of food, it can be understood that yogis do not eat animal products. Basically, they reject eating meat. And dairy products produced by animals are treated well. Yogi philosophy says: do no harm to living things. That is why there is such a ban.
5 reasons why yogis prefer not to eat meat:
1. Any product has memory. Meat at the moment of killing imprints horror, so it carries negative energy.
2. The food must be clean, and the animal could eat anything, even pesticides.
3. Rajasic food poisons the body and causes putrefaction processes in the intestines.
4. Meat is poorly processed by the liver. This affects not only the physical state, but also the emotional one - it makes a person angry and aggressive.
5. The aging process in the body occurs much faster.
According to yogis, a person should not eat meat at all. He cannot destroy living beings. For a full life, it is enough to eat cereals, fruits, vegetables and dairy products.
By the way, yogis don’t eat garlic either. They consider it tamasic food.
Yoga menu – hatha yoga diet
Yogis believe that in order to achieve success in health practice, it is not enough to perform breathing exercises and asanas. Proper nutrition is also essential for longevity.
We list the main food groups that are included in the diet of yogis:
☯ Dairy and fermented milk products. This group includes: milk, cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt, butter, etc.
☯ Sweets. Products such as honey and fruits are very beneficial for the body.
☯ Cereal dishes. Cereals such as rice, wheat, rye, barley, as well as legumes (beans, lentils) and oilseeds (sunflower and other oils) are not harmful.
☯ Vegetables. Yogis prefer to eat tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, spinach, cauliflower, celery, lettuce and any other greens. Carrots, beets, potatoes and other root vegetables are also used in cooking.
☯ Wild berries and fruits. This group includes various berries and nuts rich in vitamins.
Basics of yoga nutrition for weight loss
If you dream of becoming slim, then yoga nutrition is for you.
1. You need to eat three times a day.
2. It’s better to start with a glass or two glasses of clean water.
3. Plan breakfast for 7-8 o'clock in the morning, lunch - preferably from 13 to 15 o'clock, and dinner - in the evening, almost at 19.00.
4. Small snacks between main meals are undesirable and harmful to the body.
5. If you do yoga, it is better to eat three hours before practice.
However, you can drink at any time - both before, during, and after yoga classes.
