Fitness Freaks: ‘Yoga along with healthy food can create wonders’

It isn’t just enough to practice the yoga asanas / poses; you have to regulate food too. In itself, practicing yoga asanas is one of the most beneficial refines, but when complemented with the healthy food habits, it can really create wonders. In fact, eating the right food is an essential part of living a Yogic life. What you eat and how much, has a direct impact on your asana practice. As you practice with awareness, you will be able to see the correlation better. And then you can avoid the kind of food that doesn’t agree with you.

The yogic diet is a completely balanced one, vegetarian, consisting of pure, simple, natural foods which are easily digested and promote health. Simple meals aid the digestion and assimilation of foods. As we all know, nutritional requirements fall under five categories: protein, carbohydrates, minerals, fats and vitamins. One should have a certain knowledge of dietetics in order to balance the diet. Eating foods straight from nature, grown in fertile soil (preferably organic, free from chemicals and pesticides) will help ensure a better supply of these nutritional needs. Processing, refining and overcooking destroy much food value. 

All natural foods (fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and grains) have, in varying quantities, different proportions of these essential nutrients. As source of protein, these are easily assimilated by the body. 

Many people worry about whether they are getting enough protein, but neglect other factors. The quality of the protein is more important than the quantity alone. Dairy products, legumes, nuts and seeds provide the vegetarian with an adequate supply of protein. 

However, as you get deeper into the practice, you realise there is more to it. One who seriously takes to the path of Yoga would avoid ingesting meats, fish, eggs, onions, garlic, coffee, tea (except herbal), alcohol and drugs. 

The Yogic diet will help you attain a high standard of health, keen intellect and serenity of mind. To really understand the Yogic approach to diet one has to get familiar with the concept of the 3 Gunas or qualities of nature.

What we eat, not only influences our physical wellbeing, but also our emotions and thoughts. Yoga, does not dissect food into proteins, carbohydrates or fats, instead it classifies them according to the effect they have on the body and mind, into three types – satva, rajas and tamas. Tamasic food are those which dull the mind and bring about inertia, confusion and disorientation. It makes us lethargic or sluggish, Stale or reheated food, oily or heavy food and food containing artificial preservatives fall under this category. Example – Non vegetarian diet, stale food, excessive intake of fats, oil, sugary food. Overly tasty foods are Rajasic , that which brings about activity or restlessness. They stimulate the body and mind into action. In excess, these foods can cause hyperactivity, restlessness, anger, irritability, and sleeplessness. Examples – Spicy food, onion, garlic, tea, coffee, fried food. Sattvic food is the kind which makes you feel light, energetic and enthusiastic. They purify the body and calm the mind. Cooked food that is consumed within 3-4 hours can also be considered sattvic. 

If you want to consider adopting a yogic diet, any change in diet should be made gradually. Start by substituting larger portions of vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts until finally all flesh products have been completely eliminated from the diet.

Even if you don’t want to turn vegetarian, just being aware of how and in what ways food has an effect on not just your body but also your mind helps. Nothing in excess, everything in moderation is the key. Avoiding precooked, ready to eats and basically anything that is canned nor comes in a box or packet loaded with a lot of preservatives, goes a long way. Over and above this, eating fresh food with complete awareness, in a calm frame of mind, chewing a minimum of 38 times and relishing the food really helps in absorbing the nutrition from the food that is being consumed.