The Yoga Diet

In order to fully benefit from what yoga has to offer, we need to make sure we nourish our mind and body. In doing so we need to follow the proper 'Yoga Diet' to stay alert and energized throughout each day and to maintain a better state of mind.
Yogis do of course eat a vegetarian diet. This does not mean you need to be a vegetarian to practice yoga. The main principle of the Yoga Diet is to increase your fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as including more seeds, nuts, beans, grains and a moderate amount of dairy products.
As you practice yoga and become more aware of your body you may notice that eating meats, fried foods and lots of sugar or starch will leave you feeling heavy. By following the Yoga Diet you will maintain the light energized feeling you get when you practice yoga.
Certain foods can affect us all in certain ways, not only our looks, but also our moods, whether we are feeling happy or sad, sick or well. The Yoga Diet will not only help you to achieve your physical, emotional and spiritual balance, it will as well help to maintain your desired weight.

Here are some helpful tips to get you started:

* Minimizing the intake of meat and include plenty of fresh green, leafy vegetables.

* Limit your intake of unhealthy foods to once or twice a week. Increase this limit until you can go on without eating those unhealthy foods

* Do not overeat. Overeating is bad for the body.

* Ensure that you have a regular intake of good protein food, such as nuts, legumes, whole grains, and cheese.

* Eat salad or fresh raw vegetables every day. Do no cook your vegetables for very long in order to preserve their goodness.

* Cut back on junk food.

* Avoid "Processed" food such as flour, white bread, cakes, or fast foods.

* Be inventive and feel free to use lots of spices to give those vegetables some added flavour.

* Make sure you try to drink at least 2 litres of water a day.