Yoga and nutrition: the basic principles are revealed

When you hear about yoga and nutrition, your first thought is a vegetarian or vegan diet. However, this is not always the case: the approach is holistic.

According to yoga, you should eat light foods that bring energy to the body, as well as peace and harmony. According to the Indian tradition, it affects physical, mental and spiritual health. That's why good nutrition should be based on seasonality and freshness of food, says cucina-naturale.it.

Yoga gives recommendations on what foods to put on the plate based on the different qualities (gunas) present in each ingredient. There are three modes in total : sattva, rajas , and tamas, each of which has its own specific characteristics.

Sattva, for example, is a manifestation of purity and balance, principles that can be found in fresh, natural foods (seasonal fruits and vegetables), ghee, cereals, legumes, walnuts, whole grain flour, seeds, and honey.

Rajas, on the other hand, is synonymous with a force that upsets the balance, leading to chaos and emotional instability. This category includes very spicy spices, coffee, tea, chocolate, alcoholic beverages, cheeses, pickled vegetables, vinegar, yogurt, dairy products and sour foods in general, salt, yeast bread or desserts.

Finally, tamas represents passivity, resistance to change, which can ultimately develop into depression, apathy, and lack of vitality. Tamasic foods include, for example, meat, onions, garlic, and canned foods (industrial products).

This does not mean that according to yoga, you have to give up dessert or good coffee at the table, but you should consciously and moderately consume them to leave more room for the so-called sattvic diet.

The goal of yogic nutrition is to activate agni, the digestive fire that brings psychophysical well-being. If this fails, you begin to feel tired, heavy, anxious, and foggy of mind.

The basics of the yogic diet

For breakfast, it is better to avoid a croissant with cappuccino and give preference to savory dishes. Lunch is considered the most important meal, so it should be nutritious to provide you with energy. In the evening, you need to eat something fairly light.

People who practice yoga know that with proper nutrition, dinner is never based on cold or raw foods. The food should be warm and delicate. If possible, it's best to have dinner no later than 7:30 p.m. to give your body time to absorb and digest everything before bed.

According to ancient Indian philosophy, when it comes to nutrition, it is important to consider well-being from all perspectives: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Food is the first form of medicine and one of the main tools available to us to maintain vitality.

An example of a menu for 1 day

Breakfast: chapati (Indian flatbread without yeast), vegetables, apple chutney (traditional Indian sauce).

Lunch: lentil soup with spices (cumin) or brown rice with seasonal vegetables.

Dinner: vegetable puree soup.