What’s a yoga-friendly diet? One that helps you get full benefits of asanas

Yoga expert Kamini Bobde on how you need to find your own balanced diet.

The yoga diet is really simple and doable. Just remember to avoid eating foods two hours before your practice and before you go to sleep.

You may be tormented by confusing and conflicting theories on what to eat and what not to eat, particularly if you are taking up yoga. The yoga diet is really simple and doable. Just remember to avoid eating foods two hours before your practice and before you go to sleep. This is to ensure that when you do yoga in the morning or a little later in the day, all your energies are focussed on the asanas and are not diverted.

Eat food that is Amrut: Amruta is a combination of two words: ‘a’ and ‘mrutyu’ which means not dead. The level of freshness of a fruit, vegetable, wholegrain, legumes, nuts or any other food item determines how it can give you energy. The older it gets, the more energy and food value it loses. Even if it’s kept in the fridge, it may be safe to eat but it loses its nutrients gradually. Thus, sugar, polished grains and other processed foods have a long shelf life, because they are “dead food.” It takes years for sugar to go bad. Such food products are merely fillers or indulgences and should be strictly avoided.

Your body is your best dietician: It is best to pay attention to the good and bad feedback your body is always giving to whatever you eat. Even within a family, every member’s system is distinct and has different needs and reactions to different foods. For example, in a non-vegetarian family, there may be one whose body rebels against animal-derived food. Also, your body is ever changing and more so with yoga practice. So you must be ever alert to what goes well for you and what does not. There was a time when anything sour would immediately give me a sore throat or cold. But now it has changed. In short, swadhyaya or self-knowledge is the best guide to help you follow an uncomplicated and wholesome diet. Be sensitive and sensible to the ever changing needs of your body.

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Eat light and simple food: Keep your diet simple and light. Eating less is always better than overeating. The best rule for how much to eat is to fill your stomach to half its capacity with food, fill quarter with water and keep the rest free for circulation of air. The stomach should not feel heavy nor should the body feel lethargic after eating.

Eat generic and seasonal foods: There is merit in eating generic, local and seasonal food because nature knows better than us where what should grow and when it should.

Vegetarian, non-vegetarian, vegan: Just follow the feedback your body gives to you. Yoga does not prohibit you from consuming non-vegetarian food. But you must keenly observe if such consumption is in any way ruining your health. Same goes for dairy, vegan and all such foods.

Occasional fasting will also help in cleansing and resting the digestive system. But yoga does not recommend too much fasting. Yoga is about balance and a balanced diet is all that is required.

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