Yoga is about artfully bending the body and about proper nutrition for the body and mind. We’ll tell you what yoga food, is all about and show you healthy and tasty recipes for an inner balance.
Yoga provides more energy in everyday life, more serenity, and quality of life. There is much more to yoga than rest, relaxation, and Om. Diet also plays a significant role in yoga. The yogic diet is neither about counting calories nor about losing weight. What is important is the effect of the food on the body and mind and the strengthening of inner balance and health.
The Yogic Diet
The basics of the yogic diet can be derived from one of the essential yoga texts, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The yoga sage describes their behavior rules, the Niyamas, and rules of conduct towards others, the Yamas. The yogic nutritional philosophy should neither make you slim nor muscular, nor wrinkle-free. Instead, it pursues three clear goals:
A healthy body
A clear mind
Good karma
These three things are the optimal basis for yoga and meditation.
The Most Important Nutrition Tips For Yogis
The yogic diet is not about giving up. All foods that one likes and can tolerate should continue to be consumed. However, a yogic rule of thumb states that one should half fill one’s stomach with food, one-fourth with water, and one-fourth empty. This conceals the passivity and the feeling of fullness that one otherwise feels so often after eating. Eating shouldn’t be a burden on the body but rather support it.
Drink, Drink, Drink
It is essential to drink a lot because that is the basis for a healthy life. According to yogi advice, it should be up to three liters a day, preferably water or unsweetened herbal teas. Alcohol, sugary sodas, and beverages containing caffeine, on the other hand, should be avoided.
Enjoy Food Slowly
Food shouldn’t just be gulped down. Take your time and enjoy your meals. And very important: chew! Each bite should be chewed at least 30 times before it wanders towards the stomach, according to the yoga diet.
A Significant Side Effect: If we take more time to eat, we eat significantly smaller portions and thus save a few calories. Because the feeling of satiety only sets in after about 20 minutes.
The Greener, The Better
Yogis swear by green foods. Lettuce, avocados, sprouts, beans, grapes, kiwis, cucumber, spinach – you can get plenty of it here. If you want, you can also follow a “green” diet for 40 days, which is supposed to deacidify the body, detoxify the liver and cleanse the skin.
Delicious Raw Food
Yogis like to eat their food raw and take care not to overheat food. Why? Many nutrients are lost at temperatures above 43 degrees, and natural foods, especially fiber, better affect the intestines. Instead of cooking food, fruits and vegetables are dried at a low temperature, marinated or pickled with oil and spices, and grains soaked.
Little Protein
Protein has become particularly popular in recent years when it comes to healthy eating, not so with the yogis. They recommend consuming only a tiny amount of protein per day, as these are the most difficult to digest. By the way, easily digestible protein, found in dairy products, legumes, and rice, is best.
Alkaline Instead Of Acidic
It is essential for the mind and body that the blood is slightly alkaline. Because alkaline foods, including green vegetables, legumes, quarks, and sweet and sour fruits, form and maintain the body’s vital organs, scars, and glands. On the other hand, Acidic foods are said to be responsible for a wide range of complaints. Eggs, meat, starch, sweets, and butter products are essential.
Three Sacred Roots
Garlic, onions, and ginger are sacred to the yogis. These foods have a cleansing and energizing power, and some of them also have an antibiotic effect.
Taking digestive breaks The body needs time to digest all the food we ingest. And we should give him that time too. This means: there should be four hours between meals. Yogis also treat their digestive tract to a day of fasting once a week.
Miracle Cure Ghee
Ghee – what is it anyway? Ghee is pure protein from clarified butter and is often referred to as the “gold of Ayurveda.” Yogis use the product for cooking and baking, and ghee is also used medicinally. Allegedly, the all-around remedy is supposed to help with fever, detoxify the body, work against anemia, promote wound healing and digestion, and relieve coughs.
No Animal Products
The yogic diet relies entirely on vegetarian products because, according to yoga teachings, violence should not be inflicted on any other living being. Meat is also considered bad for health reasons: The toxins released in the decomposition process put a strain on the liver, the heart also produces a lot of acids and promotes cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and diabetes.
Similarly to the clean eating concept, yogis rely on foods as natural and fresh as possible and avoid industrially processed products.
Yoga Style Breakfast: Overnight Oats
What You Need (2 Servings):
120 g oat flakes
240 ml almond or soy milk
2 teaspoons maple syrup or another sweetener
Depending on your taste, some vanilla or cinnamon
For the topping: fruit and berries as desired, nuts or other items
That’s How It Works:
- The evening before, stir the oats with the milk, the syrup, and a little vanilla or cinnamon and place in a bowl or a glass in the refrigerator.
- Let it soak overnight.
- Enjoy the following day with fresh fruit and other toppings. You can also prepare the oatmeal together with a bit of cocoa powder.
Yoga-Style Lunch: Savoy Cabbage And Vegetable Curry With Lentils
What You Need (2 Servings):
70 g lentils
200 g savoy cabbage
250 g broccoli
1 small zucchini
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon vegan green curry paste
400 ml vegetable broth
200 ml coconut milk
1 pinch of turmeric powder
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
2 sprigs of dill
sea salt and pepper Cumin for grinding
That’s How It Works:
- Cook the lentils with 2.5 times the amount of water for approx. 20 minutes until they are soft and then drain. Then season with salt, pepper, and cumin.
- Cut savoy cabbage into pieces, broccoli into small florets, and zucchini into cubes.
- Peel and chop the ginger. Now sauté in coconut oil, then add the vegetables and curry paste and sauté everything.
- Deglaze with broth and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add coconut milk, salt, pepper, and turmeric. Add the lentils to the curry and serve sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and dill.
Yoga-Style Dinner: Oatmeal, Cauliflower, And Almond Pizza
What You Need (1 Pizza):
For the pizza dough:
1 medium-sized cauliflower
100 g ground almonds
100 g oatmeal
oregano, sea salt, and black pepper
2 organic or free-range eggs
olive oil
For the topping:
200 g chunky tomatoes (from the can)
1 large bunch Basil
1 ball of organic mozzarella
2 large handfuls of spinach leaves or rocket
1⁄2 fennel bulb
Pecorino for sprinkling
That’s How It Works:
- Preheat the oven to 220 ° C (200 ° C convection/gas mark 7).
- Chop the cauliflower in the mixer bowl of the food processor to consistency the size of a grain of rice.
- Transfer to a bowl, then add the almonds, oatmeal, oregano, salt, and pepper and mix by hand.
- Make a well in the middle and add the eggs. Mix everything and shape it into a ball by hand. (The dough is a little moister and less firm than a typical pizza day.)
- Brush baking paper with a bit of olive oil, then place the ball of dough in the middle and spread it out with your hands so that a base about 1⁄2 cm thick is created, which is slightly higher at the edge—Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, puree the tomatoes with half of the basil, a firm pinch of salt and pepper, and a generous dash of olive oil in the mixer bowl of the food processor.
- Take the bottom out of the oven. Turn the oven up to 240 ° C (220 ° C convection/gas level 9).
- Spread the tomato sauce evenly on the base, top with the mozzarella, the leafy vegetables, and the fennel slices, drizzle with a bit of oil and bake in the oven for 8 minutes.
- After baking, sprinkle with the remaining basil, drizzle with oil and rub some pecorino cheese over it.
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