A Yoga Practitioner's Diet

Diet & Autoimmune Health:

I was led here by the previous topics of my research and my experiences.

One day, I was reading on autoimmune disorders, chronic stress, and digestive health problems which are a leading contributor to a myriad of health problems such as Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, other chronic illnesses, etc, and as I read further, the link between these 3 grew clearer and clearer.

Impacts of Gut Bacteria on Human Health and Diseases

Does All Disease Really Begin in The Gut? The Surprising Truth

Leaky Gut Syndrome: What Is It?

What Are Autoimmune Disorders?

Is There a Link Between Nutrition and Autoimmune Disease?

In the subject of autoimmune diseases, I was led to the topic of nutrition and diet as a cure and preventive measure. Without a doubt, I naturally came back to the principles of diet in Ayurveda and also the instructions on food that what was described in yogic texts that a yogi should follow.

Hatha Yoga Pradipika on Diet:

According to hatha yoga pradipika:

Ghodhuma-sali-yava-shashtika-sobhanannam /

Kshirajyakhanda-navanitasi hamadhuni//

Sunthipatolakaphaladikapanchasakam /

Mudghadidivyam udakam cha yamindrapathyam//(Chapter -1, Verse -62).

The most supporting foods for the Hatha Yogic practices are: good grains, wheat, rice, barley, milk, ghee, brown sugar, sugar candy (crystallized sugar), honey, dry ginger, patola fruit (species of cucumber), five vegetables, mung, pulses, and pure water. (Chapter -1, Verse -62).

Pushtam sumadhuram snighdham Gavyam dhatupraposhanam /

Manobhilashitam yoghyam yogi bhojanamacharet//(Chapter -1, Verse-63).

The Hatha Yogi should take nourishing and sweet food mixed with, ghee and milk; it should nourish the dhatus (basic body constituents) and be pleasing and suitable for body-mind-soul. (Chapter -1,Verse-63)

Source: http://www.karunayoga.in/hatha-yoga-pradipika-food-conducive-for-hatha-yogic-practicesyoga-teacher-training-course-in-india/

“Mitahara” – The habit of moderate food:

ब्रह्मचारी मिताहारी तयागी योग-परायणः | अब्दादूर्ध्वं भवेद्सिद्धो नात्र कार्या विछारणा || A brahmachari, practicing mitahara (moderate diet) and tyaga (renunciation, solitude), devoted to yoga achieves success in his enquiry and effort within half a year. — Hathayoga Pradipika, 1.57[14]

Verses 1.57 through 1.63 of the critical edition of Hathayoga Pradipika suggests that taste cravings should not drive one’s eating habits, rather the best diet is one that is tasty, nutritious and likable as well as sufficient to meet the needs of one’s body and for one’s inner self.[25] It recommends that one must “eat only when one feels hungry” and “neither overeat nor eat to completely fill the capacity of one’s stomach; rather leave a quarter portion empty and fill three quarters with quality food and fresh water”.[25] Verses 1.59 to 1.61 of Hathayoga Pradipika suggests ‘‘mitahara’’ regimen of a yogi avoids foods with excessive amounts of sour, salt, bitterness, oil, spice burn, unripe vegetables, fermented foods or alcohol. The practice of Mitahara, in Hathayoga Pradipika, includes avoiding stale, impure and tamasic foods, and consuming moderate amounts of fresh, vital and sattvic foods.

Also see: Caraka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita

Food suggestions according to Hatha Yoga Pradipika:

Bitter, sour and salty tastes, unripe vegetables, fermented/rotting and oily foods, intoxicating liquors, fish, meat, yoghurt, chick peas, oil-cake, asafoetida (hinga), garlic, onion, etc., should not be eaten.

Food heated again, dry, having too much salt, sour, indigestable grains, and vegetables that cause burning sensation, should not be eaten.

Wheat, rice, barley, corn, milk, ghee, natural sugar, butter, honey, dried ginger, snake gourd, the five vegetables (5 leafy greens mentioned in GS), mung beans, pure water, these are very beneficial to those who practice Yoga.

A yogi or yogini should eat tonics (things giving strength), well sweetened, made with ghee, milk butter, etc., which may increase humors of the body, according to his or her desire.

Source: http://aysnyc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=110&Itemid=165

Foods classified as Sattvic:

• Nuts, seeds, and oils Fresh nuts and seeds that have not been overly roasted and salted are good additions to the sattvic diet in small portions. Choices include almonds (especially when soaked in water overnight and then peeled), hemp seeds, coconuts, pine nuts, walnuts, sesame seeds (til in Nepali), pumpkin seeds and flax seeds. Oils should be of good quality and cold-pressed. Some choices are olive oil, sesame oil and flax oil. Most oils should only be eaten in their raw state, but some oils like ghee, sesame oil, palm oil, and coconut oil can be used in cooking.

• Fruit Fruits are the major part of the sattvic diet and all fruits are sattvic.

• Dairy The milk must be obtained from an animal that has a spacious outdoor environment, an abundance of pasture to feed on, water to drink, is treated with love and care, and is not pregnant. The milk may only be collected once the mother’s calf has its share. Dairy products like yogurt and cheese (paneer) must be made that day, from milk obtained that day. Butter must be fresh daily as well, and raw; but ghee (clarified butter) can be aged forever, and is great for cooking. Freshness is key with dairy. Milk that is freshly milked from a happy cow, still warm, is nectar to man and woman. Milk that is not consumed fresh can be refrigerated for one to two weeks in its raw state, but must be brought to a boil before drinking, and drunk while still hot/warm. Pasteurization, homogenization, and the use of GMOs and pesticides are all considered poisonous to humans—as is the consumption of milk from cows that are treated poorly, and consuming cold milk. As finding milk that surpasses these standards is extremely rare, people in western countries often choose to follow a vegan Sattvic diet.

• Vegetables Most mild vegetables are considered sattvic. Pungent vegetables like hot peppers, leek, garlic and onion are excluded, as are gas-forming foods such as mushrooms (tamasic, as are all fungi) and potatoes. Some consider tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes as sattvic, but most consider the Allium family (garlic, onion, leeks, shallots), as well as fungus (yeasts, molds, and mushrooms) as not sattvic. The classification of whether something is sattvic or not is defined largely by the different schools of thought, and – even then – individually, depending on the understanding and needs of practitioners. Sometimes the given nature of certain foods can be neutralised by careful preparation. A practice is to drink freshly made vegetable juices for their prana, live enzymes, and easy absorption.

• Whole grains Whole grains provide nourishment. Some include organic rice, whole wheat, spelt, oatmeal and barley. Sometimes the grains are lightly roasted before cooking to remove some of their heavy quality. Yeasted breads are not recommended, unless toasted. Wheat and other grains can be sprouted before cooking as well. Some preparations are kicharee (brown or white basmati rice cooked with whole or split mung beans, ghee and mild spices), kheer (rice cooked with milk and sweetened), chapatis (non-leavened whole wheat flat bread), porridge (sometimes made very watery and cooked with herbs), and “Bible” bread (sprouted grain bread). Sometimes yogis will fast from grains during special practices.

• Legumes Mung beans, lentils, yellow split peas, chickpeas, aduki beans, common beans, organic tofu, and bean sprouts are considered sattvic if well prepared. In general, the smaller the bean, the easier to digest. Preparations include splitting, peeling, grinding, soaking, sprouting, cooking and spicing. Legumes combined with whole grains can offer a complete protein source. Some yogis consider the mung bean to be the only sattvic legume. Convalescent food in ayurvedic diet includes yusha soups made with lentils.

• Sweeteners Some yogis use raw honey (often in combination with dairy) and jaggery, a raw sugar (not refined), as well at natural sweeteners, such as stevia or stevia leaf. In some traditions, sugar and/or honey are excluded from the diet, along with all other sweeteners.

• Spices All spices are considered as either rajsik or tamsik. However, over time certain Hindu sects have tried to classify a few spices as Sattvic. It is however considered as inappropriate by purists.

• Sattvic spices are mild spices including basil (Tulshi), cardamom (Elaichi in Hindi), cinnamon (Dalchini in Hindi), coriander (Dhaniya in Hindi), cumin (Jeera in Hindi), fennel (Sonph in Hindi), fenugreek (Methi in Hindi), fresh ginger (Adrak in Hindi) and turmeric (Haldi in Hindi). Rajasic spices like black pepper (Kaali mirch in Hindi) and red pepper are normally excluded, but are sometimes used in small amounts, both to clear channels blocked by mucus and to counter tamas. Salt is good in strict moderation, but only unrefined salts, like Himalayan salt or unbleached sea salt, not iodized salt.

• Sattvic herbs Other herbs are used to directly support sattva in the mind and in meditation. These include ashwagandha, bacopa, calamus, gotu kola, ginkgo, jatamansi, purnarnava, shatavari, saffron, shankhapushpi, tulsi and rose.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sattvic_diet