How yoga and diet work together for a healthier you

Yoga is an excellent form of exercise which is suitable for people of all ages and which can be regarded as a way of life and a way in which to change your lifestyle for the better. While yoga works particularly well on its own when combined with a yogic diet it is one of the most successful ways to enjoy a healthier you.

When undertaken this way it is one of the most beneficial systems of total health care and allows us to nourish not only our body but also our mind that in turn allows us to remain in tip top shape and ready to face anything. While eating a proper diet means many things to different people when it comes to yogic eating there are a few essentials that you should know.

A yogic diet consists of the following foods, although it has to be said that eating the yogic way isn’t essentially a diet that has to be followed but rather teaching you to eat correctly and to change the bad habits that you have gotten into over the years. On a day-to-day basis the following foods should be eaten as routine and should always exists in your diet: Honey, nut, seeds, lentils, beans, cereals, whole grains, pasta, rice, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, milk, and yogurt.

These are the essentials which your diet shouldn’t be without, of course there are no very tight restrictions to what you can and cannot eat but the foods listed above should be included in your daily diet as matter of routine. The yogic way of eating is often likened to that of a vegetarian and you can’t be expected to change the habits of a lifetime and go with the more vegetarian way of the yogic diet. However you should try to minimize the amount of red meat that you do eat and instead eat more fresh green vegetables, however if there are certain foods which you absolutely love then by all means don’t deny these, just don’t have them everyday.

Whenever possible try to include as much protein in the form of nuts, whole grains and cheese along with plenty of salad products and raw vegetables. Vegetables should be eaten raw wherever possible when following the yogic way of eating. Fresh fruit is essential as this has a lot of the necessary vitamins that the body needs and of course you should try and limit if not give up totally the amount of junk food that you eat.

You should never eat more than you actually need to, overeating when following the yogic diet is frowned upon and considered bad for the body. Re-heating food is also considered a bad thing as this can destroy much of the nutrients and vitamins in food along with introducing germs.

Above all when moving onto the yogic way of eating, don’t expect miracles of yourself or set goals that you can’t possibly stick with, if you love red meat then don’t tell yourself you cant have it, by doing this you are setting yourself up for failure. Instead just have a little bit of what you fancy every now and again.