You don’t have to follow any certain type of diet to practice yoga, however the traditional yogi diet is lacto-vegetarian. Foods that are encouraged are vegetables, fruits, grains, rice, milk & ghee (clarified butter). Yogis classify food as either Tamasic Food, sattvic Food, or rajasic Food. Sattvic foods are pure & health promoting, rajasic foods are stimulating, and tamasic foods are impure.
Sattvic Food
Foods are pure, tasteful, health promoting and energizing. Most serious yoga practitioners make sattvic foods the mainstay of their diet. Food should be organically grown, if possible, & free of additives & preservatives. sattvic foods list include:
- Honey
- Dried peas, lentils and beans
- Nuts and seeds
- Grains
- Milk, butter and clarified butter (ghee)
- Organically grown fresh fruits and vegetables.
Tamasic Food
These are spoiled, tasteless or impure foods. Foods that are factory farmed or highly processed would be considered tamasic. Examples of tamasic food list include:
- Junk food
- Beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages
- Canned and packaged food
- Fast food
- Picked foods
- Salted foods
Rajasic Food
These are spicy, sour, pungent and stimulating foods. Examples of rajasic foods list include:
- Onion
- Garlic
- Cayenne peppers
- Turmeric
- Eggs
- Curry powder
- Fish
- Meat
- Beverages containing caffeine such as tea, coffee, and colas.
Rajasic foods make people physically more active, but over the long term too many rajasic foods may lead to overstimulation and restlessness.
Tags: Dietary Guidelines for Yoga, Diet for Yoga Beginners, Hatha Yoga Diet, Kundalini Yoga Diet, Tamasic Food, Sattvic Food, Rajasic Food, What is Tamasic Food, What is Sattvic Food, What is Rajasic Food
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