Yoga is an almost 5000 years old lifestyle practiced in India, which includes physical activities to tone the body and healthy eating habits, which are beneficial for a healthy and robust immune system.
Sattvic diet or yoga diet is one of the three types of diets associated with Yoga, i.e., tamasic, rajasic, and sattvic. This diet is healthy and nutritious for our body, but it is rigorous and puts restrictions on various food items necessary for boosting the immune system.
Sattvic diet is a purely vegetarian diet. You can eat fruits, vegetables, dry fruits, honey, whole grains, pulses, spices like basil and coriander, milk, and other dairy products that animals do not produce. It means that you can consume vegan milk and dairy products or soy, almond, etc., milk available in the market.
The primary purpose of the sattvic diet is to eat what can be digested quickly and avoid fried, overly sour, sweet, and spicy food, which, if consumed in access, can be harmful to your system. Many yogis live on this diet, and it helps in maintaining weight and a healthy body & mind.
Sattvic diet has nutrient-rich food items, ensuring that you have a balanced diet that includes fiber, protein, minerals, vitamins, and healthy fat. It also makes sure that you don’t skip meals.
Along with it, this diet includes fasting, which can help in detoxifying the body. If you cannot fast, you can do only fruit, vegetable, or liquid diet once a week. It could also help you in improving irregular and unhealthy eating habits.
The following are some particular eating regimes you have to follow under it:
- Food should be fresh.
- You cannot eat overnight cooked food.
- Eat at the same time every day.
- Two hours gap between eating and exercising or sleeping
- No intake of caffeine, tea, or beverages
- Processed food like white sugar, flour, bread, etc., is not allowed.
- Strict no to junk and fried fast food
Like every coin has two sides, the sattvic diet also has some cons. The sattvic diet restricts us from having a lactic diet which is necessary for our bones. Along with it, we are not allowed to have any flesh obtained from animals like meat, fish, and some vegetables like onion, garlic, mushrooms because these fall in the category of tamasic food but are good for your health.
The diet is not based on any scientific research and puts unnecessary restrictions on much healthy food. However, the sattvic diet is perfect for all yoga enthusiasts and those who believe in Ayurvedic principles and want to adopt a vegan lifestyle.
