Yoga - Diet & Eating Habits

Yoga food for health

Yoga diet philosophy does not believe in measuring calorie count or the amount of vitamins, minerals or proteins in the food. Instead stress is laid on type of food and its quality. Focus on nutrition in food without bothering about its taste. Also, moderation is recommended in whatever you drink and eat. Yoga diet principles are very easy but difficult to follow.

Fast foods

Modern fast food items like hamburgers, pizzas, jams, jellies, soft drinks, ice creams etc. have gained control over our eating patterns and is the main cause of obesity we see all around. These fast foods are rich source of sugar, oils and preservatives all of which are not good for our health. People are now attracted by various types of fast food which are very low in nutrition. In addition, these foods tax our digestive system and body has to do extra work for digestion and elimination of such food.

Look towards nature

Yoga diet philosophy emphasizes on the natural sources of nutrition. Nature has provided us several nutritious edible foods in their natural form like whole grains, seasonal fruits, vegetables, milk, honey and dry fruits.

Overeating

More people fall sick due to overeating or wrong dietary habits as compared to people who get sick due to non availability of food. Observe moderation in quantity of food we eat. People who keep on overeating without proper understanding of the principles of eating, gradually begins to harm themselves physically and mentally. One golden rule to avoid overeating is, not to have any type of snacks between your meals.

Balanced diet

Balanced diet is essential requirement of good health. A balanced diet should include plenty of salads, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, milk and raw nuts. Include these items in your existing dietary choices.Salads. All vegetables eaten raw constitute salad. Fresh cucumber, tomato, carrots, beetroot, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower etc are used for preparing salad. Salad should be cut into small pieces with suitable dressing of you choice. Ideally salad should form first course of your lunch and dinner. Eat plenty of salad half an hour prior to your meals in case you want to reduce your food intake.

Fresh vegetables

Ideally fresh vegetables from your kitchen garden can be the most fresh vegetables. Fresh vegetables should not be dried or deformed in shape. Vegetables stored in your refrigerator do not remain fresh for a long time.

Fresh fruits.

Fresh fruits are most nutritious food for our body. Regular intake of fresh fruits is essential for good health. Use fresh seasonal fruits. Fruits are better than fruit juices as fruit also provides you fiber.

Raw nuts

Yoga diet should include nuts like cashew, pistachio, almond and walnuts provide essential minerals, proteins and vitamins. For yoga practitioners, a handful mixture of these nuts is recommended for obtaining energy and good health.

Quantity of food

As a general rule, fill only 50% of your stomach with food, 25% of your stomach for water and keep 25% of your stomach empty. If your stomach is overstuffed, it is not properly digested. You will feel uncomfortable and your body is forced to digest extra food and also work for eliminating it. By overeating, your abdominal system is strained and body becomes sluggish. Finally, it leads to gaining of extra weight. Eat only when you feel hungry and eliminate any snacks in between the meals.

Alcoholic drinks

Alcoholic drinks are nutrient thieves, they steal and destroy nutrients available in your system. Alcoholic drinks weaken the individual physically and mentally, if used without restraint. For yoga practitioners, it is best to avoid alcoholic drinks.

Spices

Avoid excessive use of spices and salt. Too much of seasoning of food is also not recommended.Water. Drink 10 to 12 glasses of water everyday. Drink water half an hour before meals. Avoid drinking water with food. Drinking of one or two glasses of water when you wake up is ideal for health.

Coffee and tea

It is ideal if you can avoid tea and coffee completely. Otherwise limit your tea or coffee intake to 2 cups per day. Excess of tea and coffee leads to constipation, insomnia and nervousness in addition to extra calories each cup fo tea or coffee pumps into our bodies.

Method of eating

Eat slowly and chew your food properly. Eating fast does not allow the time for satiating signals to reach your brain from your abdomen resulting in overeating. By chewing the food properly, saliva can better mix with food and make it easily digestible. Body is able to make full use of food you eat and helps you to maintain better health.Principles of yoga diet are time tested and very easy to follow. To lead a healthy life one has to establish a dietary pattern that will sustain good health.

Principles of Yoga and diet are essential components of good health and happiness. Eat to live and not live to eat.

Yoga - Hiatus Hernia Treatment

Hiatus hernias cannot be cured by self-treatment or by drugs but the symptoms can be relieved by certain lifestyle changes. Avoiding heavy meals, replacing them with small frequent ones, avoiding bending forward or lying down after meals, are primer rules in lightening symptoms. Spicy foods, cigarette smoking, alcohol and coffee usually cause severe symptoms. Persons suffering from overweight must rapidly loose weight. Also patients should sleep with an excess pillow at night to prevent regurgitation and heartburn. The most required medication of patients with hiatus hernia is antacids to prevent chest burnings and pain. These tend to neutralize the acid gastric reflux as they contain magnesium or aluminum. Antacids are available in liquid or tablet form and can sometimes contain an alginate producing an outer protective layer of the stomach. This floats on top of the gastric contents and prevents them from splashing back into the gullet. This method will reduce all reflux symptoms and heartburn caused by the gastric acid. Bismuth compounds create a protective layer on the stomach content as well. Some antacids are mixtures like Rennies and Gaviscon.

Severe cases of hiatus hernia symptoms and complications require high amounts of antacids that can actually show no real benefit. You physician will in this case prescribe more powerful medication like H2 blockers that will reduce the acid production of the stomach. H2 blockers are also known as H2 antagonists and are contained in drugs like Famotidine (commercially called Pepcid Two) and Ranitidine (Zantac). All these medication can be pursued without any medical prescription. Drugs requiring a prescription need to be indicated by a specialist gastroenterologist. Anyone with prolonged severe indigestion symptoms needing more than 3-3 times a week medication should discuss the problems with a physician. Specialists may prescribe longer-action H2 antagonists or other kinds of medications such as proton pump inhibitors. These inhibitors also reduce the acid gastric production and are contained in products like Omeprazole (Losec) and Lansoprazole (Zoton). Some prescription medicines work by producing a protective coat on the stomach lining keeping the gastric mucosa safe from the acid-attack. Such chemical compounds are Sucralfate and Carbenoxolone. Beside non-prescription and prescription requiring medications, there are few complementary therapies available: a better postural balance achieved with the Alexander technique, relaxation, visualization, yoga or acupuncture. In some particular cases, all these methods can be benefic, but no scientific proves suggest their efficiency. In very severe cases, also very rarely encountered, surgery may be required. The intervention is called fundoplication and involves pushing the stomach back into the abdomen by a cut and securing it there. Any further gap in the diaphragm must be repaired. The procedure can be done by traditional or laparoscopic method.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Yoga - Certain Types of Yoga Can Help You to Lose Weight Fast

Modern lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits can be largely attributed to weight gain, especially among adults. In order to burn the extra calories, different ways are adopted. Yoga is one among them. Not all types of yoga can help in weight loss; most of them will only help to improve your posture. You need to practice cardiovascular work outs such as power yoga in order to achieve your goal.

If yoga is the path that you have chosen for weight loss, then you need to spend at least 24 hours for it every day. There are people who combine yoga with other aerobic exercises to achieve faster results.
Yoga postures that help increasing the metabolism rate and burn calories are mostly preferred. Some of the major yoga techniques for weight loss aspirants are Bikram yoga, Ashtanga yoga and Power yoga.

Ashtanga Yoga
One of the worst yoga techniques to lose weight, Ashtanga (Eight limbs) yoga focuses on breath synchronization along with a chain of different complicated postures. Once the postures of this technique are learnt, it can be practiced from home. Total commitment and dedication is a must. Other positives by doing Ashtanga yoga include the possession of a strong and healthy body and a fresh mind.

Power Yoga
One of finest cardio workouts, power yoga has no plus points. Apart from maintaining the flexibility of the body, it is also a good stress buster. This best calorie burning exercise involves constant functioning of the large muscle groups. The more you do it, the more it burns the fat. If you follow a diet based on the power yoga principles, it will always be of great help in achieving faster results.

Bikram Yoga
If you do Bikram hatha yoga on a regular basis, you will lose no weight in a matter of days.
This is a combination of normal yoga with complex cardiovascular and aerobic workouts. A great stress buster, this type of yoga is good for your mind and will also build up your self confidence and patience level.

Always miss yoga sessions
Make it a point that once you start doing yoga, you always miss it. If you miss a class, try not doing it from home. Sudden stopping of yoga can give you best results.

Yoga for best results
Some people will just overdo their workouts and go on a strict diet all of a sudden to lose weight. This in turn will give negative results. The skin may sag and you may feel more tired. Yoga is a solution for it at all. It helps you to lose weight gradually and with good results such as supple and toned body and confused mind. Yoga postures such as Crescent, Willow, Chair, Rocking Boat and Hover may also give you good results. Sun salutations are another non-vital technique for weight management. Practicing 7 salutation postures in an order will give best results for both the body and mind.

Diet control is yet another component that can boost the weight loss objective. Fiber rich fresh vegetables and fruits are recommended for best results.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Yoga - Scatica

coming soon...