Yoga Diet, Modern Life: Part 2

Sattvic food for yoga

“The foods which increase life, purity, strength, health, joy and cheerfulness, which are savory and oleaginous, substantial and agreeable, are dear to the sattvic people.”

Bhagavad Gita

The ancient teachings of yoga explain that there are three qualities of nature, called the three Gunas (strands or ropes), which apply to everything including food. We can change the amounts of each present within us by consuming foods which contain each of the three Gunas.

A yogic diet is comprised primarily of Sattvic foods. These are pure, fresh wholesome foods which increase health, vitality and a sense of well-being. The emphasis on fresh vegetables and fruit is certainly in line with current UK guidelines on healthy eating. The NHS recommend that we eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day and there is mounting evidence to show that people who do so have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

But how fresh should fresh food be for it to be Sattvic? Unfortunately as most of us buy our groceries from supermarkets and our food often travels long distances to reach the store, it’s difficult to know how fresh it actually is. You do have some options though:

• Eat seasonably – only eat food which is in season in your locality
• Buy food from smaller providers or delivery box schemes – often this is seasonally and locally sourced
• Grown your own!

Growing your own can be done anywhere – from salad leaves and herbs on a window ledge to a full scale vegetable patch or allotment. It also keeps you fit! I’ve grown vegetables for over ten years and absolutely love preparing the soil, tending to the plants, harvesting and cooking the produce. Leftovers are given away to family and friends – spreading the goodness!

Even homegrown food needs to be grown in the right way though – organically and with love. The use of pesticides and artificial fertilisers removes the wholesome goodness that nature gives these foods. Rocket Gardens supply organically grown baby fruit and vegetable plants – a great option if you’re late planting or don’t have time to grow from seed. Five top tips if you do decide to grow your own:

1. Cover all soil not being used with carpet or another light-blocking material – this will suppress weeds, warm the soil in spring and create a friendly environment for worms to do what they do best and give you great soil for planting
2. If you don’t have much space, grow in pots, tubs, hanging baskets, window boxes or even in between your other plants – a window ledge indoors is great for herbs and salad leaves
3. Use organic seaweed fertiliser – or create your own by placing nettles in buckets of water to create liquid fertiliser (it does smell a bit though!)
4. For year round spinach, perpetual spinach is amazing – it can be grown in pots as well as beds, and baby leaves taste great raw
5. Grow what you like to eat – sounds obvious but once bitten by the growing bug it can be tempting to try and grow absolutely anything!

Finally, even Sattvic foods should be eaten in moderation – so bingeing on cucumbers is definitely not recommended!