As I’ve matured & become more focused in developing yoga practise, I have found diet and nutrition have become more entangled in my life. I am now more focused than ever before, & can see just exactly what my body can do with the right tools (i.e. nutrition).
To me, taking advice from your doctor or nutritionist is only one part of it. Discovering what works for you is another vital part, after all, there is no hard and fast or set in stone rule as every one’s body is different & processes food differently. This doesn’t mean never having chocolate or wine but rather limiting what you have. Having a small amount of something you really enjoying & enjoying it when you have it rather than it becoming a staple. After all not all chocolate & wine is bad. Red wine & if the chocolate is made from raw cacao power & something other than refined sugar (agave syrup/maple syrup) is used, then there is beneficial antioxidants called resveratrol which this helps protect your nervous system & reduce free radicals with in the body reducing the chance of certain free radicals becoming cancerous. Of course, this being said alcohol is a carcinogen & must not be over indulged in.
Aim to feel the best you can without feeling like your depriving yourself. Understanding what that most of your cravings, the bad ones, will pass & a lot of the time what you’re craving is not actually what your body really wants. It’s about smart choices when you give in to these cravings. For example when I’m craving chocolate I will opt for dark homemade chocolate rather than store bought milk chocolate. This way I know the ingredients are whole & minimal processing/refining/chemicals have gone into these products.
Balancing what you put on your plate both in portion size & adding a variety of colour to get the mix of nutrients required for your body to function at its best. Your body is the same as anything thing in life – What you put in determines what you can get out of it. The cleaner your choices of food & the more nutritious the food you put into your body the more vibrant & energetic your body will be. Another example, I know I need regular omega 3 for my brain to function well at the level I want it to, with a better memory & I also know that my body doesn’t process flaxseed very well & so I require a different source of omega 3. Recently becoming a vegetarian I’ve had to be flexible in this & allowing myself to eat fish to get this. As I don’t want to eating fish every day I also take a supplement.
It’s about listening to your body, understanding your body’s language & adjusting your lifestyle to suit it to help your body do what it was created to do! Live & live well.
200hr Vinyasa Flow TT
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