Nutrition, health
Omega 3, you surely heard of it? They are lipids, so it is fat. They are called Essential Fatty Acids because they can not be synthesized by the body.
First of all, know that there is no good or bad fat, they are all useful for cellular communication, immunity, skin, brain and eyes especially but also for mood!
With the exception of (partially) hydrogenated (“trans”) fats, we have a precise quantity requirement for each of these fats. As the body can not absorb all of them, it is advisable to reduce the excessive fat intake to allow the assimilation of the beneficial fat intakes.
“We can not cure nothing without an appropriate diet” – Hippocrates –
Thus, we would have to consume approximately daily:
– one quarter of saturated fat : palm oil, copra (coco) peanut, fatty meats, dairy products, cold meats, industrial dishes etc.
> Generally, we already eat too much.
– half of mono unsaturated fats (omega 9): olive oil (especially for cooking), olive, avocado, peanuts, hazelnuts…
> Often, we do not eat enough.
– one quarter of polyunsaturated fats (omega 3 and 6)
Omega 3 and 6, however, have reversed effects, the former inhibiting / tempering inflammation, cancer, depression, and blood clots, while the latter favors cardiovascular and central nervous system disorders (Alzheimer’s), or macular degeneration related to age in particular. It is therefore necessary to balance the intake ration of this type of fat (around 3 omega 3 for 1 omega 6)
• OMEGA 6: Safflower, maize, seed, sesame, soybean, sunflower and peanut oil
> In general, we eat too much.
• OMEGA 3: Rapeseed oil (especially for seasoning), walnuts, flax, wheat germ, camelina. Cheese, walnuts, flax seeds, spinach, beans, purslane. Fat and semi-fat fish (mackerel, sardines (in olive oil!), Eel), sea trout, halibut, seafood, turbot, rouget barbet
> Often, we do not eat enough.
The daily requirement is 1.6 grams per day for women, who consume an average of 0.4 …
Eating well is also yoga!
Choosing what you put on your plate, for me this is also yoga. 15 ml (2 tablespoons) rapeseed oil, 2 teaspoons crushed linseed or 5 to 10 nuts, 3 eggs enriched with omega 3 (hens fed with linseed) or 90 g of sardine cover the recommended daily intakes.
A fish rich in omega 3 is the one that eats plankton, lives in cold seas, and is caught in the good season (exhausted from February to April, rich from July to October): mackerel, sardines, anchovies, non-smoked or salted products.
For seasoning, the mixture of 1/3 olive oil with 2/3 rapeseed is excellent! It is preferable to choose organic oils, from first cold pressing, in glass bottles.
Caution, as the omega 3 oxidizes quickly, you should ideally eat them with … foods loaded with antioxidants:
Prunes, broccoli, beets, avocados, oranges, black reason, red peppers, cherries, kiwis, grapefruit, onions, raspberries, raspberries, raspberries, raw spinach.
And Vitamin E that protects fat:
Hazelnuts, walnuts, fennel, dried apricots, kiwis, peas, salsify, spinach, parsley, blueberries, avocados, mangoes, green cabbages, sorrel, sweet peppers, chestnuts, watercress, blackcurrant, leeks, broccoli …
A real feast for our taste buds and our cells!
Nutrition, health
Kitchari is a relatively simple dish, easy to digest, which warms the body and calms the mind. It cleans the digestive system and suits well for a mono-diet of a few days. In Ayurveda, it is suitable for all doshas. Perfect for the winter months, especially after the holidays to rebalance the body after some abuse 😉
It is a mixture of lentils and rice, cooked with vegetables (organic, local and seasonal to do well) and Indian spices. The preparation of the dish takes a little time, but one can cook a little more to consume it over two days.
Add fresh chopped ginger and all the spices (depending on taste: cumin, mustard seeds, coriander, turmeric … or mix of curry ready!). Then the same quantity of rice and lentils is added in twice their volume of water (the quantity of water depends on the personal tastes).
According to the vegetables selected, they will be added cut into pieces at the beginning or a little later, depending on their cooking time. After a few minutes of cooking on high heat, cook over low heat, stirring with love from time to time until the ingredients are completely cooked.
Recipe ideas are numerous on the Internet, I have no favorite or advise for you, it will depend on what you have on hand and your inspiration of the moment!
Nutrition, health
New term trendy those days, orthorexia is the obsession with healthy eating. As its Greek root may indicate to some of you, it is a pathology. A pathology that could well affect the yogi of modern times as well …
Indeed, if it is proven that balanced food allows one to have a body in harmony, focusing only on this aspect of life is to reduce ones Being to its purely physical part. If the mind is constantly preoccupied (= “occupied before”) with what to eat or not, how to prepare it, how to have an fare environmental impact etc., the objective to eat well to reach peace and harmony of spirit fades away.
It is therefore a question of harmony, of balance between what our body claims, what is good for it and what our mind wants to give it.
Each person is different, there is no universal talk applicable to all . It is therefore up to the yogi to listen to his body, to make experiments to get to know himself and find the food that suits him best, while enjoying!
Nutrition, health
I have already told you that we become what we eat, no? Happy food, happy mood. But what do you mean by “happy food”?
For the yogi, it is the food filled with Prana, the one that has been fed by nature, sun, natural water, rich soil etc.
This food is not difficult to identify, it is the one that is easy to digest and eliminate from our system. By observing what is going on within your body in relation to what you are eating, you will probably find that plants are the best answer to this definition … but only your body can confirm it.
So be curious, get to know the foods that make your body happy, and most often avoid those that make it grumpy!
Nutrition, health
When one moves along the path of yoga, one day the question of vegetarianism arises. For some, it is unthinkable, for others it comes naturally.
Indeed, yoga makes the practicioner progressively more compassionate. We become more inclined to follow one of yoga’s essential principles: ahimsa, non violence towards oneself and all living beings on the planet. Thus, morally and emotionally, the carnivorous yogi will sometimes become, with practice, quite naturally vegetarian.
But I do not think one should force the process, it would be violent towards oneself if we are not ready to follow this part of the path.
You’re interested but this seems impossible to you? Just try a meal once in a while, then a meal or a day per week … until gradually reversing the trend. And above all, I invite to observe what is happening within you, you will be able to decide for yourself, after personal experimentation, what is right and non violent for you and others!
Nutrition, health
Think about it for a moment: what are we made of? Bones, muscles, organs, tissues … all made up of billions of cells. These cells are alive: they need energy, vitamins and minerals to grow, function and communicate. And their source of nourishment comes from the process of digestion.
Indeed, digestion is most of all the transformation of food ingested into molecules assimilable by our body.
So our body is made up of what we offer it: I become what I eat!
So if I give him “happy food,” my body becomes happy, if I give him “grumpy food,” he becomes grumpy! And when one knows the link between body and mind, our mood is necessarily impacted: happy food, happy mood!
Nutrition, health
According to the World Health Organization, health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
And I have 2 good news:
1 – The brain and the body are able to manufacture the substances they need (anxiolytics, antidepressants, antibiotics) to maintain themselves.
2 – Yoga removes obstacles to their proper functioning.
And yes, yoga brings what it takes to allow the body to be healthy, as it is programmed to be. A stress-free environment does not exist, and our body is designed to manage it.
Indeed, for this, it is enough to place it in ideal conditions: a diet adapted to our physiological needs, a physical activity necessary for the proper functioning of our body, a method of relaxation or meditation and quality social relations with our entourage.
And what does yoga offer?
– Postures, physical activity (the human body is built to move, otherwise the muscles melt, the joints become stiff, the bones weaken, the tissues freeze, etc.)
– techniques of management and release of the breath, particularly useful for the management of emotions and daily stress,
– relaxation and meditation gradually allow one to manage one’s thoughts and especially one’s existential anxieties (anxiety, fear of living or dying) and being more present to oneself and to others (the human being is a social being).
And all this is of interest because it is the gateway to Health, to a happier, more fulfilled life. So, shall we start ?!
