What are the most key nutrients our bodies need for yoga?

Hey guys,
I was curious what are the most key nutrients our bodies should be fed before, during and after yoga, or in a yoga lifestyle?

Ex. Potassium, magnesium, folates, vitamins B’s or C’s, sodium, iron, zinc etc…

Also, what are the main drinks you find yourself bringing to your workouts?

Ex. Orange juice, water, coconut water, pineapple juice, gatorade, etc…

Thank you and I am really excited to hear what you guys feed your bodies!:slight_smile:

By ayurvedic traditional nutrition, yogi suppose to drink warm milk, eat ghi-pure butter and basmathi rice.
That will be enough :slight_smile:
avoid meat, garlic, onion, coffee …
that is the traditional daily nutrition of a yogi.
Good luck

“I was curious what are the most key nutrients our bodies should be fed before, during and after yoga, or in a yoga lifestyle? Also, what are the main drinks you find yourself bringing to your workouts? Ex. Orange juice, water, coconut water, pineapple juice, gatorade, etc…”

A range of nutrients is important. Most yogis get what they need from a healthy vegetarian diet. If you’re a vegetarian and consuming little dairy, be sure you are getting enough vitamin b-12. Other nutrients that are frequently low in the diet? Vitamin E, Vitamin A, and magnesium. Please find whole food sources for these latter nutrients. They’re all super important.

Be careful with juices as they are often concentrated sources of sugar without fiber. Gatorade is out. Traditional Yoga texts recommend pure water. That’s my favorite, often mixed with a fresh squeezed lemon or a slice of cucumber.

“By ayurvedic traditional nutrition, yogi suppose to drink warm milk, eat ghi-pure butter and basmathi rice. That will be enough - avoid meat, garlic, onion, coffee …that is the traditional daily nutrition of a yogi.”

While ayurveda and yoga are sister systems from ancient India, they are not the same. Traditional texts of Yoga don’t recommend an ayurvedic diet specifically. They do recommend dairy but also say its not necessary. They recommend the avoidance of meat and garlic but not onion. It’s ayurveda that recommends against onion, and that’s a shame. Excluding both garlic and onion from the diet may put you at a higher risk for cancer. They are potent natural detoxers, and in our modern toxic world, we need to consume them in a balanced fashion.

Coffee hit the Indian subcontinent after the traditional Yoga works were written, so there is no mention of coffee by the esteemed yogis of centuries past. Modern gurus like Pattabhi Jois and Iyengar drink coffee. It also has great detoxing effects when examined under the lens of modern scientific research. In small or balanced amounts, it’s not a problem after a practice session. It does stimulate the sympathetic nervous system so is not good just prior to meditation or a meditative Yoga practice session.

Yoga mentions 16 elements in the body composition. Western medicine also mentions the same 16 elements in the body composition. Deficiency in even ONE of thse 16 elements can cause severe health problems.

Its a great post about key nutrition. I have learnt so many new ideas about key nutrition for yoga with reading this post. Thanks for this sharing. I will keep this information in my mind.

[QUOTE=Andelson;79012]Its a great post about key nutrition. I have learnt so many new ideas about key nutrition for yoga with reading this post. Thanks for this sharing. I will keep this information in my mind.[/QUOTE]
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