Yoga Teacher Training Forum

Namskar Gary,

You are looking at your Yoga teacher training exam - I presume. The answer is around the first part of the book. Air is the most essential of all foods, but read the book again to find out where you can find the best quality air that is rich in prana.

Pure, sattvic food needs to be chewed carefully and eaten in modest portions. Overeating is not good.

Fresh Organic Vegetables: Most mild organic vegetables are considered sattvic, including beets, carrots, celery, cucumbers, green leafy veggies, sweet potats and squash. Spicy vegetables should be consumed in moderation.

Other choices:

Asparagus

Artichokes

Cabbage

Lettuce

Onion

Cauliflower

Radish

Swede

Lambs Lettuce

Peas

Courgette

Red Cabbage

Leeks

Watercress

Spinach

Turnip

Chives

Carrot

Green Beans

Beetroot

Garlic

Celery

Grasses (wheat, straw, barley, dog, kamut etc.)

Cucumber

Broccoli

Kale

Brussels Sprouts

Fresh Organic Fruits: Apples, apricots, bananas, berries, dates, grapes, melons, lemons, mangs, oranges, peaches and plums.

Fresh Organic Dairy: Low fat milk, butter, clarified butter (ghee), cheese (paneer), whey and fresh yogurt.

Nuts, Seeds and Oils: In moderation - Fresh nuts and seeds that havent been overly roasted and salted. Almonds coconut, pine nuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds. Oils should be of highest quality, cold-pressed, and from the first pressing. Good choices are olive oil, sesame oil and flax oil.

Legumes: Split mung beans, yellow split peas, organic tofu, bean sprouts, lentils and adzuki beans. Smaller beans are easier to digest. Preparation methods before cooking are: Grinding, soaking, sprouting, splitting, peeling, and spicing.

Whole Grains: Whole grains provide excellent nourishment when well cooked. Consider organic rice, whole wheat, spelt, oatmeal and barley. Lightly roastinf the grains before cooking will remove the heaviness. Yeasted breads are not recommended unless toasted.

Wheat and other grains can be sprouted before cooking as well. Chapathis (whole wheat flat bread), porridge, Kicharee (basmati rice cooked with split mung beans, ghee and mild spices), kheer (rice cooked with milk and then sweetened), and sprouted grain bread.

Spices: Sattvic spices are the mild spices including basil, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, fresh ginger and turmeric. Rajasic spices like black pepper, red pepper and garlic are normally excluded, but are sometimes used in small amounts.

Supplemental Protein: Meat is not recommended. Purists eat low fat dairy products and beans. But low-fat fish, poultry or eggs (egg whites have less fat) could be eaten in a pinch. Again, this is not a vegan diet but your choices will be cleaner than most people. Combining whole grains with legumes gives a better protein profile.

Sweeteners: In moderation - Raw honey and raw brown sugar.

Drinks:

Fresh vegetable juice

Pure water (distilled, reverse osmosis, ionized)

Lemon water (pure water and fresh lemon or lime).

Herbal Tea

Vegetable broth

Non-sweetened Soy Milk

Almond Milk

Om Shanti,

Priyah