Regular exercise, meditation, and balanced, nutritious diet is the secret ingredient of a healthy life! Yoga is known to give not only a comprehensive body relaxing, strength building and immunity-boosting exercise to the body both externally and internally but also helps to generate a better body awareness, helping us to indulge in good habits and dietary practices. Regular exercise especially meditation and yoga help you to suppress the cravings and can be your best-helping partner in your diet plan.
Can you eat after doing Yoga?
Similar to the other workouts it is recommended to have light food before your yoga session so that your body gets the required energy but does not make you feel bloated. But it is equally or more important to feed your body with the post-workout fuel. Depending on the different styles and intensity of your yoga practice the calories burned during the process varies. But one must make sure to have some nutritious food ready to restore the lost energy. In general, a meal filled with protein, carbohydrates, some essential good fats, and fiber- right after the yoga session or within an hour post-yoga session- is the optimal solution to repair the muscles and body organs.
What to eat after Yoga class?
Always eat a super nutritious meal after your yoga session containing carbohydrates plus proteins. But what you need to eat after an early morning practice will be different from what you need to eat after a late evening class.
After morning class
If you are doing yoga during morning hours, you are likely to hit the mat relatively on a empty stomach or on a totally empty stomach. One must rehydrate oneself with some water after a yoga session and have some light food with lean protein, little fat and little carbohydrates. Here you need to consume something complete and balanced to refill you from yoga practice and provide you a back up till the lunch time (mid-morning snacks in case of early morning class).
After evening class
An early or late evening class suggests that you already had eaten something before the class. So you are saving your dinner until after the class. So some dinner options -with soups, veggies, a bowl of rice, lentils- a food high in fiber is recommended so that you don’t go to bed with ton of food to digest and ruin your sleep, but also not lying awake and hungry.
A qualified Yoga Coach can guide you better about the right food you must feed to your body for overall nourishment. A good Yoga Institute regularly conducts events regarding healthy food habits. Here is the list of top 5 foods you must include in your post-yoga meal-
1. Fruitify your body
Fruits are the best thing to have your hand on after your yoga session. They are loaded with natural sugar instantly giving energy and are highly refreshing. With its simple carbohydrate content, it replenishes the electrolytes, provides vitamins, and hydrates the body. It nourishes the body and boosts the mood due to freshness. The key ingredients in fruits help to maintain the healthiness of the nervous system and active brain. Due to the high fiber content and refreshing effects, it can be included by both the morning and evening practitioners in their post-yoga refueling diet.
2. Replenish the electrolytes
As you sweat during the yoga practice some amount of electrolytes are lost. Commercial sports drinks need not necessarily have all the right amount of required electrolytes that your body requires after an intensive yoga session. These drinks may contain high levels of sugar or artificial flavoring agents and other hazardous preservatives. Instead of these chemical loaded drinks go for the naturally hydrating pure fruit juice, lemon water, or simply coconut water. Simple, plain water is the best when it comes to hydrating. Replace the liquids you have lost with green tea. Plenty of water is necessary.
3. Muscle strengthening
Eat healthy and nourishing food! A healthy snack full of carbs, fat, and protein especially the lean protein refills your energy within your muscles and your liver. Your muscles are made of protein, so it is a brilliant idea to include protein in your post-yoga diet to help your muscles to build and recover. Combination of nuts like almonds and seeds like pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds will provide a good source of protein and energy. Eggs are a great option having high protein, vitamin, and mineral value. Make your own protein bars using dry fruits.
4. Eat your Carbs
Carbohydrates with some good fats are also recommended in a moderate amount. Daliya, soaked groundnut, or chickpeas helps to replenish the energy and gives a feeling of fullness. Banana is rich in vitamins and minerals also provides carbohydrates. Cereals, grains, millets, Ragi provide carbs with high fiber content making it easy to digest. Immediately after the practice is the right time for carbs replacement in your muscle so they can replenish glycogen, preventing chronic fatigue, acute burnout, or injuries.
5. Salad and sprouts
Indulge in your veggies filled with all the necessary nutrients, vitamins, and fiber. Homemade soups having a variety of veggies make a great post-yoga meal option for evening yoga classes. A bowl of salad made from fresh veggies especially green leafy vegetables and using organic vegetables is the best option. Sprouts give a feeling of fullness and are high in fiber content making it easy to digest and highly detoxifying.
So, after your next yoga session, make sure to not skip the reenergizing, replenishing, and restoring post-yoga meal. Have a fruit or banana, a handful of nuts and resins, or other healthy snacks with plenty of fluids and water that will help you to repair, restore, and take care of your body immediately after your yoga practice and in a long run too.