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| good morning! i do yoga in the morning, every morning and then a few times during the day. ive heard you shouldnt eat before you do yoga, but can anyone tell me firstly why that is and secondly how much after you eat can you practice. i wake up in the morning and im very hungry. im just one of those people who cant not eat breakfast and ive practiced a few times without eating in the morning and while its not uncomfortable, i do keep going back to the thought that im hungry during my practice so i cant be 100% mentally there. do you guys eat breakfast? ive heard alot of yogis dont. is it something you get used to and isnt it bad for your metabolism? im pretty ignorant when it comes to yoga and nutrition connected. i have lots of knowledge on the 2 seperately so i would love it if someone can set me straight on what the best way to eat is when a yogi. i eat very healthy but i know that i might not be eating the right types of foods sometimes because sometimes i get really tired throughout the day. any info would be great! thanks! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Victoria - I really have to eat in the morning as well, though I prefer to wait an hour or so before I eat. It is easier on your body to work without having to digest at the same time. In fact, if you are doing vigorous activity (sun salutations or running 5 miles) your stomach will just shut down until you are done. Not pleasant! It is acceptable to have a small glass of milk or juice before practicing. I like a couple of spoonfuls of really good yogurt. Just keep it small - enough to send the signal that you have eaten and keep your belly and brain satisfied  |
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| i also eat breakfast every morning, though in general, i cannot eat in the first hour that i'm up. which means that i get to practice yoga then, and then eat (though now, that's filled with driving my husband to work and then driving mself to work, which means i'm eating hard boiled eggs and fruit and drinking water while in the car).
i eat probably every few hours, because i'm a hungry sort, but i suppose that's really "grazing" in a way.  anyway, i practice when i feel light enough and ready, when praciticing during the day, and then go from there. |
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| thank you tourist and zoebird, for your responses! i usually get up in the morning and have breakfast within the first hour of rising but then i sit and wait before doing yoga so that my food can settle but its a little annoying because i feel like i cant start my practice until im sure the food is digested which means alot of sitting around and waiting lol. this morning i took your advice and had some juice which worked surprisingly well. im always afraid to practice without having eaten because i feel like i woulnt have energy but it was quite the contrary. thanks for the great advice! |
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Member
Posts: 28
| Beakfast is a problem for me mostly because I like a bowl of cerial before I go to bed at night. It keeps me from getting hungry during the night and I get that good fiber. So in the morning I don't feel like cerial again and a little fruit doesn't quite do the job. I end up eating scones or miffins, not to mention sausage or beacon & eggs. Ant suggestions? |
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| Focus on eating something healthier and more balanced to support your body, brain and lifestyle. Think outside the box. Chili with beans, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc. and lean protein of your choice makes for a great way to start your day!
What about some steel cut or old fashioned oatmeal with fruit, nuts and a side of canadian or turkey bacon?
Cottage cheese with tomatoes, peppers, and a glass of milk?
Focus on low GI carbohydrate sources, good fats (mono and polyunsaturated) and lean proteins in some combination of foods that you enjoy! Doesn't have to necessarily be traditional "breakfast" foods. |
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| I have a struggle with breakfast too, as I am not hungry but do feel the need to eat especially if I am going to be active. I usually have two mozzarella cheese stix and a cup of tea. Not sure if this is the best but it is fast and tasty. At Kripalu they had a breakfast soup at the buffet. I really liked it b/c I don't much care for eggs or cereal or traditional breakfast foods. It was a veggie and light broth soup. Tasty and light and easy on the stomach first thing in the morning. I have good intentions of making a batch on the weekend and then heating up a serving each morning, but so far haven't gotten my act together to try it. Namaste, Jennifer |
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| cheeses are really mostly protein, so if you use a LF variety (or 2% or part skim if mozzarella) they are a fairly lean source of protein and can be a reasonably healthy choice. And the protein in cheeses (in the whey) is a high quality protein as well. FWIW, cottage cheese is a good high quality protein source as well.
If you could add a small V8 and maybe a handful of nuts to get some carbs and good fats, that would round it out better. Or some natural PB (1-2 tbsp) on a small/med. banana or along with an apple is a good starter as well. Or just a handful of nuts and a serving of fruit of your choice!
Breakfast really is one of the most important meals of the day after fasting all night long while you sleep. Your body and brain really needs the proper nutrition to get them in gear and get yourself going. It really helps jump start your metabolism. Did you know that people who regularly eat breakfast tend to weigh much less than those who skip it? It's a good habit to work on and incorporate into a healthy lifestyle! 
And soup for breakfast isn't that far fetched either! (neither is chili really! ;) ) A number of years ago I was on a business trip in the SF Bay area in a hotel with a lot of Japanese guests. They had miso soup available every morning in their included breakfast buffet and virtually every Japanese guest seemed to have a bowl on their trays along with their eggs and whatever else. So I asssumed it must be a breakfast staple for them.
Edited by redrox 2008-05-29 11:49 AM
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Hey Redrox,
One of my very favorite breakfast foods is a small bowl of rice along with stir fry tofu, eggs, and green onions. I like to use a small amount of sesame oil to fry with. A half banana with this is pretty good too. Usually, I have so much left over that I eat small amounts throughout my day. In fact, I won't eat much at night if I eat this in the daytime.
I think the reason I skip breakfast sometimes is out of pure laziness and rushing to do whatever project I want to do for that day. I know it's terrible, but true. I always manage to somehow survive it. Part of when I'm in a busy mode, I like to work and I just throw myself into it on a roll kind of thing. I do eventually make up for the food loss in the afternoon and most of the time it doesn't seem to bother me. I think if you eat when your're hungry, rather than eating on a schedule can sometimes be beneficial, although, when I'm on my monthly period, I need a healthy food balance. One thing is for certain, I always have fresh olive oil and Italian bread on hand. If I need fuel in a hurry, I go for that first. Olive oil has so many health benefits and nutrients. I could live off the stuff alone.
Anyway, for Yoga days, I don't eat much at all, with the exception of almonds, a piece of fruit, and a cup of green jasmine tea with HONEY, 2 hours beforehand. Honey is really good for getting nutrients into your body. It's a natural fuel. I cannot do yoga when I eat food. Boy, when it's over, I am starving!!
P.S. Redrox, I thought about you last week when I saw that huge tornado in Colorado...it was unbelieveable!!
Edited by Cyndi 2008-05-29 4:14 PM
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| Handful of nuts for me, as well. I really hate eating in the morning and it's just hard to get me going, but I know my body needs me to eat. If I'm being really good I can get in half a banana with a bit of organic almond butter.
Cyndi, how much honey do you put in your tea?
Edited by Chatoyancy 2008-05-29 9:32 PM
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | I usually put a teaspoon and a half in my tea. If I'm drinking tea all day long, I will start with one teaspoon only. I try not to eat more than 2-3 teaspoons per day on tea drinking days - notice I use the word "try",  . It can kinda get addictive..the honey and the tea. But, on coffee days, I usually skip the honey and use only raw sugar. If I need honey I'll drizzle it over some fruit and yogurt later in the day.
I truly believe man could live on honey alone, |
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| I suck--this morning it was mucho cups of coffee and two oreos. |
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| Breaking a fast, even one of 7+ hours can be very difficult and yet we do it every morning - in some cases poorly.
But your question is about eating and asana, no?
I believe the oversimplified answer is that food in the belly requires blood supply to facilitate the digestive process (efficiently). Large muscle movement, like say ASANA, also requires blood supply to muscles, brain, et al. When you have both going on then the available supply for the digestive process is reduced thus reducing digestive efficacy.
Then there is the matter of WHAT you are eating. Some foods are gentler on the digestion. For example Melon passes right through with nary a delay. So it can be a very appropriate food. Beef on the other hand is not as it's digestive time is quite high.
And these things of course vary from human being to human being. What one with a pitta constitution can eat in the morning, vatta cannot. If you are pita you can probably eat a brick, wood, metal or some other element and you are fine. A furnace you are. Others would bog down at the very thought of that.
Here's my suggestion and they are three-fold.
Eat a small handful of nuts before bedtime. Perhaps 8 or 9 organic almonds. This will not tax your digestion and will typically shorten your overnight fast time.
Upon arising in the morning slowly drink ~16oz of water. The body dehydrates overnight and there is some research indicating that such a behavior stokes the metabolism.
Have something for yourself in the morning. Melon would be very good though it's seasonal.
Than after your practice but within 45 minutes have a complete breakfast.
Edited by purnayoga 2008-05-30 10:34 PM
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| Hi everyone. Excellent thread. I have a problem in that I am very underweight male with a BMI of only 17.7. I am currently trying to eat 3 hot meals a day and snack on nuts, seeds and fruits 2-3 more times in between. I am also using Olive oil, Hemp seed oil and Ghee to increase my calories and have just placed an order for some cold pressed hemp seed protein powder to help me out to.
Now, to what is relevant to this thread:
I wake up in the mornings and already do consume about 1L of warm water straight away which is confirmed by Purnayog to be a good idea.
I have to wait for like 30-45mins for this to go down before I can consume some ayurvedic medicines I am taking.
The problem is that by the time I am ready to do some Yog, my body is feeling really weak (in fact I sometimes awake at 3am to stomach growlings...although the 7-10almonds before sleep idea might help. Consuming 400ml of whole milk before bed hasn't helped) but I know that if I eat anything in the morning, I loose another hour+ while I wait for that to go down so I can start my routine.
By the way, after my yog session I have a nice hot breakfast of brown rice, mung beans and freshly made veggie soup.
The issue is still this hunger and weakness upon arising. I am thinking of maybe only have 500ml of water so I don't have to wait as long so I can fit in enough time to have a light pre yog snack. Someone suggested milk, and I have had milk and ghee before which seemed to work, but to be honest, I am trying to get dairy out of my diet (until I find a safe source of Raw, Organic milk.). I'm not really a fan of soy milk (not due to taste, but because it feels toxic for me). Any ideas?
As it is I am having to wake up at 4.30am to get all this done (water, medicines, yog, cooking, cleaning, packing food for work etc) before work!
I was thinking of maybe making a very small blend of 15g of hemp protein powder (it's only 50% protein since it's not a highly processed isolate or anything, with a nice amount of dietary fibre as well as EFAs), some water, bee pollen and a banana. Would I be able to consume this and start my yog within half an hour? Melon is not available. Also, the other 'problem' is I only consume organically grown products.
I wish I had the stamina to do my session on an empty stomach (like before I lost my body during an illness 2 years ago) but I feel way too weak to do so anymore 
Sorry for the rant, this has been building up for a while and I got no one who shares my lifestyle to discuss it with.
Edited by thewatcher 2008-06-01 12:36 PM
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| I am deducing that you are vegetarian or trying to go vegan, and I might encourage you to reconsider whether or not that's the right choice for your body at the moment. I had wanted to go vegetarian, but I'm also hypoglycemic, and the two do not mix for me; I simply need more protein than that to moderate the blood sugar levels in my system and fat and fiber does not work as well for me as animal protein. Perhaps this is not the case for you, but it's worth considering for the sake of your body. You can still make responsible animal protein choices if you choose to go that route. |
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| Actually I did not confirm that drinking 1L of warm water upon arising was a "good idea". I merely pointed out that it stokes the metabolism. That may or may not be the case with you AND it may or may not be appropriate for your situation.
You've been very thorough with your text outline with the exception of the illness that lead to your current body weight. So either it is private (which is fine) or you omitted it (either consciously or subconsciously). It seems important.
There's nothing wrong with eating organic. IN fact it is highly recommended. I can't fathom why yogis would do otherwise and mindfully choose to put pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides in their system - unless of course they believe "organic" foods are a sham and they are no different (or they have no access or other choice). Even in that case it seems better to take the chance that they ARE different. So please do keep eating organic when possible.
If you continue with the morning water consumption try putting the juice of half a lemon or lime in it.
I'm also curious about your practice (since you don't mention much about it either). What sort of energy requirements does your current practice demand? |
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| Thanks for the advice. To be honest, in my case, I think that the 1L of warm water actually raises my metabolism as I can feel my digestive system starting to "whir"! I take it because I've read how beneficial it is to break your 1 night water fast with 1L+ of water first thing on arising.
I lost my weight 2 years ago when I had a fever for 2 weeks, and in my delirious state, I starved my flu, not realising that the science is to actually "starve a cold, feed a flu" (it's to do with the type of antibodies which increase in your system as a consequence...according to new scientist anyway.). Stupid of me, and I have no one else to blame.
The reason I think I do need the food before yoga in the mornings is that in general, I am unable to focus on the empty stomach after not eating anything for like 10hours+ (since my supper). Also, I find myself unable to do any pranayama due to feeling too weak and hungry.
I'm not surprised since the average person recycles significant grams of protein etc on a daily basis, and if I have lost all my reserves with my low BMI, this is not an option for me.
I have been vegetarian since birth and stuck with it as I got older (and could make my own choices) for numerous reasons. I want to limit/cut out dairy for various reasons only once I feel it is safe to do so, and I have a balanced diet without out. Not in any rush though.
I think I will have to give the smoothie idea a try. Still waiting for my cold pressed hemp protein to arrive first.
I got some ideas from here:
http://yogaisforlovers.wordpress.com/2008/01/17/whenwhat-to-eat-before-yoga-class/ |
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Member
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| I think I am going to invent some kind of banana oatmeal cake without processed sugar that I can chew on. |
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breakfast?
