Principles of a Yogic diet play an integral role in the development of a healthy lifestyle. When to eat, how to eat, what to eat, and what not to eat are the four major aspects that make a person healthy. Principles of a Yoga diet are time-tested and very easy to follow. Ancient literature says one should break one’s night long fast at the time of sunrise and end one’s last main meal at the time of sunset. We should fill only 50% of our stomachs with food, 25% of our stomachs with water, and keep 25% of our stomachs empty.

If our stomach is overstuffed, food is not properly digested. Eat slowly and chew food properly. Our minds and body are greatly affected by the food that we eat. Our body is acidic by function but alkaline by design. A yogic diet brings acid-alkaline balance which is a key indicator of good health. The Yogic diet is a vegetarian one, consisting of green, fresh vegetables, fruits, and simple, natural foods that are easily digested and do not cause lethargy and heaviness. It keeps the body lean and supple, the mind clear and sharp, and promotes health. A yogic diet is pure and filled with Prana (life force) which is called "Sattvic" food. Sattvic foods are neither too hot nor too cold, nourish the humor of the body, and include milk, ghee, butter, fresh fruits, dry fruits, seasonal vegetables, leafy vegetables, wheat, unpolished rice, sprouted cereals, pulses, ginger, turmeric powder, honey, herb teas, jaggery, sugar candy, etc.

Foods to Avoid / Reduce - Spicy foods, oily fried foods, stale foods, refined sugars, chemically enhanced foods (flavored/processed, etc.), re-heated, canned or frozen foods, alcohol, tobacco, stimulants, meat, fish, and egg.