Many people associate a yogic diet with that of a vegetarian diet. Not all Yoga teachers are vegetarians, and you need not give up meat in order to practice Yoga. It is a personal choice. It is often encouraged though that we cut down on our meat intake for health reasons and more recently for environmental concerns.
My challenge with dieting began when I was a growing teenager, fighting with obesity and low self esteem. I overate and this continued into my adulthood. My life turned around when I began to notice that more people around me were getting sick and suffering injuries (including myself). More recently, I discovered the macrobiotic way of eating and I started to view my eating habits differently.
Not only does what we eat affect us, how we eat, when we eat, where we eat and why we eat; all play an important part in our daily life. If we are willing to spend hours shopping to look good, we should also spend the same (or more) time taking care of our body. A flashy sports car with a faulty engine is useless and serves no one. Similarly, when we are sick and down with an illness or disease, we cannot function fully and our emotional state is affected as well.
Eating right (and well) does not equate to food deprivation. It simply means to be more aware of your eating habits. Often overindulgence is the culprit of poor eating habits and health issues. Eating well is an effort, a conscious effort. Make a choice, make a commitment to treat your body and your food with respect and you will be amazed with the results. A clearer and more peaceful state of mind, a healthy and fit body and a new compassionate way of living await you.
