An excerpt from Yoga Journal:
"Eating is perhaps the single most important act for one's yoga practice," Blossom says, "because nourishment of the body's tissues forms a foundation for nourishment of the mind and emotions." One way to think about this is to imagine devoting your days to practice while feeding yourself nothing but sugar and caffeine. What effect would that have? It's easy to see that a balanced, calm mind is much easier to come by if you commit yourself to nourishing your body properly, just as you commit yourself to asana, pranayama, and meditation. But what exactly does it mean to nourish yourself properly? Just how do you eat like a yogi?
I suggest eating what makes you feel good. We all know that pizza and ice cream is yummy, but is that really going to set you on the path for a good yoga practice? After a morning practice, whiy not try a bowl of quinoa (an ancient Indian grain), with cinnamon and maple syrup - especially now that it's getting chilly? Or for dinner after and afternoon practice, while I am on the subject of quinoa, why not try:
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.
4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping ¾-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.
From Vegetarian Times, February 2009
"Eating is perhaps the single most important act for one's yoga practice," Blossom says, "because nourishment of the body's tissues forms a foundation for nourishment of the mind and emotions." One way to think about this is to imagine devoting your days to practice while feeding yourself nothing but sugar and caffeine. What effect would that have? It's easy to see that a balanced, calm mind is much easier to come by if you commit yourself to nourishing your body properly, just as you commit yourself to asana, pranayama, and meditation. But what exactly does it mean to nourish yourself properly? Just how do you eat like a yogi?
I suggest eating what makes you feel good. We all know that pizza and ice cream is yummy, but is that really going to set you on the path for a good yoga practice? After a morning practice, whiy not try a bowl of quinoa (an ancient Indian grain), with cinnamon and maple syrup - especially now that it's getting chilly? Or for dinner after and afternoon practice, while I am on the subject of quinoa, why not try:
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Calories: 279
- Protein: 14 g
- Total Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
- Sodium: 518 mg
- Fiber: 10 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (½ cup)
- 1 Tbs. ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
- 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
- 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- ¾ cup quinoa
- 3 large carrots, grated (1½ cups)
- 1½ cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided
- 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed
2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.
4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping ¾-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.
From Vegetarian Times, February 2009