Yoga Menu Plans

Even though there aren’t any fixed menu plans in Yoga you could use these guidelines to maintain dosha balance in your body and restore their balance as required, regardless of your basic constitution. The three doshas (or humors in the human body) are also known to influence the movement of thoughts, feelings, prana flows, nerve impulses, and fluids in our body.

Yoga recommends:

1. Warm food, moderately heavy textures, added butter and fat.
2. Salt, sour, and sweet tastes, as they are considered soothing and satisfying foods.
3. All soothing foods are considered good. As far as possible, have warm milk, warm soups, hot cereals, cream, butter, stews, and fresh baked bread. Also increase warm, nourishing foods since these are good for stabilizing the doshas in the body. On the other hand cold foods like cold salads, iced drinks, raw vegetables and greens aren’t very good for persons with vata imbalance.
4. In Yoga, breakfast is highly recommended. Have breakfast which is warm, milky and sweet like hot cereals such as cream of rice or wheat.
5. Have hot or herbal teas with snacks late in the afternoons. Keep away from drinks high in caffeine.
6. Have warm, moist foods like cooked grains and cereals, hot oatmeal or steaming, hot vegetable soup.
   Yoga considers warm milk good. If you like, you can add a little sugar or honey to it.
7. Always have warm or hot water instead of iced water or iced drinks.
8. Go in for salted nuts which are heavy and oily as opposed to dry salty snacks.

Grains

Prefer	Reduce or avoid
Oats (as cooked oatmeal cereal, not dry)	barley
cooked rice	buckwheat
wheat	corn
	dry oats
	millet
	rye

Vegetables

Prefer	Avoid or reduce
Asparagus	Brussels sprouts
Beets	cabbage
Carrots	cauliflower
Cooked vegetables	broccoli
Cucumber	celery
Garlic	eggplant
Green beans	leafy green vegetables
Leafy greens in moderation	tomatoes
Onions, cooked	mushrooms
Onions, cooked	peas
Radishes	potatoes
Sweet potato	peppers
Turnips	sprouts

Note: All the above vegetables are alright if they are cooked with oils, but for cabbage and sprouts.

Fruits

Prefer	Avoid or reduce
Apricots	apples
Avocados	cranberries
Bananas	pears
Berries	pomegranates
Cherries
Coconut	The above fruits are OK cooked
Fresh figs	Avoid dried fruits, in general and unripe fruit (especially bananas)
Grapefruit
Grapes
Lemons
Mangos
Papaya
Peaches
Pineapple
Plums
Sour oranges
Sweet fruits
Sweet melons
Sour fruits
Stewed fruits

Beans

Prefer	Avoid or reduce
Chickpeas	None.
Mung beans
Pink lentils
Tofu (small amounts)

Dairy

All Dairy is acceptable

Oils

All oils are acceptable. Then again, sesame oil and olive oil are considered particularly good.

Sweeteners

All are acceptable

Nuts and Seeds

All are acceptable in small quantities. Then again, almonds are considered best.

Herbs and spices

Almost all herbs and spices are acceptable within moderation, with emphasis on sweet and/or heating herbs and spices. Then again, you must avoid using spices in large amounts. Curtail or avoid the use of all bitter and astringent herbs and spices like: coriander seeds, fenugreek, parsley, saffron, turmeric.

In summation

Breakfast is normally considered desirable. Have hot, sweet and sour foods. Decrease quantities of dry and bitter foods. Increase warm or hot water and drinks, raw nuts and nut butters. Use spices: cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, ginger, cloves in moderation.