How to eat like a yogi (even if you’re not vegan)

Image Credit: your. Buddhi

We don't care if you're vegan, lacto-ovo-pescatarian, fruitatarian or paleo (or even whether you know what those things mean!). Whether you love bacon, are addicted to cheesecake or just can't resist a plate of ribs every now and then, we can all eat more 'yogic-ly' by making small simple changes.
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This a post for everyone who wants to eat better – better for your health, better for the planet and better for your wallet! This is our advice on how to eat like a yogi no matter WHAT diet you follow - and if you really like, you can have your bacon and eat it too!

1. Plan out your meals

Be brutally honest with yourself here – how often do you throw food out? If you added up the cost of it, how much do you think the food that ends up in your bin is worth? It’s something that we all tend to be guilty of in Western culture, and something that is so simply avoided with a little bit of extra planning! In Australia on average we throw 20% of our food out - that's the equivalent of chucking out every 5th shopping bag you take home! Food is plentiful, available and not too expensive. Hell, I’ve ended up throwing out food simply because I ‘felt’ like something different. The solution – a solid meal plan. Buy only what you need, freeze things that you aren’t going to eat in time (be honest, who knew that you could freeze an avocado!) and embrace the deliciousness that is ‘the leftover’. Your wallet and the planet will thank you!

2.Think about sustainability and consciously

With all the money you’ve saved you’ll be sure to save more than enough to put it towards food that’s a little bit kinder (even if it is a tad more expensive). Take a few extra moments to figure out which eggs you want to buy (free range eggs aren’t all created equally), buy local wherever possible (wattup farmers markets!), reduce your meat portion size even if you don’t give it up all together, and start to learn more about organic foods. The key think here is to start thinking – knowledge is power, and the more we know, the more we can talk with our feet (and dollars) and start to make meaningful change. Supporting small businesses and local food producers will make all of our lives more abundant to boot!

3. Consider the ‘prana’ of food

Prana is the yogic word for lifeforce energy. It’s that stuff that keeps you and I alive - it’s in animals, plants, trees and ALL of the food we eat. Consider eating an apple straight off the tree compared to one you bought at the supermarket. Which one do you think is going to nourish you more – the one picked last week or last year? Did you know that your local Coles or Woolies stocks apples that are up to 10 months old?! Have you ever wondered how every fruit and vegetable is available all year round even though we have seasons? Our asparagus often comes from Peru and we get grapes and cherries from the US. Eat with the seasons and consider growing your own (and again, farmers markets – word.)

4. Eat mindfully

Hand up if you’ve ever eaten a big feed from KFC or Maccas and felt ‘not so perky’ immediately after. This is a pretty extreme example of how we eat without considering how it makes us feel, but we can apply this to every food and beverage that we consume. Listen to what your body wants and needs because it definitely knows better than your reward driven brain  – we can often be so out of whack with what our body truly needs that we mistake being thirsty for being hungry (2 litres of water a day folks!). Eat away from your computer, away from the TV and if you have a tendency to chow your food down in record time try putting your fork down between each bite. For most people it takes around 20 minutes for their stomach to tell their brain that it’s full! Consider the Spanish tradition of tapas – little tiny meals spaced out, or divide your plate into 2, eat the first half in whatever time you like and then wait at least 15 minutes before starting on the second half. You’ll end up only eating what you really need and enjoying your food a whole lot more!

Whatever your diet, whatever your preferences you can definitely apply a more yogic approach to what you consume. You don't need to start drinking kale smoothies every morning and subsisting off lentils. Learn more, buy local, don’t waste and most importantly really enjoy every bite!