Superfoods nourish and fuel your body with the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals it requires. While everyone’s diet maybe structured differently, every yoga lover needs decent nourishment in order to perform disciplinary practices with the right energy and mind-set.
If you are looking for superfoods that can help you boost your exercises, let us help you with our recommendations for the top five superfoods for yoga lovers.
What is a superfood?
‘Superfood’ is a term that often describes nutrient-packed foods that have the ability to benefit our overall health and even help protect our body against serious diseases. The expression originally stems from the food industry as a marketing term and is used to promote food trends. It has now evolved to describe foods with large nutritional profiles, including essential minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and healthy fats our bodies need.
How can superfoods benefit my health?
Highly nutritional foods possess a range of contents and all offer different health benefits. Generally, superfoods provide nutrients that the body is unable to produce for itself. Most of them contain high levels of protein, fibre, B vitamins and plenty of other minerals that we consistently require.
Superfoods such as spinach, kale, avocados, mushrooms and sweet potatoes are examples of powerful foods that can help boost your overall health.
It is vital to include these types of superfoods in your daily diet in order to achieve a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle, along with consistent work-outs and training. Remember, healthy-eating should not punish but nourish the body, providing you with the energy you need for the day!
Superfood and yoga
Yoga is a spiritual practice that uses breathing techniques, exercises and meditation to train the body and mind to self-observe and become aware of its own nature. The purpose of yoga is to cultivate peace and a higher consciousness within the individual.
Yoga also comes with multiple health benefits. It improves the energy and vitality of the body and increases muscle strength and athletic performance. While this practice requires a lot of flexibility, it is an essential training that aims to obtain a peaceful state of mind and become aware of the body’s tensions. It takes a lot of discipline that needs to be maintained, even after the practice.
Eating plays a major part in our lives, keeping us energised and providing us with the necessary nutrients we need. Therefore, eating is considered one of the most important acts in yoga practice. Food nourishes and fuels the body, mind and emotions. As yoga is a spiritual practice that also requires physical energy and strength, superfoods can be essential and certainly belong to the journey of a yogi.
There is no prescribed “yogi-diet”. Everyone’s body has different needs and requires varied amounts of food to function effectively. But there are some superfoods we can offer that can surely help yoga lovers perform their training better and maintain a well-balanced and healthy body, during and after practice.
Cacao
Cacao powder is a very much beloved ingredient that offers a rich natural chocolate flavour without any refined sugars and chemicals. The superfood contains high sources of iron and is packed with antioxidants. It releases a neurotransmitter called anandamide, which is naturally activated when you feel emotions of excitement.
Cacao also helps boost the immune system and the flexibility in the arteries, while maintaining the blood flow, as it offers magnesium and phenylethylamine - a mood-boosting chemical, which can help you remain energised throughout your session.
Turmeric powder
Turmeric is rising in its popularity of being the number one superfood. It has powerful levels of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, such as manganese and iron, improving healthy bone, muscle and brain functions, which is a key feature during yoga exercises.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha Root Powder is an ingredient that also helps boost your energy levels. The natural adaptogen can help your body combat stress, anxiety and fatigue. This superfood is considered to be one of the best natural treatments for improving mood, which makes it a perfect addition to a yogi-diet.
Spirulina
Spirulina is a gluten-free and vegan supplement packed with protein, vitamin, calcium, fibre, iron and antioxidants, allowing it to help your body release toxins naturally, stabilise blood pressure and boost energy levels.
Baobab powder
Baobab is another great superfood that can help you perform well during your yoga sessions. It is one of the richest food sources of vitamin C and contains over 50 per cent of fibre, which helps decrease the amount of sugars released into the blood stream and keeps the bowls and gut healthy.
Integrate these top five superfoods into your diet and experience how they can impact your daily exercise routine, providing you with enough energy and endurance during your sessions!
