Healthy Eating and the Yoga Diet

Thu, 8 Sep 2011 22:11:02 +0800

What constitutes healthy eating is a controversial and divisive subject. Expert nutritionists and laymen alike all have there own theories. If one tried to feed oneself based on a combination of all the theories on healthy eating, one would probably find that there was nothing left to eat! In fact, there is even a recognized disease called Orthorexia, a form of eating disorder, which describes an individual who is excessively focused on eating healthy foods.
But make no mistake; the contemporary diet, one that is based on immoderate meat and dairy consumption and food that has been denatured by being highly processed, permeated with chemicals, artificially flavored and preserved, is a diet of poison.
Food should be eaten for health first, and taste second. It is the natural duty of all individuals who are lucky enough to have options, to make intelligent food choices. Choosing a healthy diet has a huge positive impact on ones physical, mental and emotional life, the lives of others and the environment. And this applies particularly to the student of yoga, not least of all because ones practice will benefit immeasurably.
This is not to say that one should never eat junk food. Yes we may enjoy our sweets, fried foods and favorite treats. But we should enjoy them in moderation, in the context of an overall healthy diet. Some diet theories say that a ratio of 80% healthy / 20% not healthy, is acceptable.
Most of the sensible theories about natural holistic healthy eating seem to agree on the following basic points:
Our food should be...
Fresh. Properly cooked and eaten immediately, or eaten raw. The fresher the food is, the more nutrition and health giving qualities it has. Some theories state that three hours after cooking, most food is spoiled and provides virtually no nutrition whatsoever. Furthermore, food should not be from frozen, a tin, a packet, ready-made, precooked, reheated (especially in a microwave oven), left-over, preserved etc.
Whole. Food that has been processed or refined as little as possible and is as close to its natural form as possible - whole grain, whole fiber, etc. For example, that means white (i.e. processed) flours or starches are to be avoided or to be taken in moderation. Most bread / pasta / pizza / cookies / cakes etc are not healthy! As if you didn’t already know! One should also avoid sugars that are not whole - that are refined / processed / white. Brown raw cane sugar is much more tasty than white and is more easily absorbed into the body than processed sugar. Watch out! Processed sugar is added, often covertly, to a depressingly vast array of commercially available foods.
Chemical Free/Organic. Food should not contain chemicals OF ANY KIND. No artificial preservatives, colours, textures, flavourings, pesticides etc. Read the label!
Vegetarian. Quite aside from any moral / yogic ideas of Ahimsa (harmlessness) many nutritionists agree that a diet for superior health is one based on vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes (beans & pulses) etc. It seems incredible that with all the well-documented health scares, and information available these days, that any intelligent person really believes that a diet based on eating lots of meat is good for their health. Incidentally, Guruji was adamant that eating dairy products is good for us! Many contemporary nutritionists would probably disagree. It is interesting that studies have found that the majority of people are intolerant to dairy products. It is said that at least 90% of Asian people are intolerant of dairy. Maybe we can generously conclude that a small amount of organic dairy product is okay for some people?
There are many other issues and ideas worth considering, a few examples being :
- Minimizing foods that dramatically increase the acidity balance in the body.
- Food Combining. How to mix different kinds of food for proper digestion and maximum benefit.
- Quantity, proportion & times of the day to eat.
Food Supplements.
- Avoiding stimulating foods in excess. Ie coffee, alcohol, drugs, spices etc.
Fasting and detoxing.
- The Ayurveda System (traditional Indian medicine) concerned with the particular constitution of the individual, and what foods are suitable for them.
- The ancient system of “Guna”. A way to understand the three energetic qualities of everything in the universe, including food.
Some links on diet and health :
Website for an interesting documentary : Food Matters
Intro to a yoga diet : Sivananda Diet
101 Reasons Why I’m A Vegetarian : VivaVegie
Food combining : Internet Health Library - Food Combining
Daniel Reid, detox guru : Dan Reid
John Robbins author of the excellent Food Revolution Food Revolution

Bangkok Bad

Sun, 1 May 2011 21:58:13 +0800

As I write, the floor shakes beneath me and the entire apartment is filled with the deafening roar of machinery and foul engine fumes. It's as if I were sharing the room with an archaic and ruined washing machine, pounding out its furious spin cycle, hour after hour.
Until a few months ago, from our balcony, the scene was idyllic by Bangkok standards. A couple of small neat houses, a lawn and plenty of trees. Birds were heard singing in the morning and in the evening, there was almost silence. And in place of that we now have, you guessed it, a construction site.
I am very often wondering about matters of health. Questions pop up and and if they persist, in the end I start researching, looking for answers. One recurring theme is how to be healthy whilst living in Bangkok.
I have been living here since 2008 and have been concerned about the state of my health and that of others around me during this time. I have often wondered about the environmental damage to health from living in this city. And I wanted to find out just how unhealthy the environment here really is, and how it compares to other cities around the World. So I did a little investigating.
Obviously, there is a vast amount of information out there on this subject, but hey, we don't want to be here all day, so...
Mercer, international financial services group have published a very useful list
Eco-City Ranking 2010
A list of major World cities which considers the following criteria: Water Availability, Water Potability, Waste Removal, Sewage, Air Pollution and Traffic Congestion. Two hundred and twenty one cities are ranked from best to worst. Top of the list, in the number one position as the healthiest major city in the World is
Calgary in Canada, with an Eco-City Index (ECI) score of 145.7.
At the bottom of the list, in last place, at number two hundred and twenty one, is Port-au-Prince, capital city of Haiti, with an ECI of just 27.8.
But what about Bangkok, I hear you asking. Yeah yeah, we will get to that in a minute. First let's look at some of our Asian neighbors.
Singapore comes out very high on the list, top Asian city at number 22, with an ECI score of 132.4. Then
Kuala Lumpur is at 96,
Vientiane, capital of Laos, at 119,
Taipei at 124,
Hanoi at 137,
Hanoi at 142,
Phnom Penh at 158,
Manilla at 172,
Jakarta at 173,
Beijing at 181.
And finally, dwelling near the bottom of the list, keeping close company with, San Salvador, Bangalore, Beirut, is...
Bangkok at, cough-cough, 191, with the asthma-inducing Eco-City Index a mere 57.8.
Worse than I expected for sure. So, what can we do to ease the damage caused by living in such a toxic environment? Did someone say Air Conditioning? Grrr, don't get me started on that...
A strong yoga practice is very helpful - exhaling and stretching and sweating out some of the toxicity that might otherwise be trapped in the body.
Also within our sphere of influence is the choice of food that we eat, the products that we put on our skins, the type and the place of many of our activities, etc. Compared to other major World cities, Bangkok is definitely not over-endowed with choices for the discerning health conscious person.

KKK Invades BKK or The Latest Hydrogen Bomb To Drop On The City

Mon, 4 Oct 2010 20:18:42 +0800

Man : Doctor, my stomach is disagreeing with me.
Stomach : Oh no I’m not.

Last week, there was a darkening of an already considerably dark door, as one of my least favorite places to be in Bangkok, sunk to new depths in my estimation.

I am talking about the sensual nightmare of the Paragon department store’s grim subterranean food court, which somehow manages the architectural miracle of being both vast and claustrophobic at the same time. The perpetual echoing of screaming children has not deterred me however from scouring this manic, stale-aired abyss many times over. But in another sublime contradiction, I have thus far discovered nothing resembling proper food. No whole food to be sure, but at least now we can say the place has... hole food.

Yes, it was a great week for the purveyors and consumers of junk food alike with the staggeringly successful launch in Bangkok of Thailand’s first branch of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

“Krispy Kreme Kraziness” screams one local news report. Indeed, KKK seems about right when observing from the aerial safety of Siam BTS, the happy shoppers - Thai and Farang - baking in the Saturday afternoon sun for a rumored two hours, in a queue that spilled out of Paragons side door, snaked back and forth several times through crowd control barriers and turned the corner of the building onto the main road and off into the distance. It is however also rumored that what was on display in the streets was in fact a rent-a-crowd. I am not sure which version of this story is more depressing. Either way, on closer examination from inside Paragon, doughnuts were indeed being served and consumed in huge quantities.

In a Bangkok Post report, Ausanee Mahagitsiri, chief executive of KDN, the local franchisee of the US chain, said she was “personally gratified to see Krispy Kreme receive such an unexpectedly overwhelming response from local customers”. In a further, and rather unfortunate, quote she added; "I hope Krispy Kreme will stay in Thai hearts for a long time". Well her hopes may indeed be realized, with heart disease the number one killer in Thailand, and the prevalence of overweight and obese children and adolescents having increased dramatically in the past 20 years, thanks in large part to the ever-increasing consumption of Western fast food.

Krispy Kreme Kredentials

Obviously, only a fool would believe that glazed doughnuts - which are predominantly made of bleached and highly processed white flour, processed sugar and fat of dubious origin, then deep fried in more fat, and coated in more processed and chemical laden sugar - are a healthy food. And even a fool such as I is partial to an occasional doughnut, though I hasten to add, not the KK glazed variety. However, it is worth differentiating between fatty and sugary junk food that is “not good for you’, and that which is poisonous.

So, leaving aside the devastating effects of a massive dose of processed sugar and chemicals on the system, lets limit our concerns to the scientifically proven links between Hydrogenated/Trans fats and numerous serious diseases, including Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). CHD is attributed to consumption of Hydrogenated/Trans fats because they raise levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and lower levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. Health authorities worldwide recommend that consumption of Hydrogenated/Trans fats be reduced to trace amounts.

Hydrogenated/Trans fats are also linked to Alzheimer’s Disease, Cancer, Diabetes, Obesity, Liver Dysfunction and Infertility in women.

Orwellian U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules allow manufacturers of junk food to hide Trans fats in their products whilst stipulating that they do not contain any. For example, if a food product contains less than 0.5 grams of Trans-fat “per serving”, FDA rules allow the product to state on its packaging that it is “Trans-fat free”.

And predictably, according to Wikipedia, “…as of January 2008, the Trans Fat content of all Krispy Kreme doughnuts was reduced to 0.5 of a gram or less… Krispy Kreme benefited from this (FDA) regulatory rule in its subsequent advertising campaign, touting its doughnuts as "trans fat free" and having "0 grams trans fat!"”

From “Metabolic Poisons: What’s Wrong with Partially Hydrogenated Oils?” :

“…trans fats are poisons, just like arsenic or cyanide. They interfere with the metabolic processes of life by taking the place of a natural substance that performs a critical function. And that is the definition of a poison. Your body has no defense against them, because they never even existed in our two billion years of evolution -- so we've never had the need or the opportunity to evolve a defense against them.”

http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/PartiallyHydrogenatedOils.html

Most people are not interested in reading the science bit. However, if you are interested, please go to the following Wikipedia pages :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogenation

Nowhere on www.krispykreme.co.th, the official Krispy Kreme Thailand website, or indeed anywhere on the web, was any information to be found about the Hydrogenated/Trans fat content or about the ingredients in general, of the Krispy Kreme doughnuts on sale in Thailand. Though thanks again to the Bangkok Post we know that, “…the brand is renowned for its recipe and quality ingredients, all of which are imported from overseas". Putting aside the carbon footprint issue this statement raises, it would be a little comforting perhaps to hope that the golden rings of delight that I witnessed on Saturday, emerging from the trough of boiling fat, and trundling on the conveyor belt, onwards to the cascade of sugary slime, are of the same standard as their US partners in nutritional crime. However, a story from May of this year on Australian website news.com.au, “Aussie love affair with Krispy Kreme turns stale”, states that, “In 2008, Krispy Kreme came under attack in NSW Parliament and the media for using dangerous trans fats in its local doughnuts, while banning the fats in the U.S. The scandal forced Krispy Kreme to switch to a low-trans fat cooking oil from February 2009”.

Of course it is not just Kripsy Kreme products that contain Hydrogenated/Trans fats. It is to be found in most commercially available fast food and snacks, including cakes, crackers, cookies, candy, potato chips and even drinks (a small U.S. McDonalds Frappe for example contains 1 gram of Trans fat!).

Krispy Kreme Karma

The Krispy Kreme brand has made its name under the usual clichéd and doubtful premise of being an American legend. But perhaps their stores are spreading further a field because of what may be a consumer backlash on its home turf. According to The New York Post story, “Krispy Kreme sure didn't get its dollars out of these doughnuts”, “the fat-fried snack firm”, which at one time had nine New York City outlets, now only operates from one location. A trend that seems to be mirrored in other US cities.

These days, Krispy Kreme now have more stores abroad than in the U.S. Again according to news.com.au, “With 54 outlets, Australia has the most Krispy Kreme stores of any country, except the U.S. Their future in Australia, however, appears uncertain..“ as the, “..latest annual report makes dismal reading… We have experienced declines in revenues and have incurred net losses in each of the last three fiscal years and may experience further declines and losses in the future," it said.”

The Krispy Kreme store at Paragon is the first branch of a planned 20 in Thailand within the next 5 years.

Krispy Kreme Konclusion

Far better informed and more eloquent writers than this one are forever bringing our attention to the "sand in the body's clockwork" dangers of Hydrogenated/Trans fats. And everyone knows that a junk food retailer is an easy target for criticism. But this is written not so much as a cheap shot at the latest Western gimmicky gack to hit these shores, but rather to exemplify that :

A massive and cynical industry is operating virtually unregulated in its procedures and it has no interest whatsoever in our health or wellbeing. And what this industry offers us in the form of packaged/processed/snack/fast/junk “food”, should actually be considered “edible product” that contains little or no nutritional value and may even present a considerable danger to our health.
There really are a lot of very foolish people around who will hop onto any stupid bandwagon that comes along if it is deemed trendy.

And I think that we, as yoga practitioners, should take particular care in what we eat and who we give our money to.

A final cheap shot :

Doctor : It’s bad news I’m afraid sir; you have Coronary Heart Disease and Alzheimer’s.
Man : Oh well, look on the bright side doc., at least I don’t have Coronary Heart Disease.

Assuming I don’t get lynched for slander, see you in class.

Questions & Answers With Sharath

Tue, 7 Sep 2010 18:53:53 +0800

From notes made at The KPJAYI Special Training for Authorized Students, given by R. Sharath Jois, July - August, 2010.

Much of the questioning was about asana alignment, adjustment technique, advice and information for the teacher. But there was also plenty that is interesting and amusing and of general interest. The following is taken from many sessions, and has been somewhat edited for clarity and conciseness:

Question : Are you the only person in the World who practices all six series of Ashtanga?
Sharath : (laughing) Yeah.

Question : Is practicing six days a week suitable for all?
Sharath : Yes. Let the beginner practice only three.

Question : Some students are very proud of their practice, many are very attached to their bodies and think of themselves as yogis, and yet they are not even vegetarians. I try to talk to them about it, but they do not like to listen. Should I continue?
Sharath : You must, it is very important. A real yogi is judged by his behavior. He wants to do something good always, and doesn’t want to cause hurt. Asana is very powerful. With it, one can become a demon, or one can become divine. We need to understand the true purpose of doing asana. But if you just do asanas, there is no difference between you and those who go to the gym. Beautiful postures does not mean beautiful yogi. A yogi must practice yogic principles in his life. Or you are not a yogi, but a bhogi (one who indulges in material enjoyment without restriction; one who seeks material enjoyment as his life’s aspiration).

Question : By the discipline of daily practice, will the yamas and nyamas (yogic principles) come automatically into ones life?
Sharath : First you have to understand what they are. For instance Ahimsa – non-violence is a good thing to do properly in your life. But first the mind must be made strong and that is why we do asanas because the mind is not stable we will not be able to do yamas.

Question : Did the Buddha do asana?
Sharath : Of course. The Buddha came from India! And without asana it is not possible to become like Buddha.

Question : Do you find it difficult to motivate yourself for practice without Guruji?
Sharath : It is always difficult to motivate oneself. But what Guruji has taught me will not die. His physical presence is not here, but his energy is still there.

Question : How come Gurujis led primary classes became so fast, 45 minutes sometimes?!?
Sharath : At the end, he was old. We have to be very grateful for what we had, even his presence in the room.

Question : Is it good to drink coffee?
Sharath : Not on an empty stomach, it causes too much acid. Drink water first. Then don’t drink too much coffee, just two inches.

Question : Spicey food?
Sharath : Also too much acid.

Question : What about chocolate?
Sharath : You can eat organic chocolate sometimes. I don’t like chocolate. Guruji liked chocolate very much. Once we went on tour around the World to many places. By Sydney, we could hardly lift Gurujis suitcase. My mother and I decided to look inside it. There was 20 kg of chocolate from students! Guruji did his practice everyday. And everyday he was smiling, telling students, “Oh, please come”. He was like a child, he doesnt know anything! Its nice to be like that.

Question : When traveling, do you change your practice?
Sharath : Yes. Just primary, or half primary. If I am staying somewhere longer than a week, then maybe more. When you travel, everything changes. Atmosphere and mental state change.

Question : How to lift up between asanas?
Sharath : Build up core strength in the abdomen.
Question : I’m trying everyday!
Sharath : Eat more chapattis! (laughter)

Training

Sun, 8 Aug 2010 05:17:17 +0800

Sharath : Nigel, you can catch your heels (in back-bend) ?
Nigel : Err, urm, on a good day maybe.
Sharath : Eh? Everyday is a good day.

These are the last few days of the Authorized Ashtanga Teachers Special Training program at the Shri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI) in Mysore, led by R. Sharath Jois, as he became known since taking over directorship of the institute after his Grandfathers death.

I had arrived in Mysore early. After ten days acclimatizing and enjoying practice at home, the group of more than sixty met at the shala for the first time. With Gurujis first birthday since his death last year nearing, centre stage there is a large framed picture of Guruji adorned with lights and flowers, flanked by brass statues, candle holders and plants. Sharath wasted no time and gets right down to the business of who is to teach the counted led primary class in Sanskrit at the shala the following morning. The following morning! Panic shot around the room. It had assumed that there would be at least a week to revise. I was sitting next to Bobbi Boston, whom some may remember was the former manager of Absolute Yoga a few years back. She gasped! She hadn’t known that we were all expected to teach a class at the shala in Sanskrit. Sharath scanned the room. Bobbi whispered to me, “If he picks me, I am going back to LA”. Happily on that occasion neither of us were picked.

Bobbi suggested becoming study-buddies, which turned out to be a great idea. Unlike the usual leisurely stays in Mysore I have spent most mornings and afternoons going over and over the vinyassa counts for each asana, the pronunciation etc. On a couple of Saturday mornings Bobbi and I walked up and down the 1000+ steps of Chanmundi Hill saying the count to each other as we gasped for breath.

So the traditional Friday and Sunday led classes have been taught by the 5 or so students who are picked. Some are very good, some not good at all, and every shade in-between. Sharath is fairly merciless in his correcting and criticizing everything that is incorrect. Sometimes asking for the asana name to be repeated over and over again until it is correct, whilst the entire class waits :

Student : Paschimotanasana, Sapta, jump through, sit down.
Sharath : Paschimatanasana!
Student : Paschimotanasana?
Sharath : Paschi-mat-anasana!
Student : Paschi-mot-anasana?
Sharath : Paschi-MAT-anasana!
Student : Paschi-MOT-anasana?
Sharath : Paschi-MAT-anasana!
Student : Paschi-MAT-anasana!
Sharath : Uh!

Then Monday to Thursday is self-practice with students picked to adjust the class. As usual the shala is packed with very little space between mats. What one also usually expects at the shala is very few adjustments, perhaps just one per day. But during the training, with students very keen to try out their skills, there are too many adjustments, and not all of them very skilful! And when the room starts to empty as people finish their practice, adjusters hover hungrily around those remaining!

I am sometimes the centre of Sharaths comedy moments. One morning, as someone was about to assist me in drop-back, he calls across the room, “Nigel can catch his ankles, he is not allowed to go home until he catches his knees! So then the attention of the room is on me. I drop back and walk my hands in towards my feet. But in my upside-down sweaty confusion I cannot find them and grab the assistant’s toes instead. “No, no no”, shouts Sharath, “those are not your feet!” and everyone laughs.

After practice are Sharaths theory classes which have been excellent and packed with interesting and useful information. Subjects have includd: correct posture alignment, adjustment techniques, Sanskrit pronunciation, chanting, the history of ashtanga and anecdotes on the old days with Guruji and his teacher Krishnamachrya. There is a huge emphasis on philosophy and the other limbs of Ashtanga, Sharath returning many times to the subject of trying to live a principled yogic life, without which, he says, what is the use of doing asanas? Plus there have also been some really thrilling moments when Sharath demonstrates asanas and vinyasas.

It was of particular interest to me when Sharath spoke about practicing whilst unwell. He told us that Ashtanga can fix many health problems. He said that students should NOT take days off when they are unwell but should come and do careful practice with special attention to breathing. He even recommended back bends for back pain. He said we have to try to convince our students to practice if they have pain because asanas heal. He said that on the days that we feel unwell (or feel tired or think we really don’t want to practice); we will have our best practices.

My experience here this month bears the theory out. I have been in poor health for at least the last 12 months with a variety of problems big and small. Significantly, in January, my chronic shoulder injury worsened and in March I had knee surgery. Therefore until May this year I have done very little practice and I was even unsure about coming for the training because I was in such bad condition. However, during this time in Mysore I have been practicing strongly and properly with care, concentration, breathing and effort, and my shoulder, my knee and my condition in general, is very much improved, and my practice is returning to full power.

Last Sunday, I led the Sunday primary class under Sharaths watchful and critical eye. Seven were chosen to lead, taking turns. I hadn’t expected to be nervous, but I was. Just before the class began, another of the chosen whispered to me, “I’m trying to not throw up”!

One was asked to start the class, and the rest stood waiting for a turn. I adjusted students, more for something to do with my agitated body and mind, than the desire to help. During the first adjustment I found that my legs were trembling a little against the students body.

Sharath likes to choose difficult or unexpected moments to make the changeover to another person. It might be on the second side of a posture, or mid way through a count. So one is forced to pay close, anxious attention throughout, waiting for ones turn. I found waiting for the turn unpleasantly thrilling. And I was shocked and a little worried to find that my mind kept wandering whilst others were leading. What would happen if Sharath suddenly called my name and I wasn’t paying attention at that moment?!

At the end of Supta Kormasana, Sharath said, “Nigel, start”. This is the beginning of a section that I have not found easy to remember 100% correctly, and includes the dreaded Supta Padanghusasna which has 26 vinyassas.

Unfortunately, Angel, another person on the training had misheard Sharath, and thought he had said her name, so she started up. “No, no, Nigel!”, and off I went; “Garbha Pindasana, Sapta, jump through sit down, astau, take Padmasanna…”….

Several postures later, at the end of Ubhaya Padanghustasana, Sharath said “Stop”, and my fifteen minutes of fame was over. I was surprised at that moment, to find that I was disappointed to be stopped as I had been enjoying it.

After the class I sent Wann the following text :

Done! Ive almost no idea what happened. Bobbi says I was good. Couple of the counts were off. Waiting was bad. Leading was OK. Sharath made no comment. Phew!