If you are anything like me you’ve probably vacillated back and forth, sometimes taking nutritional supplements and at other times thinking they are a waste of money. With the amount of vitamin products, protein powders, green food supplements, fish oils, antioxidants and information out there at the moment its understandable we get so easily confused.
Although everyone has different needs, physically, mentally and emotionally there are a few simple ways you can come to an educated decision about supplementation. Here are the top seven tips
1. Do you eat an adequate balanced diet Now I know this is probably the most obvious question, but lets be serious. Do you honestly make time to prepare and eat three well balanced meals a day or are you skipping meals, eating out a lot, inhaling your food and when you do eat, is it real food or processed rubbish Believe it or not most of us think we are eating a well balanced diet but in reality are far from it. Maybe just keep a food diary for a week and see what you are actually eating. You might be a). pleasantly surprised or b).completely shocked. If it’s b consider a supplement.
2. How much Junk food do you eat Not just at meal times, I’m also talking about all the little snacks of chocolate, cake, biscuits, ice cream, chips and other fast food you might be consuming each day. Too much junk food, especially processed sugars, actually leech nutrients from our body putting us into a nutritional debt that is hard to recover from. In order for our bodies to process all the excess chemicals, toxins, bad fats and sugars in junk food, it uses up a lot of the good nutrients that would otherwise be utilised to maintain and improve our health. If you’re a junk food junky (pardon the punt) you are more likely to require and benefit from nutritional supplementation. That is, at least until you can improve your dietary habits and quit the junk.
3. Organic food consumption. Another thing you need to consider is how much of your diet is made up of organic produce. There is an overwhelming amount of research that shows our food supply and soil from traditional western farming methods is extremely deficient in many nutrients, not to mention full of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Now in the farmer’s defence they are currently coming out with less harmful forms of fertilizer and pesticides but to be honest, in my opinion, the best foods really are grown and produced naturally. So if you really want to be sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need from food alone then you need to ensure the majority of the food you consume is certified organic.
4. Where do you measure on the stress-o-meter Yoga is supposed to help reduce stress, but if your life is still stress filled due to work, family, relationships or whatever the reason, then a lot of your nutritional tank will be spent on simply processing the stressful situations. High stress puts us into a catabolic state, meaning destructive metabolism. The opposite of this is anabolism, which is a creative, constructive type of metabolism that occurs during restful, relaxed and balanced periods (a correct yoga practice promotes this state). One state moves us towards ill health and death, while the other is health promoting and life sustaining. If your stress levels are high, then there are supplements that may help you combat and balance the problem until you develop a less stressful lifestyle.
5. Style of yoga and strenuous exercise. If you do strenuous forms of exercise on top of your yoga practice or even if your asana practice alone is a strong pitta raising (heat promoting) form like vinyasa or hot room styles, then it would pay to take some form of recovery, hydrating andor natural energy boosting supplements to make sure you’re not allowing your body to get too depleted. This is especially the case when you also have a full time job and a family to attend too and if you’ve already tested poorly with the first four tips.
6. Are you a vegetarian For those of you who are vegetarians, some important things to observe are your protein intake, B vitamins (especially B12) and iron levels. A good variety of sprouts and veges is important. Also if you are not eating a variety of beans, pulses and legumes mixed with a variety of grains (which gives you a complete protein) then you may want to consider supplementing your diet. Green superfoods can be a good place to start and are derived from natural food sources.
7. How do you feel This is a broad question covering many areas but not to be ignored. One of the best ways to determine if your nutritional intake is adequate from your diet alone is by checking in at different times of day to see how you feel. Are you always lethargic Sleepy Have trouble concentrating Tired from yoga practice All can be indicators that you are NOT getting enough from your food. Some other important factors that can affect how you feel include whether you suffer from any health conditions or are recovering from an injury. If this is the case you should always seek medical advice but could also check whether there are any nutritional supplements that may help you with the recovery process. If you are recommended some form of supplementing and notice a positive effect then at least you will know through personal experience that they helped.
So they are my tips on how you can logically self assess and decide if, as a yoga practitioner, you need to take supplements. I’d say if you fail two or more of the tests above then you might want to consider supplementing. If not, congratulations, you’re most likely getting everything you need from your diet and lifestyle. Now this is far from a comprehensive guide but at least it will give you a good starting point.
To finish up I’d like to mention something important. It’s not easy to eat a perfect diet and be a perfect yogi but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try right As a yogi myself, in an ideal world I would like to be an organic vegetarian eating, non junk food eating (I’m a self confessed chocoholic), stress free, daily yoga practicing and meditating, non working (in a stressful job kind of way) altruistic perfect yogi. But unfortunately most of the time I’m not. I have had periods where I have practiced consistently what I just described above. But if I’m totally honest it hasn’t been consistent for longer than a year at a time. If you can relate then don’t beat yourself up about it. Just do the best you can with what you are given in any given moment. Live learn and love your life, just don’t loathe it.
Tags: bad fats, excess chemicals, food diary, nutritional supplementation, protein powders