Aine created her Yoga of Food program while living and working at Shades of Yoga, a yoga teacher training school in Bali, Indonesia. Her aim was to educate future yoga teachers on the importance of a balanced diet to support overall health and a yogic lifestyle. She continues to teach this course to groups around the world as it offers the tools to create health, balance and flexibility as well as creative, healthy cooking skills.
How are Yoga and Food connected:
The human body is the one machine that doesn’t come with an instructions manual – why is this?
We’re born with an innate knowing of our body’s needs. As babies, we reach for our mother’s breast when we’re hungry or need to be soothed. We have hunger, which signals that our body needs food/nourishment. We have thirst that signals the body’s need for fluids.
As we go through life, we’re influenced by all the voices around us and lose our connectedness to our inner voice and our intuition. Food is meant to be the fuel we give our bodies so it functions efficiently, and water, in it’s purest form to keep us hydrated. If you look at how people are fuelling their bodies, it’s no wonder we have so much sickness and “disease”.
One of the first steps in taking back our power to thrive is by getting back in touch with our innate knowing and wisdom. In the midst of the jungle of information out there, this truly is our greatest ally. Yoga is a powerful tool to support us in slowing down, calming the chatter of our minds and re-connecting us to our inner self, wherein lies the seat of wisdom and knowledge.
Yoga means “union” or “connection” and is designed to create flexibility, balance and harmony of body, mind and spirit. All levels of being are interconnected and when we achieve balance on a physical level, through the practice of yoga asana, and come into contact with our inner awareness through the practice of Pranayama or yogic breathing, there’s a ripple effect that manifests in the choices we make on other levels, including the foods we consume.
What are the major causes of illness or dis-ease:
POOR FOOD CHOICES – to function optimally, our body needs an adequate supply of calories from the macronutrients, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Our cells also require a steady supply of micronutrients – vitamins, minerals and enzymes as well as an adequate intake of water, fiber and phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are organic compounds found in plant foods that are not essential to health but required to achieve optimum health. A few examples of phytonutrients are:
CAROTENOIDS found in yellow and orange foods such as carrots, pumpkins. Carotenoids act as antioxidants in the body, fighting free radicals that cause inflammation and damage body tissue.
FLAVONOIDS – found in a range of fruits and vegetables and in the whole grain quinoa and in garbanzo beans. Flavonoids help reduce inflammation and act as antioxidants, as well as benefitting the cardiovascular system.
LYCOPENE – found in red foods such as tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit. Lycopene is also a powerful antioxidant.
Many of the foods people consume, not only fail to provide adequate nourishment to the body, but in fact cause cellular damage. Foods that are refined and chemically processed, cause direct damage to our cells by deteriorating the health of our major organs and blood vessels. Sugar is also a main offender and even though we may think we’re not consuming much sugar because we’re not spooning it into our tea, it’s an ingredient in many of the foods we consume. The sugar that’s most commonly used is cane sugar, which is a white crystalline sugar refined from sugar cane. It takes 17 feet of cane to produce one cup of sugar, so obviously much of the plant is left behind after the juice has been extracted, evaporated, bleached and deodorized to come up with the resulting sugar. The sugar produced from cane is a di-glyceride (two sugars) made up of fructose and sucrose. It contains absolutely no other nutrients – they are all lost in the refining process.
When refined sugar is ingested it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream causing a quick rise in energy and a subsequent crash. Unrefined sugars from complex carbohydrates like whole grains and vegetables, because of the presence of fiber and other nutrients in these foods, are released much more slowly into the body resulting in a more sustained energy without the highs and lows. This not only affects our physical body, but also our moods and thought processes. All you need to do is observe children after they’ve had their sugar hit – they become hyper-active and cranky.
CHRONIC INFLAMMATION – inflammation is the body’s natural reaction to injury or stress. There are two types of inflammation, acute and chronic. Acute is short term and the symptoms, when treated should disappear after a few days. It manifests as a result of an injury or illness such as a cut or scrape, stubbed toe, sore throat, tonsillitis or appendicitis. Chronic or systemic inflammation is more long term and can result from failure to treat whatever is causing acute inflammation. It can be caused by poor food and lifestyle choices and manifest in symptoms such as osteoarthritis, autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn’s disease.
STRESS – is one area where yoga can play a vital role and when not dealt with can wreak havoc with our health. Chronic stress can contribute to many health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. It can also be a contributing factor in mental problems such as depression, anxiety and personality disorders. Stress causes the body to release high levels of the hormone cortisol (known as the stress hormone), resulting in weight gain, lowered immune function, bone density problems and high cholesterol.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS – this is one area where we don’t always have direct control, but by maintaining a strong immune system and keeping our internal environment healthy, we are better able to deal with and stresses caused by toxins in our environment.
Emotional blocks or stress –
Electromagnetic exposure (radiation) –
FOOD CHOICES
To be optimally healthy, our cells need enough energy (calories) to carry out everyday metabolic activities – these calories are obtained by burning one or more of the following macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
Our cells also require a steady supply of the following micronutrients: vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. And to be optimally healthy, we require adequate intake of water, fiber, and phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are organic components of plants that are not essential to health, but are needed to experience optimal health; examples of phytonutrients include flavonoids (found in citrus and acerola cherries), carotenoids (found in carrots and spinach), and indoles (found in Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower).
The best way to ensure optimal nourishment of our cells is to eat nutrient-dense foods – these are foods that are highly concentrated in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and phytochemicals. Nutrient-rich foods include fresh vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Organic eggs and wild fish are also healthy, micronutrient-rich foods that are well tolerated by many people.
Cellular Damage by Unhealthy Foods
Some foods – or more accurately, some heavily adulterated foods and food-like chemicals – are capable of causing direct injury to our cells. Other highly processed foods cause indirect injury to our cells by deteriorating the health of our major organs and blood vessels.
Some of the worst offenders include:
- Deep-fried foods like donuts, French fries, and most varieties of potato chips
- Margarine and shortening
- Artificial additives like MSG and aspartame
- Sugar-laden snacks and beverages
- Hot dogs, most varieties of sausage, bacon, and highly processed luncheon meats that contain nitrites
Emotional Injury
Emotional injury refers to cellular damage that is caused by chronic emotional stress. As a direct cause of disease and dysfunction, this category is not given the attention that it deserves because it’s difficult to come up with standardized treatments that can address every person’s personal sources of anxiety and fear.
My view is that our emotional health status is the single most important determinant of our overall health, since it’s the foundation from which all of our daily choices are made. Plus, our emotional health status affects the tone at which our autonomic nervous system hums day and night. And over many years, the tone of our autonomic nervous system is a huge determinant of our overall health status.
For more information on chronic fear and anxiety, including some suggestions on how to promote peace of mind, view the following article:
Electromagnetic Injury
In an early draft of a report issued in the spring of 1990, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States recommended that electromagnetic fields (EMF’s) be classified as a class B carcinogen – a probable human carcinogen. Unfortunately, by the time that the EPA released the final draft of this report, the words “class B carcinogen” were deleted.
Despite their change of opinion on electromagnetic fields, the EPA included the following thoughts on EMF’s in their report:
“In conclusion, several studies showing leukemia, lymphoma and cancer of the nervous system in children exposed to EMF’s, supported by similar findings in adults in several occupational studies also involving electrical power frequency exposures, show a consistent pattern of response that suggest a causal link.”
There is plenty of evidence in the scientific literature that has me convinced that electromagnetic fields can be a significant cause of disease and dysfunction.
X-rays, mammograms, and other forms of ionizing radiation are also capable of accelerating disease and dysfunction.
Clearly, it’s not practical or possible for a lot of us to live off the grid to dramatically lower exposure to EMF’s. But we can take steps to minimize our exposure to some of the following, most common threats:
- Talking for long stretches of time with a cell phone pressed against our heads.
- Living close tocell phone towers and broadcasting antennas.
- Working for many years in a profession that involves being in close proximity to devices that emit ionizing radiation.
- Regularly lying in tanning beds.
With each passing year, electronic devices like flat screen TVs and computer monitors are becoming bigger and more pleasing to the eyes. While all of these devices are not guaranteed to emit significant amounts of electromagnetic radiation, common sense dictates that it’s wise to be modest in our choice and use of all devices that require electricity to run.
- Nutritional Stress
Disease and nutrition are intimately linked. Our food supply has become saturated with processed foods that are largely foreign to the human body. Chiefly derived from wheat and corn, these abnormal foods are the driving force behind obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, digestive problems, cancer, and most all other diseases. - Emotional Stress
A baseline of chronic stress is much more prevalent than most people realize. Chronic emotional stress robs the body of vital energy, suppresses immune function, and disrupts hormonal systems. The cumulative result can be devastating: elevated blood pressure, increased blood clotting, compromised digestive function, elevated blood sugar, chronic sleep disturbances, weight gain and especially suppressed immune function. Uncontrolled stress sets the stage for all diseases. - Toxins
There are up to 200,000 man-made chemicals in the environment that were not present a hundred years ago. Most are petroleum derived. Everyone is exposed and trace amounts can be found in every living creature on earth. The role that toxins play in disease and cancer is hard to absolutely define, but it is certainly a factor. Because toxins can only enter the body by three different pathways (ingestion, breathing, and through the skin), limiting this risk factor is fairly simple. - Physical Stress
Three types of physical stress can affect your body—trauma (wear & tear), temperature, and pressure. Even everyday physical stress (minor trauma, being too cold or too hot, pressure changes) can aggravate established disease processes. For some people, extreme physical stress (severe trauma, severe hypothermia, severe hyperthermia, altitude sickness) can be the primary trigger for allowing disease processes to occur. - Free Radicals/Inflammation
Inside each of the trillions of cells that make up your body, free radicals are being continually generated as a byproduct of energy production. Free radicals can damage all parts of the cell, including DNA. It is the most significant factor in aging and contributes to all disease. Other sources of free radicals in the body include abnormal fats from processed foods and toxins. In addition, white blood cells actually generate free radicals to destroy foreign substances in the body; this is the root of inflammation in the body. - Radiation
Like all living creatures, you are exposed to a certain level of background radiation from gamma rays, x-ray and UV radiation from the earth, sun and space. Though these forms of radiation are a force of disease and aging, exposure from natural sources has been relatively constant since humans began walking the earth. Of greater concern are the increased levels of radiation from artificial and unnatural sources (such as electronics). - Microbes
The role that microbes play in acute disease is well understood. Diseases like strep throat, influenza, malaria, small pox, polio, and the plague cause acute illness in most people who are exposed. Collectively, these aggressive types of microbes (which include viruses, bacteria, fungi, & protozoa) can be referred to as high virulence microbes.
In chronic disease, however, a different sort of microbe plays a prominent role. You (and everyone around) are almost continually exposed to these types of microbes (also composed of viruses, bacteria, fungi, & protozoa, but different than above). They actually have a low potential to cause disease and most of the time, they pass by hardly noticed. However, if immune function is compromised by other factors, chronic low grade infection can occur.
These microbes are very stealthy—difficult to diagnose and hard to eradicate once established, and they hide inside cells and scavenge resources from the body. They have sophisticated mechanisms of bypassing and compromising immune function. And unlike more deadly microbes, killing you is not their goal; they want you alive for the valuable resources you provide. These opportunists play a major (but often invisible) role in many chronic diseases and certain cancers.
*Note: Genetics are the deciding factor. Because we all have genes that are unique, exposure to the same sets of risk factors results in different diseases for different individuals.