Strangely – or not! – as someone who is quite small, I am often asked what I eat. The answer is, pretty much whatever I want! But what do I want to eat?
Yesterday I wrote a post about how the majority of health stuff will come back to the breathing. I wrote:
“…Our diet will change the composition of our blood which will change how we breathe….BUT, how we breathe is also likely to affect our food choices… Are you getting the picture?”
Let me explain:
It’s a shame that for a lot people with limited time – and more especially those who constantly feel as if they need to lose weight (which is A LOT of people), taking up yoga as part of a health regime is seen as something that won’t burn enough calories.
But think about it; there are not many longterm, regular yogis who are constantly trying to lose weight. Most of them tend to be trimmer than what we might consider “normal”.
The thing is, it comes back to the breathing thing again.
Hyper (meaning “more than normal”) ventilation will tend to make the majority of people feel hungrier than normal due to blood alkalisation. The body/blood is always trying to maintain a neutral state and so, to compensate for this alkalisation, there may be cravings for more starchy, protein-rich foods following periods of hyper-ventilation – for example after intense exercise or another form of stress. This is because these types of foods are more acidic (they also tend to contain more calories). And so the cycle goes on…we do the work, but our weight may tend to stay the same.
Hypo (meaning “less than normal”) ventilation – which is what is encouraged during a yoga class and happens naturally when we are feeling relaxed – tends to create a little more blood acidity. This acidity makes us feel a little calmer and it also means that after a while, we tend to feel less hungry and feel satisfied with less food and lighter options – or food that tends to be more alkaline in its nature.
Weight really comes back to calories. And if you don’t feel the urge to consume as many, you don’t have to burn as many.
*As an aside, eating lots is hard on your body which may be why current research seems to suggest that people who eat less live longer.