The Yoga Diet is one the Five Principles of Yoga. You will soon notice that eating properly will aid your health and make you feel fitter and cleaner. The Diet is a perfect complement to Yoga Exercise. Despite the fact that the Yoga Diet is not a Diet in the common sense of the word, you will probably loose considerable weight by just eating only healthy foods. Even if you do not want to become a vegetarian, we fully recommend anyone to follow these basic diet rules as it will make you feel so much better.
Introduction
As a means of self-purification and self-discipline, Fasting stretches way back in time. The early American Indians fasted to see the great spirit. Christ spent forty days and forty nights in the wilderness, and Moses fasted in Mount Sinai. Yogis fast mainly to bring the mind and senses under control, and also to cleanse and rejuvenate the body. In fact, Fasting is the body's natural way of dealing with illness or pain - animals in the wild stop eating when hurt or unwell, and we ourselves loose appetite if we are feverish. In normal life, much of our energy is devoted to the process of digestion. Resting the Digestive System releases this energy for spiritual development and for self-healing, allowing the body to rid itself of toxins.
How to Fast

First, you must resolve when and for how long you want to Fast. Choose a time when you are not too busy and are not taking any kind of medicine. Fasting one day a week is good discipline to strengthen your will power, but you will need more time if you want to detoxify the system. Fasting in four days can be safely undertaken without supervision, but not longer. Decide what kind of Fasting you are going to follow - water, fruit juice or vegetable juice - and stick to it exclusively. On a Water Fast, drink five to seven glasses of pure or bottled water a day - drink them slowly so as to absorb the Prana. On a juice fast, drink the same amount, but chew the juice rather than simply swallowing it.

The first three days of a fast are the hardest. As the body strives to rid itself of impurities, you may experience any of the following effects: headaches; a coated tongue; bad breath and vomiting. If you have palpitations, take fruit juice if you are on a water fast or water if you are on a juice fast. Breathing difficulties also sometimes occur, but can usually be overcome by Pranayama. During Fasting, many impurities are dispersed through the skin, so don't use make-up or antiperspirants which block the pores. You should learn to conserve your energy while Fasting - go for a quiet walk every day but avoid strenuous activity such as jogging. Practice at least some Yoga Asanas and allow time for Meditation.

After a few days, your stomach will no longer crave food and you will notice some of the benefits - an enhanced sense of smell, for example, and increased mental energy and concentration. Abstaining from eating gives you a chance to devote more time to your spiritual development and to realize the extent to which you can control your own pattern of thinking, behaving, eating and so on.
Breaking the Fast
Perhaps the most difficult part of Fasting is breaking it sensibly, for as soon as you taste food in your mouth your mind will demand that you eat and eat. However, start eating very gradually. To make sure that you do not overindulge to begin with, break your fast in the evening and do not eat again until this food has past through your system. Vegetarians should take a pound of fresh fruit. Meat-eaters should have the same amount of steamed spinach or stewed tomatoes. For a two-day fast proceed as follows:
Day 1
Fresh fruit only as above, plus a tea spoon of natural yoghurt to aid digestion.

Day 2
Eat only salads

Day 3
Steamed vegetables with light grains, such as buckwheat or miller

Day 4
Return gradually to your normal diet.
If you fasted for four days, simply double the above timetable allowing yourself two days on fresh fruit alone and so on. Tea, coffee, alcohol and seasoning should be avoided while breaking a fast and an enema taken on days 1 and 3.

Warning: The Yoga Diet is not rocket science. It is just about including more healthier food options in your diet. However, if you feel unsure on how to proceed or you have a medical condition which prevents your from radically changing your Diet, please consult a physician first before changing any of your food patterns.