Food To Eat When Practicing

Healthy Fats
You should avoid eating heavy, fatty foods while practicing Bikram yoga because of how long it takes to digest fats. However, this doesn’t mean you should avoid fats altogether. Rather, healthy fats in moderation can fill you up, stabilizing blood sugar levels and preventing hunger pangs during or after classes. Snack on a handful of nuts hours before class or top a light, leafy-green salad with a quarter of an avocado or a drizzle of olive oil.

Whole-grain carbohydrates provide a source of energy to get you through a 90-minute Bikram yoga class. Unlike refined carbs such as white bread, whole grains contain fiber, which slows down the rate at which energy is released into the body. This helps keep blood sugar levels steady, avoiding fluctuations that lead to energy crashes and hunger cravings. For breakfast or a snack a few hours before class, enjoy a serving of oatmeal topped with a few nuts for added protein and healthy fats. Pair carbs such as a sweet potato or brown rice with lean protein after class to restore glycogen and aid in muscle recovery.

In addition to what you eat, you need to consider when you should eat for Bikram yoga. Bikram’s Yoga College of India advises eating no food one to three hours before class. This gives your stomach enough time to digest whatever food you’ve eaten that day, avoiding unwanted stomach upsets from trying to exercise and digest its contents at the same time. You may need a completely empty stomach before class, while other yoga students may be able to chomp on a small piece of fruit an hour before an early-morning class bukatoto .