Recently at District Tea Lodge, DC’s only vegan, gluten-free cafe, we had a great community roundtable. We discussed everything from the proper diet according to yoga philosophy, to GMOs, to composting and container gardening. To share some of the online resources mentioned during the discussion and more, please check this out! Also, consider joining the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), which has pick up at our 14th Street Studio.
GMO/Organic:
The first ethical rule in yoga is ahimsa, meaning non-harming / non-violence. Pesticides and genetically modified food (GMOs) do cause harm to your immune system. Check it out:
A paper coauthored by a Senior Researcher at MIT on the effects of GMOs on health.
Shopping/eating guide on which foods to avoid in terms of pesticides.
A guide to identifying GMOs, organic and conventional produce according to their barcode numbers (please note that in the comment section of this article someone indicated that using this barcode system is voluntary).
Also, check out these tips for avoiding GMOs.
Gardening & Composting:
When you know exactly where your food came from, you know much more about how healthy it is. The best way to ensure your own health and well being is to garden some of your own food.
Composting is a useful method for gardening, and it is environmentally sound. But understanding what and how to compose your food is important. Here is a great site about composting, showing a table about carbon to nitrogen ratios, and more.
There are also two really affordable compost pick up services in DC. Compost Cab picks up compost from your home weekly, provides the bug- and smell – proof container for you to store compost between pick ups, and will even share composted soil with you when its ready.
Guidance on proper soil for container gardening, composting, container types, recipes for herbicides, fungicides, and organic pesticides. This can be particularly helpful for us city dwellers!
Here are some pointers for different types of vegetables and plants best suited for container gardening (from the University of Arizona – scroll to the bottom). It can look like a lot of work, but patience and hard work can pay off in the long run for your health, immune system, and even your yoga practice.
Food Choices
Although this topic didn’t make it into the discussion, alkaline diets are something worth considering. Avoiding acidic foods and drinks like coffee, chocolate, and cheese can do wonders for your health and daily outlook.
As yogis, our food choices can effect our energy level, well-being, and even our practice. Have any good suggestions? Leave them in the comments section!
