Yogic teachings suggest that women should eat carefully and lightly in order to maintain their emotional and physical balance and well-being. In general, a woman should have two meals a day and two light drinks a day. The first drink begins at breakfast. The first meal can be about four hours later; it should be the largest meal of the day. "Eat to your delight" is the motto at this mid-day meal. But when you are full, stop!
The second drink of the day can be between lunch and dinner. The evening meal should be light and easily digestible and preferably eaten before sunset.
It is a very good idea not to eat anything in the evening, but if you do, please allow at least three hours before going to bed, so that you can be well into digestion mode before going to sleep.
Some foods to definitely avoid: salt (a little sea salt is fine), sugar, caffeine or any highly acidic foods or overly fried foods. Sugar affects a woman very squarely. Avoid it.
From childhood through adulthood, one meal a day should be steamed vegetables. Every woman should eat in a balanced manner and in a balanced setting. Quiet, calm environments make for better digestion. Eating can often be a woman's weakness and improper eating habits can be the cause of a variety of physical and emotional problems, to say nothing of being the cause of most overweight problems. Slow down, then sit down and enjoy your food. Chew! When you think you've chewed enough, chew some more.
Ms. Whiz Recipe
Here's a perfect nutritious breakfast drink for women, rich in potassium, iron, oils and the alkaline qualities of chlorophyll to keep you going. This drink provides a woman with the necessary daily doses of sesame or almond oil which nurtures her skin and hair, chlorophyll as an internal cleanser, and rice bran syrup which supports the nervous system.
1 ripe banana
8 ounces (250 ml) orange juice
1 Tablespoon (20 ml) liquid chlorophyll
2 Teaspoons Rice Bran Syrup
2 Teaspoons cold-pressed almond or sesame oil
Blend well until frothy.
Fasting and Monodiets
Approach monodiets or fasts of any kind, beyond a single day, with caution. Seek the supervision of your physician or health care practitioner. All dietary changes should be gradual. That is, first practice for one day, then the next time, try three days, building from there.
It is never suggested that women should fast for greater lengths of time because of the harmful effects on a woman's endocrine system--and the imbalances created. Instead, monodiets are suggested, which involve eating only one type of food for 1-3 days, a week, 10 days, or 40 days. The Green Diet is a classic example of a monodiet.
The Green Diet
Eat only green things, primarily vegetables, with an emphasis on leafy greens for calcium, seaweed for minerals, and avocado for healthy fats; with a few fruits (green apples, green grapes, kiwi, or pears) and pistachios to enrich the diet and keep the blood sugars balanced. This diet allows the blood to become more alkaline, decreases cortisone and other stress factors in the tissues, adds moisture to the colon and purifies the liver, pancreas, and intestines.
Sugar: The Enemy of a Woman's Youth
"Fructose, sucrose, whatever you want to call it, is the enemy of a woman's youth. When I see you eating cake, ice cream, cookies and chocolate this and chocolate that, and then you say, "No, no, it's honey, not sugar," it doesn't bother me. But I know that the shine in you, the shine of a woman, is going to be lost. There is only one enemy of the woman--and that is sweetness in any shape or form. I know you don't want to hear it, but it makes you look old. That glow, which a woman produces because of her hormones, is gone.
Watch how politely you are hooked to sugar. Watch very clearly and understand it. Go for one week on a diet free of all sorts of sugar. Notice the change; you will be shocked. You don't have to bring heavens to the Earth. Simply understand that there are certain things that don't suit you." Summer 1983
Nutritional Health and Healing Tips
- Substitute lemon for salt
- Build muscle: Basmati Rice
- Detox with green chiles: They won't allow any poisons to build up in the intestines. It is the woman's food.
- Digestive aid: Eat an apple at the end of your meal
- Meditation aid and improving memory: Two bananas a day with lemon juice are considered "the friend of a woman."
- P-fruits in general are good for a woman, especially: peaches, plums, papaya, pears, persimmons, prunes
- When in season, eat these foods as much as possible: apricots, guavas, orange juice, ripe figs, pomegranate juice, green bananas and apples
- For the glandular system, The Turnip Diet: Steam white turnips, mash them and add almond oil, turmeric, lemon and pepper. Must be a monodiet. You may also use the turnip greens.
- Problems with hypothyroid: Eat Dates
- Internal cosmetic: Turmeric is most healing
- Liver cleansing: Beets steamed whole and then peeled. Can be eaten with a little yogurt and one glass of orange juice in the morning.
- Nerves: Celery juice
- Overeating: Liquid Fast (not too long--be mindful of the hormonal balance)
- Stomach and intestinal tract cleanser: Finely chopped orange peel, sauteed in olive oil, mixed with turmeric paste (cooked in water)
- Tonifier: Queen bee honey
- Water retention (bloating): Cucumber juice and lemons.
