The yogic diet is described as lacto-vegetarian. This means that no meat, poultry, fish, or seafood are consumed.
Traditional reasoning for a vegetarian diet is the principal of non-violence (ahimsa) and health. Environmental
sustainability is another excellent reason to abstain from animal flesh.
You may have come to yoga already a vegetarian or not. If not, you may find that with time, your yoga practice
will gradually impress this habit upon you. You will likely recognize how much better you feel on light food. As you
spend more time healing your body, you will likely become more selective about what you feed it. You may realize
that you have just as much strength and energy (likely far more) without animal protein. You may even find that
your relationship to your surroundings changes, and that it no longer seems necessary to take the life of another
every time you put food in your mouth. As you switch from pre-packaged, pre-cooked, frozen, powdered products
to whole foods you may develop an interest in the source of these foods - cultivate your own herb and vegetable
garden, join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) with a nearby farm, and get to know your local farmers
market and co-op store.
Wherever you are in this decision, remember that it is a personal one. It is not an opportunity or even an excuse
to judge others.
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"As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains,
and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats,
for God has welcomed him.
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?
It is before his own master that he stands or falls.
And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One person esteems one day as better than another,
while another esteems all days alike.
Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ... "
Romans 14, 1-23
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 | | Pythagoras - ancient Greek sage and religious teacher
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| | Lao Tzu - Taoist teacher and author of the Tao Te Ching
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| | Plato - ancient Greek philosopher
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| | Socrates - ancient Greek Philosopher
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| | Leo Tolstoy - Nineteenth century Russian author
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| | Mahatma Gandhi - Indian civic and spiritual leader
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| | George Bernard Shaw - Music and drama critic
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| | Dr. John Harvey Kellogg - pioneering surgeon, nutritionist, and food reformer; inventor of peanut butter, cereal | | | flakes, and meat substitutes
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