3 Superfoods To Supplement Your Yoga Practice

At a few of the yoga festivals we have attended over the past year, we keep running into Imlak’esh Organics. We absolutely love their smoothies and their products, so we asked them to give us a few more details on a few of their products.

We asked them which three products are the most wholesome foods that will provide the perfect sustenance to supplement any yoga practice.

Here is what we learned:

1. Sacha Inchi

Sacha Inchi is a superseed that can strengthen your yoga practice. This seed, which grows deep in the pristine rainforest regions of Southeast Asia, is extremely nutrient dense: offering a significant amount of protein, Omega 3, fiber, and iron.

While a vinyasa practice will improve your body’s overall strength, you need protein to develop muscle and support your power flow. Think of protein as the building blocks for lean muscle; without it, you cannot build, repair, or even maintain muscle tissue. Sacha Inchi is the perfect snack because it contains all the essential amino acids and 8.5 grams of complete protein in a single ounce — that’s more protein than almonds, cashews, and even salmon.

Sacha Inchi also contains healthy Omega 3 fatty acids. Research suggests that Omega 3s may help reduce inflammation by lowering the production of inflammatory molecules such as eicosanoids and cytokines. Inflammation can contribute to aches and chronic diseases. As you create new space in your body and move in new ways, it more important than ever to keep your joints healthy. Omega 3 oils may decrease tender or swollen joints, ease stiffness, and decrease joint pain. It can also help increase blood flow during your yoga practice.

2. Maca

Maca is another amazing superfood that complements your yoga practice beautifully. It is a Peruvian root that is classified as an adaptogen. Adaptogenic foods contain natural compounds that balance hormones and help you adapt to emotional, mental, physical, and environmental stressors. Just as each person’s yoga practice is inherently individualistic — with different goals, rhythms, physical abilities, and mindsets, maca is a superfood that honors the individual need and healing experience of each person. Part of the magic of yoga is its fluidity — the way it allows each person to approach it differently, depending on the internal and external healing that person needs. Likewise, as an adaptogen, maca responds to each person’s specific needs making it an extremely individualistic, nourishing food. Maca can help you strengthen your state of Zen far beyond your hour of restorative yoga.

We recommend raw maca, which avoids any heat processing which can destroy the sensitive enzymes that regulate hormonal balance.

3. Spirulina

Spirulina, a blue-green algae that deeply nourishes every cell of your body, is one of the purest foods on the planet. While it can enhance your yoga practice by boosting your overall health, the bottom line is that you can benefit from incorporating this whole food into your diet no matter what.

This ancient superfood contains a full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to fortify and nourish your body. This wholesome algae is 65% protein by weight, more than in any meat or dairy. Plus, it is a biologically complete protein with all 8 essential amino acids, as well as 10 non essential aminos. Studies show that regular spirulina intake can lead to a host of benefits including: detoxifying the body, reducing inflammation, purifying the blood, and boosting immunity.

Finding a trusted spirulina source is extremely important. The same quality that makes it a powerful detoxifying agent also makes it effective at pulling toxins from the environment, which can bioaccumulate.

All three of these products can be found at imlakeshorganics.com.