How to Pack Your Food Bag for Teacher Training…

Bikram Yoga Teacher Training is an incredible experience: 9 weeks of non-stop yoga, dialogue, corrections, sweating, lectures, friendships, and late night bollywood movies. Taking care of your nutrition during this adult camp is so important, and will really make a big difference on your energy, your moods, and your overall experience. You are what you eat, afterall! I wish I had had some good advice about nutrition strategy when I did my TT back in ’03, but then I was still recovering from Bulemia at that time, (half-way through training I had a miracle break-through and completely recovered, after 16 years of battling this horrible disease). Sooooo….this is what I would have done, if I had the chance to do it all over again:

When you get there, go and buy yourself (at a Cosco or Walmart or in Koreatown):
2: 1/4 cup tupperwear containers (great for home-made dressings and nuts)
2: 1 cup containers
6: 2 cup containers
3: 4 cup containers
Medium size ziplock baggies
2: mixing bowls, different sizes, microwave proof
cutting board
can-opener
one good chef knife (doesn’t have to be expensive)
a couple of cutlery kits and a pair of chopsticks
Mixing spoon
Plug In Kettle
Salt and Pepper
strainer
dish cloth
tea towel
castille dish soap

I would also recommend investing in a blender, (you can pick one up for $50, and I’m sure you can split the cost with your roomie). Shakes are a great way to get some digestible nutrients into your body before class, and they take seconds to make. Aaaanddd, they’re DELISH!
Because you can’t do any cooking in the room, and honestly, who wants to cook when you’ll be so busy eating, breathing and sleeping yoga/dialogue, this will makes things very, very simple.
The best strategy that really, really works well is to make up a meal plan for the week, or at least for 3 – 4 days, and then to shop for that meal plan and make your meals ahead of time. This will cut down on expenses A LOT, it will cut down on prep time A LOT and it will keep your nutrition on point. In my training, people went a bit crazy, trying all kinds of weird diets, buying enough food to feed armies, over-eating, under-eating, etc. etc. I think I ended up spending about $20/day at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on various lattes, shakes and other treats. There was also a loooot of food going bad in our fridges. Waste!

Everyone will have a different meal plan, because we all eat differently, especially yogis, so you will have to come up with something that works for you. I’m an omnivore myself, so I’ll be recommending some animal-based food choices, but you can make your own substitutions. The really important thing is to balance out your macronutrients: proteins, fats, carbohydrates. You want to make sure you’re getting about 20 – 30% of your nutrients from good quality fats, and some of those fats should be saturated. Ghee and Coconut Oil are great choices. I recommend avoiding vegetable-based highly refined oils like canola. There is a ton of information available online about good fats vs bad fats, and Udo Erasmus and Mary G. Enig are both reputable sources for information. I also love the websites of Dr. Kresser and Marks Daily Apple for great nutritional advice. Always take everything you read with a grain of salt, even it’s based on “published research”. Remember, you need dietary fats to sustain optimal hormonal production, and your skin, hair and nails will also look much better! Don’t worry, eating fats won’t make you fat or cause heart disease. Only over-eating will make you fat, and there is waaaaay more research linking trans-fats and sugar to cardiovascular disease than organic butter from grass-fed cows! Also, choose fats from your foods: yolks, dairy products, avocado, nuts and seeds, legumes, etc. You also want to choose quality proteins. That means avoiding highly processed food-products like vegetarian “fake meat and soy cheeses”. You’ll be going through a lot in these 9 weeks, body-wise, so stick to foods that come directly from Mother Nature, and with as little processing as possible. They will be much less taxing on your digestive system and you will be more likely to absorb the nutrients. If you are a vegetarian, beans, pulses and legumes are great sources of proteins, (from 20 -40% Protein, and the rest mostly carbohydrates). Nuts are not a great source of protein (11 almonds have about 7.5 grams of fat, 2.2 grams carbs and 3.1 grams of protein which makes them over 70% fat)!!! Nuts have some protein, but they are more a source of fat. I eat a lot of nuts myself: cashews, walnuts, pistachios, and almonds. I love crunchy peanut butter as well. But I think of nuts primarily as a fat source. If you like smoothies, think about supplementing your shakes with some quality vegetable protein like Sun Warrior or VegaSport. Avoid using products with a lot of supplementation and sweeteners. If you are diabetic, use liquid Stevia, but really avoid sweetening drinks, etc. The important thing is to keep your blood sugar regulated and not have huge spikes in your insulin levels. Keep your palate fresh and sensitive. Food will taste sweeter naturally!
Carbohydrates should be whole-grain or minimally-processed grain products, fresh berries and fresh vegetables. Grains, especially gluten-containing grains and a lot of fruits can cause digestive upset, so don’t overdo it during training. Stick to small servings of cereals, (this includes pastas and bread products) sprinkled throughout your meals, so you are able to see how they affect your digestion. During TT all kinds of weird and wonderful things can happen to your GI tract, and if you plan your meals out, and stick to your guns you can avoid gastric bloat, skin disorders, joint and tissue inflammation, chronic fatigue, excessive gas, basically a lot of the problems that people seem to think are normal. They are not normal. They are all symptoms that your body is under-performing, and that there is irritation going on in your system. Pay attention to these signs, they will guide you. Gut health is VITAL!

My food pantry? Your fridge and storage space will be minimal, and Whole Foods (760 South Sepulveda Blvd) isn’t that far away, so I would buy a few staple products, meal plan 3 days at a time, and shop every 4 days.

This is how I would stock my room:
Coconut Oil
Ghee
Cold Pressed Organic Olive Oil (smallish bottles)
Grapeseed Oil
Rice Vinegar
Toasted Sesame Oil
White Balsamic Vinegar
Tamari
Sea Salt
Peppercorns
Garam Masala
Smoked Paprika
Cinnamon
Mixed Rolled Grains (think rolled oats!)
Raw Organic Nuts and Seeds, (walnuts, almonds, pepitas, sunflower)
Dried Fruit, (raisins, cherries, cranberries)
Curry Paste
Canned coconut milk
Tahini
Nut Butter (peanut butter or almond butter are great choices)
Honey
Vegasport Protein Powder

Depending on my Meal Plan, and certainly not to be stocked all at once:
Greek Yogurt
Milk
creme fraiche or sour cream
eggs
canned salmon
pickled onions, capers or cornichons
fresh berries
mana bread
kamut “rice” cakes
whole grain instant cereal like Nature’s Valley
vegetable pate
salad greens, (watercress, arugula, mache, etc)
dried legumes, (chick peas, lentils, white beans)
lemon/lime
fresh herbs, (cilantro, tarragon)
salad vegetables, (bell peppers, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumber)
meat: whole foods has a great prepared foods deli section. I would rotate choices so that 1 or 2 meals per day focused on 3 – 4 oz of animal protein…a 1 cup or playing-deck portion of salmon, chicken, or sirloin, etc.

Sample 3 day menu:

(1) protein shake: 1 tsp coconut oil, 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1/2 banana, 2 tsp almond butter, 1 tsp flax seeds, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 tsp honey if necessary, water, coconut water or milk and ice to right consistency
(2) post-yoga: 1 cup cooked cereal made with whole milk, 1 tsp ghee, 1 tsp tahini, 1 tablespoon nuts, 1 tsp honey, cinammon, pinch of salt, 1/2 banana
(3) 5 oz salmon, 1/2 cup salad
(4) post-yoga: sandwhich: 2 slices mana bread, vegetable pate, watercress, brie cheese, artichoke tapenade
(5) organic instant split pea soup, and 2 boiled eggs
(6) 2 Tablespoons peanut butter, 2 rice cakes

Day 2
(1) protein shake, (change the ingredients, substitute strawberries or figs for the banana, and maybe no nut butter but more coconut oil or put in some fresh coconut which WF usually sells aready cut)
(2) sandwhich: mana bread, fresh mayo, 4-5 oz chicken, watercress, tarragon
(3) bean and sprout salad, (1/2 cup beans), 3 oz cooked tempeh (again, WF should have some cooked tempeh or tofu in the deli counter)
(4) 3/4 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup chick peas, coconut-curry sauce, chopped bell pepper
(5) 4 oz sirloin, roasted garlic (also available from WF salad bar or the cheese dept), 1/2 c spinach
(6) 3/4 c yogurt mixed with 1/2 scoop protein powder, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1 Tablespoon walnuts

Day 3
(1) protein shake
(2) 2 slices mana bread, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1/2 banana
(3) Salmon salad, (4 – 5 oz canned salmon, mayo, celery, pickled onion, with watercress)
(4) 3/4 c amaranth, 1/2 cup canned organic chili, 1 oz cheddar cheese
(5) instant split pea soup, 1 cup cooked kale with pine-nuts
(6) 1/2 cup oatmeal, 3 oz shredded pork, 1 tsp sliced scallion, tamari and sesame oil to taste (like a congee)

If you find you are hungrier at certain meals of the day, add in some more food (especially proteins) the next day, and note it down, (I do all my planning using excel, so it’s easy to see patterns). TT is a great opportunity to really get to know your digestive health and get clear on what sustains you best! There are a ton of great packaged foods available these days, including “raw granola”, “green protein bars” and packaged salads. Ultimately it will depend on how healthy your digestive system is, how much time and energy you can devote to your meal preparation, and your budget. Enjoy the process, and stay aware, keep your mind open, and please don’t do anything extreme during your training, at least with regards to your diet. Healthy, balanced and joyful are the keys to sustainable health, and the words that should describe your diet.
I have a few easy recipes here, but I’ll put together some more along with some videos for you guys to follow from the hotel room!
Good luck!!!