Healthy Eating

Nutritious diet for a healthy body

At Vinyasa Retreats we’re food lovers, so it is important to us to eat delicious food that promotes health and vitality. We eat a vegetarian diet at the retreat, consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, beans and grains, soya protein, tofu, nuts and seeds, and a moderate amount of dairy products.

A vegetarian diet does not have to mean bland and boring, limited only by the imagination of the chef. Our chef, Djamal at Vinyasa Retreats prepares delicious meals to feed both the body and the mind. Perfect after a dynamic ashtanga yoga practice.

What about Protein?

The World Health Organization has determined that the average adult requires 35 – 40 grams of protein per day. The average Western diet includes as much as 120 grams per day! Simple dairy products and a wide variety of vegetables and legumes will produce ample protein.

Our retreat cooking

At the retreat we provide wholesome, home-cooked dishes freshly prepared on the day. Breakfast typically includes granola, muesli, fresh fruit, bread, jams, smoothies and fruit juices and is served following morning ashtanga practice. Lunch is usually a selection of salads and side dishes eaten in the chateau grounds or taken as a picnic. The evening meal is a sociable affair with varied meals from vegetarian sushi to Moroccan inspired tagines with water, herbal tea and/or organic red wine.

Where does our food come from?

We eat and drink organic, locally sourced produce from local farmers markets and regional bio-shops (organic health food shops). Ensuring we buy good quality, simple, fresh ingredients for our daily meals.

Retreat recipe of the month

To give you a flavour of the dishes we eat at retreats, we will post a series of our ashtanga yoga retreat recipes to this page.

Ginger Granola Recipe

• 1 tbps olive oil
• 250g runny honey
• 1 kg raw oats
• 100g pecan nuts
• 100g finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 100g pumpkin / sunflower seeds
• 1 tsp ground spice ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Bake the nuts in a medium oven turning frequently until lightly browned for 10 minutes, be careful not to burn the nuts, you want to lightly toast them so they have some crunch. Heat the honey and olive oil lightly in a pan until combined. Meanwhile mix the oats, toasted nuts, seeds and spices in a bowl before adding the honey and oil. Turn out onto baking sheets so there is a thin covering across the sheet. Bake in a medium hot oven for 20 minutes turning occasionally to ensure even browning. Allow to cool and store for breakfast or as tasty snack food!