What is the Buddha diet? Here’s what you should know

Sneha Biswas | May 1, 2020, 12:45 IST
Buddha diet or the Buddhist diet is a popular food style that has been circulating among lifestyle bloggers for a long time. Can’t recall? Remember those yummy, colourful one-bowl dishes called Buddha bowl- a mix of everything in a bowl to make the needs of your body. For those who don’t know, the Buddhist diet comes with a few dietary restrictions and food traditions. It has a fixed food proportion and is based on three main principles- vegetarianism, alcohol restriction, and fasting. Although, dairy products are an important part of this religious diet. It is popular for aiding weight loss.

Food products that may include in your Buddha bowl include all kinds of grains, dairy products, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, and oil. Apart from that, you may include fasting to control your unhealthy eating habits. Similar to an intermittent diet, Buddhist monks avoid eating food or drinks from noon to dawn of the following day. It might be difficult to jump-start a Buddhist diet, but you can follow this diet plan according to your capacity and improvise to see visible changes.

This Buddhist diet comes with loads of nutritional value, thanks to its plant-based foods. Usually, this diet is rich in antioxidants, fibre, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and probiotics. This can possibly help you to curb the risk of cancer and heart complications. It can be diabetic-friendly and help to maintain a lean body and shed excess belly fat.

On the other hand, you must be careful about other essential nutrients required by your body. This diet might lack protein, iron, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and vitamin B-12. However, it’s best to go easy on your health and consult a dietitian before opting for a Buddha diet.

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