Sattva, Rajas & Tamas - 4

It is saying that “जैसा अन्न वैसा मन”.  i.e.  Whatever we eat becomes our mind. Our food builds our character. So we must consider while eating anything that it will reflect in our character.

It is often noticed that people are eating while watching TV or reading newspapers or something else. But this is not a good habit. Two things together do not live in the mind, the mind catches a topic at a time and we want to fill the whole world together, which is impossible. These are the little things which we are ignoring and that put a serious impact on our lives.

Whatever we receive from nature, such as food, beverages, and air, whatever our mind receives with our ten senses; and feelings generated by contemplation of information stored in our mind. Based on all these factors the equation of properties/attribute and traits changes inside us. And this change is responsible to drive our present.

Our thoughts are the outcome of this equation change. And our activities/actions depend on our thoughts.

Food intake provides us with our physical health; this is proven even by Western methods. The fault in the Western approach is that they see no depth to how food reacts to the body and more so the mind. In Ayurveda, this is the fundamental idea. Lifestyle also has an effect on the body and the mind

Food affects the mind. Being that food is so dear to most of us is also of Sattvik, Rajasik and Tamasik natures. The foods that provide health and vitality, energy and joy, are delicious and bland as well as substantial and agreeable are liked by a person of Sattvik nature.

Foods that are bitter, sour, pungent, salty, over hot, dry and possess burning qualities produce misery, grief and sickness. They are desired by a Rajasik person.

Foods that are stale, flat, putrid unclean and corrupt are liked by a Tamasik person. The diet can change the nature of a person. A person of a Tamasik nature that consumes Sattvik foods will increase their Sattvik nature. A person desiring good health must take a diet of the purest foods that will also help with the purification of the mind.

The panca maha bhutas (the five elements) is what construct everything and our body/mind as well. The traigunya (Sattva, Rajas & Tamas) predominate the these panca maha bhutas and so they predominate over the whole of human life.

Now coming one by one:-

Sattvik Food: -  Sattvic food is always cooked fresh, plain, lush, quickly digestible, nutritious, smooth, proper oily, sweet and tasty. It makes your thought process more apparent. Helps in increasing intellect and keep mind always calm and healthy.

To become healthy at all three levels, spiritually, mentally and physically one should practice eating Sattvic food.

Almonds, honey, fresh fruit, milk, cow's milk, melted butter,  dates, all sprouted grains and pulses, parval,  gourd -like vegetables, leafy greens that were seen as ontological. Spices that are commonly used in home, such as turmeric, ginger, cardamom, coriander, anise and cinnamon are comes in Sattvik category.

Rajasik Food: - Rajasik diet provide only mental and physical health it does not affect your spirituality.
 Food which is bitter, sour, salty, sharp, pungent and drained, Puri, papad, such as fried foods, strong flavored spices, sweets, yogurt, eggplant, carrots - radish, urad, lemon, lentils, tea - coffee, betel come under rajasic food.

Tamasik Food:  which provide only physical strength is called Tamasik. No effect on spiritual and mental streangth.

Food which is Stale, garbage, cold, undercooked, with bad smell, re-cooked, artificial, over-fried, greasy or heavy foods - such as meat, fish and other sea - food, wine, garlic, onions and tobacco, pastries, pizza, burgers, bread, chocolate, soft drinks, tandoori roti, roomali bread, naan, bakery products, tobacco, alcohol, canned and Frozen Food, excessive tea - coffee, cakes, eggs, jam, ketchup, noodles, chips, including fried foods are under rajasic food. They generate heat in the body hence falls under Tamasik category.

In Vaishnav community it is recommended not to eat Onion and garlic. Instead of having lots of benefit to human body onion and garlic are a lover category Tamsik food. Its end effect is to increase body heat which results in increased lust. Same is the effect of non-veg, hence strictly avoided in spiritual journey.

It is advisable that always eat fresh and hot food. Because heat from the hot food and heat from the stomach together digests food quickly. That is why heat of the stomach is called ‘Jatharagni’ in Ayurveda.

Tamasik diet increases laziness, Rajasik diet increases anger and Sattvik diet enhances and increases love. The body is made from food, so much dependent on the food. Tamasik person cannot love, he demands love, and he complains that nobody loves him. Sattvik person always gives love.

Finally I am listing food of all three categories in tabular format:-

Foods	Tamasic (Old, over cooked)	Rajasic (Raw)	Sattvic (Fresh lightly Cooked)
Fruits	avocado, watermelon, plums, apricots	Sour fruits: oranges, grapefruit, lemons, apples, banana, guava	Mango, pomegranate, coconut, figs, peaches, pears
Vegetables	Mushrooms, pumpkin, all genetically engineered (GMO) products	Potatoes, nightshades, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, tamarind, winter squash, pickles	Sweet potato, lettuce, parsley, cilantro, sprouts, yellow squash
Grains	Wheat, brown rice, all genetically engineered (GMO) products	Millet, yellow corn, buckwheat	Rice, especially basmati, tapioca, soft organic blue corn tortillas
Beans	Urad dal, black beans, pinto beans, pink beans	Red lentils, toor dal, adzuki beans	Mung dal (meng bean sprouts), yellow lentils, kidney beans, lima beans
Dairy	Cheese (hard, aged, salty, or stinky, fetid [Feta cheese]), rBGH – recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone	Old sour cream, store bought yogurt (as opposed to fresh homemade yogurt), Paneer	Organic non-rBGH fresh Milk, cow’s milk, fresh yogurt, curd, organic ghee
Spices, cooking Herbs, Condiment, Medicinal healing herbs	RAW Garlic, onions, leeks, shallots, chives, hing (asafoetida). Cooked or heated honey (creates toxic build up – it is ama-genic), poppy seeds, tagar, valerian, medical marijuana.	Chili, cayenne, peppers, hot and spicy, black pepper, clove,  nutmeg, pickles, chutney, raw uncooked , salt,  coffee, black tea, tobacco.	Cumin, coriander, fennel, turmeric, basil, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, saffron, sesame seeds, haritaki, amalaki, ashwagandha, brahmi, calamus, camphor, myrrh, chamomile, chrysanthemum, ginseng, gokshura, jasmine, lotus, rose, sandalwood, skullcap, tulsi, mint, pennyroyal, bayberry, jatamamsi, licorice, shatavari,
Meats and Flesh Products	Pork, beef, lamb, dark meat chicken/turkey, bottom feeder fish and lobster, canned, dried, frozen or old flesh products, “factory farming” – 5 chickens to one small cage, de-beaking	Fresh fish, shrimp, white meat chicken	No animal flesh products should be consumed by those wishing to cultivate Sattva (Purity - clarity)
Sleeping Habit	12-15 Hours	7-9 Hours	4-6 hours