Three Categories Of Diets According To Sanatana And How They Affect Us

In Sanatana, diet is a serious matter, and this particular ‘what you eat’ is often understood as reflecting ‘what’ or ‘who’ you are.

In the Shrimad Bhagawat Gita, there is a clear reference to the three fundamental qualities of nature, the three Gunas of Nature. These qualities also apply in matters of food as well, along with character & nature of being & things, respectively.

They are categorised as Sattvic, Rajasik & Tamasik. Ingestion of any of these three foods can broadly determine your nature.

Sattvic means pure, fresh, nourishing and nutrient-rich food. This type of food serves the body and mind, with the goal being nourishment of the body. Examples include Fruits, vegetables, pulses, and dairy items.

Rajasik foods excite your body and mind. They’re spicy, stimulating, and they sometimes provide short or long-term energy. Some common examples are coffee, tea, chocolate, salt, eggs, heavy spices, and fast foods.

Tamasik foods are old, heavy, frozen, processed and lethargy-inducing. Foods like these cause laziness due to one reason being that they take time to digest, and they lie in the dangerous category as they can cause diseases and other sorts of issues. Examples include meat, alcohol, fermented items, reheated & processed foods.

Here’s what these Diets do to You

Physical Health

The Sattvic diet can provide you with energy and overall vitality. Rajasik diet overstimulates the system and can cause fatigue. Tamasik literally makes you go into tamas, i.e., makes you lethargic and slow.

Mental Health

Sattvic meals ensure mental clarity and calmness, while reducing restlessness and mental fog. Rajasik food can give rise to ambition and alertness, but at the cost of making you impatient. Tamasik foods can cause lack of motivation, mental fog and confusion.

Emotional Health

Sattvic diets help you with stability, patience and resilience. Rajasik Diets can give rise to desires and intensity, but at the cost of stress and can make you cringe easily. The body, when given the Tamasik diet, retaliates by causing blues, withdrawal and emotional instability.

Spiritual Effect

Sattvic diets make it easy to practice meditation and self-awareness. Rajasik diets are fit for materially oriented people due to their stimulating nature. Tamasik foods usually obstruct awareness and spiritual growth.

Broader picture

The Hindu way of living encourages conscious awareness of what you eat & how it impacts the body, telling people to act with understanding of the nature of foods and their effects. The emphasis is on moderation and mindful balance, rather than indulgence or excess.

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