What we eat is what we are!

Hi all: A close friend of mine has contributed this article on food and the quality it imbibes into us, as we consume them.

I thank the person for bringing this new dimension on food. You may post your comments / thoughts / questions and I would get it answered by my friend.

Article:

Foods are classified into three categories - Saatvic, Rajasic and Tamasic by Ayurveda, the oldest medical science .Saatvic foods include easy-to-digest foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs, light dairy products, grains and legumes, whole foods that are not altered by processing. Foods that are processed, canned, transported long distances, frozen or packaged are harder to digest and create imbalances in the body. Organically and locally grown foods are best because they are fresh and free of harsh chemicals. Easy digestion is the fundamental requirement for good immunity in the body. In general vegetarian diet promotes more Saatvic eating although freshness, processing and certain ingredients do not promote Saatvic qualities. Milk, butter, ghee (clarified butter), fresh ripe fruits, most nuts, vegetables, grains, beans and legumes are Saatvic.

Rajasic foods are foods that make one act in mode of passion. They are hot, spicy and salty foods bitter, sour, pungent and dry.. These foods create sensuality, sexuality, greed, jealousy, anger, irritability, delusion, fantasies, egotism and irreligious feelings. Fried foods, pungent condiments, fresh meat, sweets, fermented foods, brinjal (egg plant), carrots, urad (black gram), onions, garlic, lemon, masur (red gram), tea, coffee, chocolate/any stimulant, betel leaves, tobacco are rajasic foods.

Tamasic foods are foods that make one act in mode of ignorance. They are food are over cooked, impure, more than three hours old, stale, dry, bad smelling, burnt, distasteful, processed, canned frozen etc. It increases pessimism, ignorance, lack of common sense, greed, laziness, depression, criminal tendencies and doubt. Meat, eggs, alcohol, mushrooms are tamasic foodstuffs. Meat tops the list of Tamasic foods. Physiologically, Carnivores have biological features that differ from herbivores. Their intestines are short and digestive acids very strong. The length of the human intestine is three to four times that of a typical carnivore, and digestive acids weaker. Meat therefore takes a long time to process, sometimes exceeding several days and making it more tamasic and accumulating toxins. Onions and garlic, and the other Alliums are classified as Rajasic and to some extent Tamasic, which means that they increase passion and to some degree ignorance.

Rajasic and tamasic foods are not to be used often because they are detrimental to general health, spiritual progress and are also avoided due to their adverse effects on the consciousness of the eater. Saatvic people are focused on the purpose, rajasic people are focused on the result and tamasic people just go through the motions. Even Saatvic foods needs to be eaten in the right quantity and at right intervals as specified by Ayurveda for the foods to be absorbed well and remain Saatvic. For eg over eating, snacking at odd times etc contribute to more Tamasic quality. A popular saying in tamil captures the ill effects of overeating by describing that even nectar can be poisonous to the living entity, when had in excess of quantity.

From a spiritual angle, Krishna describes in Bhagavat Gita that there are three modes of material nature. Every creature is born with an inclination to either saatva, rajas, or tamas. Every living entity has a certain percentage of these qualities. Those who are more Saatvic worship the forms of God, those who are more Rajasic worship power and wealth, those who are more tamasic worship spirits and ghosts. Saatvic foods are foods that make one act in the modes of goodness, promotes the right kind of intelligence – the ability to distinguish between right and wrong and helps stay calm stress free and make the right decisions in life.