Nutrition
FOODS THAT
"Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food" Hippocrates, 400 B.C.
A healthy diet can help your body heal from disease. Ayurvedic medicine divides foods in Sattvic=health, Tamasic=disease and Rajasic+destruction.
A pure sattvic diet is necessary to balance our bodies and provide with ideal fuel to remain healthy. Pure, sattvic food needs to be chewed carefully and eaten in modest portions. Overeating is tamasic (disease). Avoid heavy spices and seasonings. Too much salt and spice has a rajasic effect. Eat a balance of the food described below. Fill half of your stomach with food, one quarter with air and one quarter with water. Eat your meals when there is sunlight, avoid late night meals.
Examples of Sattvic foods:
Most fruits are considered sattvic. Sometimes yogis go on fruit fasts, where they avoid all foods except fruit and fruit juices. Fruit is also considered symbolic of generosity and spirituality and is often exchanged as an offering or a gift. Some dried fruits are used to keep the digestive system operating optimally.
Yogic and Ayurdevic philosophy holds that fresh, high quality dairy foods have beneficial sattvic qualities. Milk, butter, ghee, cheese, whey and yogurt are all recommended.
Fresh nuts and seeds that have not been overly roasted and salted are good additions to the sattvic diet in small portions. Some choices are almonds (especially when peeled and soaked in water overnight), coconut, pine nuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds. Oils should be of good quality and cold-pressed (sesame oil and flax oil).
Most mild, organic vegetables are considered sattvic. Pungent vegetables like hot peppers, garlic and onion are excluded. Gas-forming vegetables such as mushrooms and potatoes are generally avoided. Sometimes the shortcomings of these foods can be overcome by careful preparation. A practice is to drink freshly made vegetable juices for their prana, live enzymes, and easy absorption.
Whole grains are agreat source of protein. Some include quinoa, amarantus, organic rice, whole wheat, spelt, oatmeal and barley. Sometimes the grains are lightly roasted before cooking to remove some of their heavy quality. Yeasted breads are not recommended, unless toasted. Wheat and other grains can be sprouted before cooking as well. Also includedSome kheer (rice cooked with milk and sweetened), chapatis (non-leavened whole wheat flat bread), porridge (sometimes made very watery and cooked with herbs), and “Bible” bread (sprouted grain bread).
Yellow split peas, organic tofu, bean sprouts, lentils, and red beans are considered sattvic if well prepared. In general, the smaller the bean, the easier to digest. Preparations include splitting, peeling, grinding, soaking, sprouting, cooking and spicing. Beans combined with whole grains offer a complete protein combination.
Raw honey, raw sugar (not refined).
Sattvic spices are mild spices including basil, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, fresh ginger and turmeric. Rajasic spices like black pepper, red pepper and garlic are normally excluded, but are sometimes used in small amounts to keep a balance.
Ashwagandha, bacopa, calamus, gotu kola, gingko, jatamansi, purnarnava, shatavari, saffron, shankhapushpi, tulsi,nutmeg and rose.
FOODS THAT DESTROY
Tamasic and Rajasic foods are foods that when consumed, according to Ayurveda, are harmful or stale to either mind or body. They are harmful to the mind by leading to a duller, less refined, state of consciousness. Tamasic and Rajasic food cause stress to organs directly or indirectly via any physical imbalance.
It is recognized that some of these foods may be necessary in times of great distress.
Bad foods include: meat, fish , egg, onion, scallion, leek, mushroom, garlic, opium, stale food, pungent condiments, sweets, fried bread, egg plant, carrots, onions, garlic, lemon, tea, coffee, tobacco, alcohol, foods that are not fresh, overcooked, stale and processed foods made from refined flour, pastries, pizzas, burgers, chocolates, soft drinks, canned and preserved foods like jams, pickles and fermented foods, fried foods, sweets made from sugar, ice creams, puddings and most ‘fun foods’.
