Yoga practitioners often favor the Sattvic diet because of its roots in Ayurveda (a medical system that originated in India more than 5,000 years ago).
Sattvic followers eat primarily nutritious foods, including fresh vegetables and nuts. This diet could have a number health benefits. It is restrictive and excludes many healthy foods.
This article will cover everything you need to know regarding the Sattvic diet. It includes its potential health benefits, as well as possible downsides. There are also foods to avoid and a sample menu.
What is the Sattvic diet?
Many yoga lovers follow the Sattvic diet, which is high in fiber and low in fat.
Three types of food are used in Yoga practice. They have different health effects and qualities.
Sattvic is a term that means “pure essence” and sattvic food is thought to be pure, balanced, and offer feelings of calmness and happiness as well as mental clarity.
Rajasic foods can be described as stimulating and tamasic foods as causing weakness and laziness.
Sattvic food is the most nutritious of all three. Sattvic diets have a higher intake of micronutrients. Ayurveda says that the Sattvic diet is the best for longevity, mental health, and physical strength.
Sattvic diets are high in fresh, nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fruit juices, legumes and nuts.
Ayurveda suggests eating predominantly Sattvic food and avoiding rajasic or tamasic dishes.
Sattvic diets exclude animal proteins, white sugar, stimulants such as caffeine, and fried foods.
Potential health benefits of the Sattvic diet
Sattvic food is high in nutrients and low in processed foods. It may have many health benefits.
Promoting whole, nutrient-dense food
Sattvic eating habits emphasize whole, nutritious foods. This includes vegetables, fruits and beans.
These whole, nutritious foods can promote overall health. They provide your body with essential nutrients such as protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.
Sattvic eating habits encourage healthy eating and whole food consumption. Consuming processed foods is known to be detrimental to your overall health and increase your risk of developing many diseases.
May lower chronic disease risk
While no research has been done on the Sattvic Diet specifically, it is well-known that diets that promote whole, nutrient rich foods reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
Particularly, vegetarian diets have shown an impressive protective effect on chronic disease development.
Vegetarian diets have been shown to be associated with lower risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol. Vegetarian diets may also protect against colorectal and diabetes.
Moreover, the Sattvic diet includes a majority of vegetables, fruits, beans and nuts. This may reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases and early death from all causes.
Promotes weight loss
Sattvic diet is high in fiber and plant foods. This may promote weight reduction.
Research has shown that vegetarians have lower body mass and more body fat than non-vegetarians.
Numerous studies also show that vegetarian diets can promote weight loss in overweight people.
This could be due to a variety of factors, such as the high fiber and low calorie density of vegetarian diets.
Foods to Eat
You must strictly adhere to the Sattvic diet and avoid food from the rajasic or tamasic categories.
Be aware that Sattvic recommendations about what foods to eat vary from one source to the next. There are many contradictory sources regarding which foods can be allowed.
These foods are permissible on the Sattvic diet :
- Both land and sea vegetables : Carrots, celery and potatoes Broccoli Kelp, lettuce, peas and cauliflower, etc.
- Juices and fruits: Apples, bananas and papaya.
- Sprouted grains : Barley, amaranth and bulgur, amaranth and barley, millet quinoa, wild Rice, etc.
- Coconut products, nuts, and seeds : Walnuts, Brazil nuts and sesame seeds are all good options.
- Oils and fats : Olive oil, sesame oil and red palm oil are all good options. Flax oil, flax oil and ghee are also good options.
- Non-dairy and dairy products : High quality yogurt, milk, and cheese such as those from pasture-raised farms, are available : Almond milkCoconut milk, cashew and nut-based cheeses
- Bean products and legumes : Lentils, chickpeas and chickpeas as well as bean sprouts and tofu are some of the options.
- Beverages : Water, fruit juice, noncaffeinated herbal Tea
- Sattvic herbs and spices : Basil, coriander and nutmeg.
- Sweeteners : Honey and jaggery
When following the Sattvic diet, the majority of your food intake should be from the above mentioned foods. There are many variations to the Sattvic diet.
Foods to Avoid
Sattvic food restrictions forbid the consumption of foods that can be referred to as rajasic and tamasic.
This is why most animal products, processed foods, refined sugar, and fast food are prohibited.
These foods and ingredients are not recommended for the Sattvic diet :
- Sugar and sweets added : White sugar High fructose corn syrup Candy, soda, etc.
- Fried foods : French fries, fried vegetables and fried pastries are just a few of the many options.
- Foods that are processed : Chips, sugary breakfast cereals and fast food, frozen dinners and microwave meals are just a few examples.
- Products made from refined grains : White bread, bagels and cakes, as well as cookies and cakes are all available.
- Meat, poultry, eggs, and fish : Chicken, beef, chicken, turkey, duck and lamb.
- Some fruits and vegetables : Onion durian Pickles, garlic, scallions and pickles
- Some beverages : Alcohol, sugary drinks, caffeinated beverages, and coffee
Avoid foods that are too salty, sour, or spicy. Stale foods such as those left out over night should also be avoided.
Bhagvad Gita On Sattvic Diet
Food choices can have a profound impact on the way people think and how they perceive nature. Chhandogya Upanishad emphasizes satvik food as eating these foods purifies our mind and makes us part of our pure consciousness. “Ahara shuddhau sattva shuddhih” (7.26.2). Pure sattvik food is preferred by people with pure minds.
Bhagvad Gita Mentions Importance of Diet in 17.7
āhāras tv api sarvasya
tri-vidho bhavati priyaḥ
yajñas tapas tathā dānaḿ
teṣāḿ bhedam imaḿ śṛṇu
Krishna explains Arjuna’s food preferences. The same applies to their inclinations toward charity, sacrifice, austerity and austerity. Pay attention to their differences.
Diet and Gunas
What is a Guna? There are three types of Gunas. They are groups of different energy qualities in parkriti (physical material). Gunas are a characteristic of every living thing. It is one of three “propensities”, which can be found in the mind, body, soul, or consciousness. These gunas are Sattva (Rajas) and Tamas (Tamas). These three categories are what define and reflect our health and behaviour as well as how we think and eat.
- Sattvic is a synonym for purity, harmony, and well-being.
- Rajasic is stress, anger and activity.
- Tamasic is a combination of laziness, dullness, and lethargy.
Each person has one of these gunas. However, their ratios vary. Tamas guna is necessary for restful sleep and good health, Rajas and Sattva are essential for working and Sattva to fulfill our aspirations. Yoga is a way of living that encourages Sattva guna, which fosters consciousness through healthy body and mind.
The food we eat has a profound impact on our physical, mental, and spiritual health. The role of diet is crucial to achieving a spiritual path.
What are Rajasic, Tamasic and Sattvic Diets?
Rajasic Diet It is mainly made up of rich foods with spices and taste like onion and garlic, coffee, tea and refined foods such as chocolates, sugary foods, and sweet foods. These foods provide instant energy for a short time, but eventually we experience stress or energy lows. The mind-body balance is disrupted by a dominantly Rajasic diet. This diet involves feeding the body at the expense of the mind. Rajasic qualities: A weak digestive system, a constant rush to eat fast food and a preference for rich foods.
Tamasic food consists mainly of chemically processed foods and reheated food, such as eggs, alcohol, and cigarettes. Tamasic people will lack imagination, be unmotivated, have no idea, not know how to think, and become lethargic. They may develop diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and liver disease.
Sattvik Diet Pure vegetarian diet that includes fresh seasonal fruit, plenty of fresh vegetables, whole grains, pulses and sprouts, dried nuts, seed, honey, fresh herbs and milk, as well as dairy products that are free from animal-rennet. These foods increase sattva, or our consciousness levels. Sattvik food is cooked with love, gratitude, and awareness. Sattviks are calm, peaceful, tranquil, amicable and full of energy, enthusiasm health, hopes, creativity, and hope. The sattvic diet has an additional benefit: it helps to maintain a healthy weight and is a very effective way to lose weight. If sattvik foods are over-processed, kept for longer periods of time, or deep-fried, they will turn tamasic.
Also Read : 7 Tips to Increase Concentration in Daily Life
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