3 Food Habits

 According to Ayurveda,there are three modes in nature -the thinking mode (Satva), the action mode (Rajas) and inertia or laziness or convenience (Tamas). The three modes are called Trigunas, or three properties.

      Any food that creates awareness is Satvic food. Satva means "Pure". Eating unrefined, un-processed foods creates right thinking and is the realm of the intellect, not the emotional mind. The emotional mind craves tasty food, the food of action which is called Rajasic foods. All the refined and heavily spiced foods are Rajasic, that which increase action in the mind.

      So foods that are conducive to right thinking or which strengthen the intellect are Satvic foods and those foods that feed the emotional mind are Rajasic. All the fried, salty, spicy, sweet foods are Rajasic. This does not mean that in Satvic foods there is no salt or spice or sweetness. These are added in moderate amounts to bring a balance and enhance the quality of tastes in the food. The spices are added not for taste alone but also to aid digestion and to supply micro-nutrients. Salt is added to enhance the spice/flavors in the food and also to induce secretion of saliva in the mouth.

       In Satvic food all these ingredients are added in balance while in Rajasic foods there is an imbalance of these ingredients. This imbalance creates agitations in the mind. Eating Rajasic food one stays only in the realm of sensory pleasures that the food creates. Healthy thinking and awareness is missing in Rajasic foods.

      The third or Tamasic mode has the feature of dullness or laziness in it. Any food that causes dullness of mind or intellect and/or loss of intellect is Tamasic. Alcohol is very typically a Tamasic food.  It causes dullness of mind and intellect. Another feature of this type of food is that which is made out of laziness. Left over food prepared with the intension to avoid cooking is Tamasic because that is propelled by laziness. All canned foods, frozen, washed and precut foods that are not fresh are Tamasic foods or foods of dullness and laziness.

       However, fermented foods are not Tamasic, because the intention is not one of laziness but for augmenting the nutritional value of the food. Fermented foods have high microbial activity and so the food is enriched with micro nutrients that are secreted by the microbes or micro-flora.  Click here  to read more about fermented foods.

       These three modes create four different personalities.

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