CONTENTS

• Satvic Diet - Main Assumptions
• Ayurveda - a way to stay healthy
• Humans as natural herbivores
• Sattva - as a way of nutrition
• Rajas – as the opposite of Sattva
• Tamas means imbalance
• Examples of products included in each of the three groups

Many diets are designed to help you lose weight quickly, alleviate the symptoms of certain diseases, or prevent them. The satwic diet, on the other hand, focuses mainly on our spirituality and our mind. It keeps the body healthy and is also called the yoga diet.

Satvic Diet - Main Assumptions

The diet itself originates from India. According to local beliefs, it allows you to keep your mind and body healthy. It is also based on traditional Indian Ayurveda and yoga literature. The diet can be called lacto-vegetarian. It includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and dairy products. In the sattvic diet, its philosophy and the specific division of products play a big role. There is no escape from the Indian philosophy of life and language. The products are divided into three types: sattva, rajas and tamas. This means goodness, passion and ignorance, respectively. Foods called sattva should be eaten as often as possible and treated with the appropriate respect. This is the food group with the greatest impact on our health. They must be fresh, natural and grown in harmony with nature, without the use of artificial fertilizers. In addition, they should be GMO-free, without preservatives and other flavor enhancers. This also applies to the process of heat treatment. According to the rules, meals require as little human intervention as possible, so it is best to eat them raw or lightly boiled in water or steamed. In contrast, any type of food can become tamas. This name is used to describe overly processed products that are improperly stored, especially for a long time, and fried. According to Indian philosophy of life, such foods disrupt the balance of the body and mind.

Ayurveda - a way to stay healthy

Ayurveda is a type of traditional Indian medicine that has been used for almost 5,000 years. Loosely translated, this term means knowledge of life or course of life. It is practiced to this day in India and Sri Lanka. It deals with physical health, but also mental and spiritual health. This type of medicine has been fully accepted by the World Health Organization. Despite this, many scientists dispute its effectiveness. This is because it is largely based on Indian beliefs and is closely related to local religions. Despite everything, it is used in the treatment of many diseases, especially of the digestive system. It is based on the assumption that it is not possible to completely heal the body if our mind is sick. It places great emphasis on living in harmony with nature and many alternative therapies. It is also based on maintaining the right balance between all aspects of life. For example, we can mention healthy eating, sleep, work or rest. The method of treatment in this system is always individual. The most important thing for a medical professional is to get to know his patient thoroughly.This includes information such as the type of work performed, diet, worldly concerns, social status and even daily habits. This type of medicine focuses not only on curing a particular disease but on knowing its genesis and the cause of the problem.

Humans as natural herbivores

Satwic diet is based on the belief that humans are adapted to eating foods of plant origin. It has its origin in many books of Hinduism and is also the basis of Ayurveda. This is also evident in the structure of our body. We have not developed long canine teeth typical of carnivores. In addition, we have long intestines in relation to the length of the body. This is also a feature that determines adaptation to eating plant foods, because carnivores actually have a short digestive tract. The next factor is much less obvious. Namely, herbivores sweat through their skin like humans. In carnivores, the opposite is true. These animals usually cool their bodies by panting, licking or in other ways. It also describes the method of water intake. It is also more similar to herbivorous animals than predators. Belief plays a significant role in this perception. In Hindu belief, it is clearly stated that eating meat can create bad karma. Moreover, there is a record that whoever we eat in our life will devour us in the next. This is one of the reasons why this diet is so unusual.

Sattva - as a way of nutrition

From this word arose the Satwic diet. In Indian philosophy, it means goodness, purity and something positive in general. Foods from this group should make up as much of our diet as possible. Following in the footsteps of Ayurwenda, only such a diet can give us adequate physical strength, a clear mind, health and longevity. In addition, this is a way of eating that follows the Indian philosophy that a healthy mind determines everything that happens to our body. Maintaining mental clarity and psychological health is the basis for a good life. Products from this group are characterized by freshness and minimal processing. In addition, sattwic foods should be as neutral as possible for us. This way, our digestive system is stimulated to a minimum. They should not be overly salty, sour, spicy or contain too much fiber. This type of diet is very characteristic of the people of India, who want to lead a peaceful life in harmony with nature.

Rajas – as the opposite of Sattva

Rajas are neither good nor bad according to Hindu beliefs. It is individualism, egocentrism, movement, but also dynamism. Often the diet in this trend is assessed as overstimulating. It can also have a strong effect on the mind and lead to selfishness, anger or infidelity. According to ancient records, such a diet was especially recommended for the army, high-ranking magnates and rulers. It gave strength, increased physical performance as well as mental sharpness. However, it was also supposed to make the mind less predictable and more difficult to control. Such a diet was rich in highly spiced and fermented products, that is, incompatible with the spirit of Sattva. It includes products such as all kinds of pickles, salty, sweet, bitter, spicy and even fried products. Various drinks were also used, including Coffee, tea and vinegar.It was believed that with such a diet you could live up to 100 years.

Tamas means imbalance

Tamas, unlike the two types of diets mentioned above, is something unacceptable. It has a negative effect on the body and mind. It does not bring any significant benefits and is for the weak. As a quality, Tamas means imbalance, chaos and unrest. It was believed that the Tamas diet emphasizes negative human qualities. These include, for example, laziness, lethargy, lack of motivation for action and hindrances to spiritual development. According to the magazines, a person on such a diet will be uninteresting, boring and unimaginative. It may also be more likely to suffer from various diseases. We are talking about diabetes, obesity, kidney and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, this is not a view detached from reality. Such a diet included alcohol, highly processed foods, but also smoking. It also includes products such as meat, fish, eggs, mushrooms and hot spices. Also, this whole group was concerned with how the food was prepared. We are talking about frying or improper cooking of food that ends in burning. An interesting fact may be that even if a sattva product expires, it is also called tamas.

Examples of products included in each of the three groups

sattva

• legumes (lentils, broad beans, beans, peas, chickpeas)
• Unrefined grains (wheat, barley, oats, amaranth)
• nuts
• seeds (sunflower, pumpkin)
• rice
• Milk and dairy products (yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese)
• Vegetables and fruits (almost all - it is important that they are fresh)
• coconut
• water with additives
• Ser Panerr
• locust bean gum
• delicate spices

Rajas

• Mature cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, brie, camembert)
• butter
• Fermented fruits and vegetables
• Vegetables with intense flavor (leek, garlic, onion, radish, olives)
• citrus fruits
• Intensely flavored spices and additives (salt, vinegar, chili, curry, ginger)
• Sugar
• coffee and tea
• chocolate products
• Fried food

Tamas

• alcohol
• Meat
• fish and seafood
• Mushrooms
• eggs
• food scraps
• Expired food
• Insufficiently cooked food (burnt, undercooked, fried, grilled)

Summary

The Satwic diet is certainly a very interesting diet, especially when it comes to its genesis. It is impossible to understand it without delving into the reality of its creation, but also its purpose. Despite this complicated envelope, we cannot deny its effectiveness. In fact, it is a very healthy diet that covers the needs of macro and microelements almost one hundred percent. However, let us remember that due to the absence of meat, supplementation with vitamin B12 should be considered.