Three Types of Food

Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic Foods

The food that we eat can be classified into three types – Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic. Each has an effect on our physical and mental well-being. Understanding a few simple facts about foods can lead to a new understanding of ourselves. Shall we begin?

Sattvic

What exactly is a Sattvic diet?

A Sattvic diet, simply, means light and healthy food. It does not go to any extremes of taste – neither too sweet, nor too salty or spicy – just moderate. Plainly put, Sattvic food is that which purifies the body and calms the mind. A Sattvic diet consists of pure food (not processed) that is light in potency, and rich in prana (life force). It energizes the body and mind.

Cooked food, consumed within three to four hours of preparation, can be considered Sattvic.

Why adopt a Sattvic diet?

The intake of Sattvic food helps improve mental health and energy, thereby improving the state of our consciousness. It helps restore the harmony and balance of our body and mind. Having a Sattvic diet on a regular basis can help in the formation and rebuilding of high-quality body tissues.

Here’s a quick look at some foods that are welcomed in kitchens, though a few are welcomed momentarily. A few food items can also be shown the door!

Sattvic Foods	Rajasic Foods	Tamasic Foods
Grains such as rice, wheat, and oats, legumes, moong dal (whole green gram)	Meat and fish, excessively spicy, salty, and sour foods	Meat and fish, white flour, food with preservatives, food kept overnight
Fresh green vegetables such as spinach, green beans, steamed vegetables with moderate spices	Pungent vegetables, excessive intake of potato, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower	Foods with excessive starch, canned and tinned food
Fresh fruits such as pomegranates, apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes	Jams, jellies, flavored and preserved foods	Jams, jellies, flavored and preserved foods
Fresh fruit and vegetable juices	Wines, alcoholic drinks, soda, cola, and coffee	Hard liquor like whisky and rum
Fresh or lightly roasted seeds and nuts	Fried food, roasted and salted food, and mustard	French fries, chips, foods preserved with salt
Fresh buttermilk, fresh curd (yoghurt), butter, and ghee (clarified butter). Fresh milk is Sattvic but once pasteurized, it turns a little Tamasic.	Sour milk and cream	Too cold or pasteurized milk, curds, and cheese
Coconut oil, sesame oil, and olive oil	-	Excess intake of fats, oils, sugars, and pastries
Spices such as ginger, cardamom, dalchini (cinnamon), saunf (fennel), dhaniya (coriander), and haldi (turmeric)	Chilies, garlic, onions, pickles, and vinegar	-
Honey, jaggery and raw sugar	Brown or black chocolate	White sugar and white flour

(Written with inputs from Dr. Sharika Menon, Vaidya, Art of Living)

Rajasic

What is a Rajasic diet?

All foods produced by harming living beings (such as meat and fish) are Rajasic or Tamasic in nature, and should, therefore, be avoided.

What happens when you adopt a Rajasic diet?

A Rajasic diet can aggravate Pitta and Vata (types of doshas or constitutions of your body) levels in the body. These foods stimulate the body and mind into action. When taken in excess, such foods can cause hyperactivity, restlessness, anger, irritability, and sleeplessness. They also increase the level of toxins in the blood. Simply put, overly tasty food is Rajasic. A few examples of Rajasic foods can be found in the table below.

Here’s a quick look at some foods that are welcomed in kitchens, though a few are welcomed momentarily. A few food items can also be shown the door!

Sattvic Foods	Rajasic Foods	Tamasic Foods
Grains such as rice, wheat, and oats, legumes, moong dal (whole green gram)	Meat and fish, excessively spicy, salty, and sour foods	Meat and fish, white flour, food with preservatives, food kept overnight
Fresh green vegetables such as spinach, green beans, steamed vegetables with moderate spices	Pungent vegetables, excessive intake of potato, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower	Foods with excessive starch, canned and tinned food
Fresh fruits such as pomegranates, apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes	Jams, jellies, flavored and preserved foods	Jams, jellies, flavored and preserved foods
Fresh fruit and vegetable juices	Wines, alcoholic drinks, soda, cola, and coffee	Hard liquor like whisky and rum
Fresh or lightly roasted seeds and nuts	Fried food, roasted and salted food, and mustard	French fries, chips, foods preserved with salt
Fresh buttermilk, fresh curd (yoghurt), butter, and ghee (clarified butter). Fresh milk is Sattvic but once pasteurized, it turns a little Tamasic.	Sour milk and cream	Too cold or pasteurized milk, curds, and cheese
Coconut oil, sesame oil, and olive oil	-	Excess intake of fats, oils, sugars, and pastries
Spices such as ginger, cardamom, dalchini (cinnamon), saunf (fennel), dhaniya (coriander), and haldi (turmeric)	Chilies, garlic, onions, pickles, and vinegar	-
Honey, jaggery and raw sugar	Brown or black chocolate	White sugar and white flour

(Written with inputs from Dr. Sharika Menon, Vaidya, Art of Living)

Tamasic

What is a Tamasic diet?

All foods produced by harming living beings (such as meat and fish) are Rajasic or Tamasic in nature, and should, therefore, be avoided. Moreover, when Sattvic food is prepared in a Tamasic or toxic environment, it becomes Tamasic and should, consequently, not be consumed.

What happens when you eat Tamasic foods?

Tamasic foods are those which dull the mind and bring inertia, confusion, and disorientation. Stale or reheated food, items that are too oily or heavy on the stomach, and artificial foods come under this category. Tamasic food can also increase the aggressive quality of Rajas towards violence.

Sattvic Foods	Rajasic Foods	Tamasic Foods
Grains such as rice, wheat, and oats, legumes, moong dal (whole green gram)	Meat and fish, excessively spicy, salty, and sour foods	Meat and fish, white flour, food with preservatives, food kept overnight
Fresh green vegetables such as spinach, green beans, steamed vegetables with moderate spices	Pungent vegetables, excessive intake of potato, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower	Foods with excessive starch, canned and tinned food
Fresh fruits such as pomegranates, apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes	Jams, jellies, flavored and preserved foods	Jams, jellies, flavored and preserved foods
Fresh fruit and vegetable juices	Wines, alcoholic drinks, soda, cola, and coffee	Hard liquor like whisky and rum
Fresh or lightly roasted seeds and nuts	Fried food, roasted and salted food, and mustard	French fries, chips, foods preserved with salt
Fresh buttermilk, fresh curd (yoghurt), butter, and ghee (clarified butter). Fresh milk is Sattvic but once pasteurized, it turns a little Tamasic.	Sour milk and cream	Too cold or pasteurized milk, curds, and cheese
Coconut oil, sesame oil, and olive oil	-	Excess intake of fats, oils, sugars, and pastries
Spices such as ginger, cardamom, dalchini (cinnamon), saunf (fennel), dhaniya (coriander), and haldi (turmeric)	Chilies, garlic, onions, pickles, and vinegar	-
Honey, jaggery and raw sugar	Brown or black chocolate	White sugar and white flour