What U Eat is What U Are!

The body is the instrument by which man accomplishes all his purposes in the world. It is the horse that takes him to his destination or goal. Therefore, it should be kept clean, strong and healthy. The body is a mould prepared by the mind for its activities. There is an intimate connection between the body and the mind. The nature and condition of the body has a vital effect upon the mind and activities. Therefore, the materials or foods that build the body and the mind should be pure, wholesome, nutritious, substantial and bland.

Eat that food which will develop Sattwa in you. Milk, butter, ghee, (clarified butter), fresh ripe fruits, almonds, dates, barley, wheat, cereals, tomatoes, parwar, torai, karela (names of Indian vegetables), plantains etc., are Sattwic.

Abandon fish, meat, liquors, eggs, etc., ruthlessly if you want to increase Sattwa and attain Self-realization. The mind is formed of the subtle portion of the food. "As is the food so is the mind"- says a Hindi proverb. If you take Sattwic food, the mind also will be Sattwic. The seven elements of the body (chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen) are formed out of food.

Ideas and concepts are generated in the mind corresponding to these seven elements. As is the constitution of these elements, so is the constitution of the mind. Just as water is rendered hot when the pot that contains it is placed over the fire, so also the nature and constitution of the mind is according to the nature and constitution of the food or the seven elements.

Food of a passionate nature produces restlessness in the mind, evil thoughts, excitement, craving now for one and then for another, pain, trouble and disease. The Rajasic man always plans to prepare various kinds of preparations to satisfy his palate. He takes salt, chillies, mustard, cloves, condiments, pungent pickles etc., in excess. Tears flow from his eyes and water dribbles from his nose and yet he will not leave the hot and pungent articles. The palate remains unsatisfied until the stomach is completely filled with pungent things, till the tongue is burnt with chilies. Ladies’ fingers (an Indian vegetable), puri, kachori (Indian food preparations), pungent condiments, meat, fish, eggs, sweets, fried bread, curd, brinjal, carrots, black-gram, onions, garlic, lemon, masur, tea, coffee, betels, tobacco are Rajasic articles of food.

Rajasic food distracts the mind. It excites passion. Give up salt. It excites passion and emotion. Giving up of salt helps in the control of the palate and thereby the mind. The will power is also developed. Snake bite and scorpion sting will have no influence on a man who has given up salt. Onions and garlic are worse than meat.

Cannabis indica (ganja), bhang, opium, cocaine, charas, chandoo, all stale and putrid articles, are Tamasic.The man whose taste is of a Tamasic nature will eat food in the afternoon that has been cooked on the previous day. He also likes that which is half-cooked or burnt to a cinder.

He and all the members of his family sit together and eat from the same dish or plate, food that has been mixed into a mess by his children.

The food eaten by Tamasic people is stale, dry, without juice, unripe or overcooked. They do not relish it, till it begins to rot and ferment. They take prohibited foods and drinks. They take liquors, fermented toddy, etc. They are horrible people with devilish tendencies. Beef, wine, garlic, onions and tobacco are Tamasic foodstuffs. They fill the mind with anger, darkness and inertia.

The eating of meat and alcoholism are closely allied. The craving for liquor dies a natural death if meat is withdrawn from one’s diet. The question of birth-control becomes very difficult in the case of those who eat meat. To them mind control is next to impossible. Mark how the tiger, eating meat, and the cow or elephant, living on green grass, are poles apart! The one is wild and ferocious while the other is mild and peaceful.

Although meat is mandated in Ayurveda for debilitated patients, for warriors (Kshatriyas) and for those who overexert themselves, it is very heavy for digestion, putrefies faster than other foods and produces Ama (internal toxins) quickly. Unless you exercise strenuously, regular meat eating will increase fat rather than flesh.It promotes speed rather than endurance, which is not good for Vata-affected individuals. Meat overheats the mind and warms the body, but even in cold climates, it should not be used to excess. Today's meat is also of poor quality, full of antibiotics and other drugs, taken from feedlot animals who never exercise so that all their Ama remains in their tissues.

Esoterically, the fear felt by the animal as it waits to be slaughtered and the hatred it feels for the human who slaughters it change the composition of its flesh and increase fear and anger in whoever eats it. The more the violence involved in the collection of our food, the greater the violence in our lives. Also, because digestive wastes are partly excreted in sweat, a meat-eater sits in his or her own odour daily, breathing in chemicals which promote fear and anger, and projecting this fear and anger out at others.

Do not eat when angry, depressed, bored, or otherwise emotionally unstable, or immediately after any physical exertion. Bathe, or at least wash your hands, face and feet, before you begin to eat.
Sit while eating, in an isolated clean area. Face east if possible, the direction of the sun, the earth's source of heat and fire. Eat alone, or with people you know and trust. Ensure that all your sense organs are satisfied by providing your dining room with pleasant music, fresh flowers, and the like.

Avoid habitual use of restaurants. Most people who sell you food are more concerned with their own profits than with your digestion. Satiation is not determined by how much you eat. A small amount of food presented to you lovingly will satisfy your soul, whereas large heaps of food from a fast-food restaurant may temporarily fill your belly but will leave your mind and spirit unsatisfied.

Only someone who loves you should be permitted to cook for you. Cooks in India are often selected from the priestly class so that there is at least some chance that while cooking some spiritually uplifting vibrations may be transferred into the food. Women should not cook when they are menstruating because they are undergoing a cleansing process and should be relaxing instead. It is best if your right nostril functions when you eat, since it increases your digestive fire. You can cause it to function by lying on your left side for a few minutes before the meal, By plugging your left nostril, by closing your left nostril with the middle finger of your right hand and breathing rhythmically through your right nostril for a few minutes, or by hooking your left arm over the back of a chair.

Live a natural simple life. Take simple food that is wholly agreeable to your system. You should have your own menu to suit your constitution. You are yourself the best judge to select a Sattwic diet (that suits your constitution).

Additional details regarding food habits can be found at www.hinduism.co.za