Sattvic Diet for Yoga

General Principles

Please read “Yoga & Mind” > “Yoga Psychology” for a general introduction to the trigunas concept, and the psychological effects of sattva, rajas and tamas gunas. Here, the focus will be on the energetic quality of food and how we can make sattvic food choices for a healthy body, a peaceful mind and a useful life.

In Yoga esotericism (see "Meditation" > "Introduction to Meditation"), the physical body is called the annamaya kosha, meaning “the food body,” reminding the cliché but true “you are what you eat.” The food we eat determines not only the quality of our bodies, but also the state of our minds. For a sattvic body and mind, it’s necessary to minimize rajasic and tamasic foods and eat more sattva-generating foods. This is the essence of a yogic diet, and the table below classifies most foods according to the triguna model as sattvic, rajasic and tamasic. This guide is not an absolute truth, as there is no consensus among experts for all elements, and some new ones, like tofu, are not part of the tradition. We recommend experimenting and observing the effects of foods so you can decide for yourself.

The tamasic food category consists of ingredients devoid of prana (life force). It includes all animal products from land and sea, all fermented products, all refined products, all adulterated, processed, canned, preserved, frozen, smoked, irradiated, microwaved, deep-fried, and reheated leftover food, all food containing chemical additives like artificial flavoring and coloring agents, or preservatives—in other words, the usual content of most people's grocery carts. To this, we must add all dishes that are too pungent, salty, sweet, or fatty, prepared with indifference and eaten in excess.

Unfortunately, a tamasic Diet benefits neither the mind nor the body. Prana (vital energy) is depleted, the intellect becomes dull, confused and clouded, the mind darkens with negative emotions and mood swings, and the body sinks into lethargy and disease, with a compromised immune system. Hence, the lackluster tamas eater moves slowly but ages quickly. 

To compensate for all this heaviness, people resort to stimulating rajasic food like tea, coffee, chocolate, tobacco, spicy food, or other tamasic food like pastry, cookies and doughnuts for a pick-me-up loaded with refined sugar and white flour. Now, the ill effects of tamas are combined with the agitation in the mind and the tensions in the body brought by rajas. In addition, tamas makes rajas more angry and violent…

The rajasic food also comprises onion, garlic, eggs, fish, seafood, poultry and meat according to some Ayurvedic authors because of their heating and stimulating effects. They describe this more inclusive rajasic diet as very wholesome and prepared freshly, with old meat being considered tamasic. Ayurveda surely does not recommend a carnivorous diet, but may prescribe meat for some wasting diseases like tuberculosis. These foods build the body and give the mind energy, but excessive rajas feeds the body at the expense of the mind, leading to hyperactivity, restlessness, anger, irritability, and insomnia. It also increases the poisonous level of the blood.

In ancient India, soldiers were instructed to eat a small quantity of meat before battle to stimulate the mind and emotions. However, an animal was considered fit for human consumption only if found in its natural environment and freshly slaughtered. From the triguna perspective, modern meat farming practices negate the benefits of meat consumption. Animals are raised far from their natural habitat, fed unnatural nutrition, and injected with chemicals. Then, the meat can be frozen for weeks before consumption. Without the coloring and preserving agents, the products sold would look like brownish, repulsive pieces of corpses, which they are. All this processing turns meat into a devitalized or tamasic food, which leads to toxins and cholesterol accumulation and illness.

Eating animals is a karma that binds to tamas, the lowest energies of the universe. On the contrary, a vegetarian diet supports sattva’s spiritual energies. For yogis who want to elevate their consciousness, take inspired actions to deal effectively with the outside world, unleash their creative potential, and be happy and peaceful enough to meditate deeply, only a sattvic vegan diet is suitable.

The sattvic food category consists mostly of fresh organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes, nuts and seeds, fresh juice and herb teas. Ingredients need to be in their most natural form (unprocessed, unrefined, etc.). They constitute light, digestible and nutritious meals. High in prana (life force), sattvic food cleanses, repairs and revitalizes the body, and quiets the mind. This diet leads to true health and a balanced mind-body with pure prana between them. The food flavor is tasty but not excessively sweet, salty, spicy, or oily. A meal has to be cooked with love and eaten peacefully within three to four hours after preparation to be regarded as truly sattvic.​​