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drewclayman
05 August 2014, 11:17 PM
hello and Namaste,

Can someone provide me with a link to a good list of sattvic foods? I've seen so many contradictory lists on the web, one list says something's sattvic while another list says that same thing is rajasic. Any help would be much appreciated.

drewclayman
07 August 2014, 11:47 PM
There are so many contradictory lists on what is sattvic out there I was wondering if 1. someone had a good list to go by and 2. if someone could clear up if these foods, which i find a lot of differing claims about: tomatoes, spinach, spices, potatoes, and bread that has risen. Also, i know mushrooms are tamasic, but what about mushroom tea. Any help would be appreciated.

yajvan
08 August 2014, 04:51 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté


Consider looking at chapter 17 of the bhāgavad gītā . Sattvic foods in general are called out.
Now, more specifically one may wish to look to Dr. Vasant Lad and some of his books from an āyurvedic¹ ( science of life, vitality) point of view e.g.

Auyrveda - the science of self-healing
The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies
This then gets involved in the right tastes¹/foods for the individual based upon their
constitution.

iti śivaṁ

āyurved - contains eight departments:
śalya or (removal of) any substance which has entered the body
śālākya or cure of diseases of the eye or ear by śalākās or sharp instruments ;
kāya-cikitsā or cure of diseases affecting the whole body ;
bhūtavidyā or treatment of mental diseases supposed to be produced by demoniacal influence ;
kaumāra-bhṛtya or treatment of children ; 6. agada-tantra or doctrine of antidotes ;
rāsāyana-tantra or doctrine of elixirs ;
vājīkaraṇa tantra or doctrine of aphrodisiacs
We know there are 6 tastes:

madhura or sweet
amla or sour
lavaṇa or salty
kaṭuka or pungent
tikta ,or bitter
kaṣāya or astringent

Believer
08 August 2014, 05:17 PM
Namaste,

First of all, welcome to the forum. It is customary for new members to come in, introduce themselves, ease into the forum family (forum equivalent of a physical meeting - sit down and have a cup of hot tea), and then ask questions. It would be nice if you followed that time honored tradition. And as you would greet others in a face to face meeting, some form of salutation would be desirable too.

Getting to your question, since Hinduism is vast with many sampradayes (schools of thought), there will be variations of the instructions regarding food. So, it would depend on what you are following and who you are associated with. In general, onions, garlic and mushrooms are the prohibited items. Others may come along and list other items, if applicable. The main idea is to not eat food which would be harmful to your body - be it because of it becoming rancid or it having ingredients which impede spiritual growth.

BTW, which branch of Hinduism do you practice and how - associated with a group/temple or free lancing? How long have you been with it? Why this sudden quest for saatvic food? Would this kind of diet interfere with any physical health problems that you may have? Are you taking into consideration everything personal?

Pranam.

drewclayman
15 August 2014, 05:50 AM
Namaste,

Thank you for your responses. I will be sure to check into those books Yajvan. Believer, my name is Drew, I don't really follow any particular sect of Hinduism, rather I pick and choose based on what rings true to me. I've been interested in the sattvic diet for a while, but am now becoming more disciplined. I'm looking to cut out any foods that hinder spiritual growth. I've been doing a lot of research on the subject, and have found in a few places that things such as spinach, tomatoes, avocado, and chickpeas are rajasic. They don't seem like they would be, but I suppose they could have a subtle stimulating effect. I would also really like to ask about another question about the sattvic diet. I've read not to eat food after three hours of being cooked, I assume this is due to being from a time before refrigerators, but I've also read from a modern source not to eat food that was cooked the day before and not to eat food that's been cooked twice. Does eating food that has been refrigerated for a while, but hasn't become spoiled or rancid, then reheated, impede spiritual growth at all.

Thank you very much for any information. It is very much appreciated.