Expanding horizons: Role of food in spiritual pursuit

Think for a moment all that you have dreamt of achieving, all that you plan to do, all the relationships you want to enjoy. What is basic necessity to do all these? You need to have a healthy body right? So giving attention and time for the body is of utmost importance. The physical body is made of five elements and it needs to get a constant supply of these five elements for daily maintenance. Here we will concentrate on the earth element, that is, the food you eat.

What is so great about food?

When I look around, I see many people eat just to fill their stomachs. Pick up food from anywhere, eat while walking to the workplace, live on junk food for days together etc., Think about it. The food you put in your mouth is building the future you. It kindles a fire in your stomach for good digestion and then splits itself into the many elements needed to build good healthy cells. If you eat junk food you get junk cells and that can lead to illness.

Food and mind

We don’t realise that the food we eat plays a huge role in our ability to reach that deep meditative state. Our nervous system and brain will not allow us to transcend our body when certain nutrients are not present. On consuming Rajasic food it creates a turbulent mind which leads to racing emotions, blocking calmess and peace in your life. Small quantities of Rajasic food give you motivation, too much make your mind fly around too much.

The food we eat affect our psychology as the healthy cells go deeper than the physical body. They feed your mind. It is interesting to note that the people who cook for you, who feed you your food, who grow your food, their energy, their vibes, their knowledge, thinking, emotions and care for the quality of the food all go into your dish.

Vegetarian/ Non-vegetarian food

There are always heated arguments on this topic. For the first 23 years of my life I used to have fish for lunch and dinner and once in a while, meat. But it used to be a small piece of fish with rice and vegetables. I am astonished at the huge quantities of non-vegetarian food that people consume! After getting married to a vegetarian and having a pact of ‘not forcing one person to adopt the other’s habit and not cooking non-vegetarian food at home’, gradually I felt happy only with vegetarian food. More than that I could feel the change in my body, it was more calm and at peace. But once in a while I feel my body craving for fish and we go out to have it.

My husband doesn’t have any religious sentiment for not having non-vegetarian food, it just cannot go down his throat. He suffered much in the hostel in Kerala where he was one of the three vegetarians among 100 inmates. Majority of the other vegetarians converted to non- vegetarians.

After I became a Past Life Regression facilitator I got an explanation for this. He must have eaten too much non- vegetarian food in a past life that he decided not to have it at all. So you can see there are so many factors involved. Imagine advising an Eskimo to have only vegetarian food! They survive on sea food for ten months of the year. It is only in the summer season they get to gather a few plant foods such as berries, grasses, tubers, roots, stems, and seaweeds.

Learn to listen to your body

We as humans seem to be so much disconnected from the natural world and where our food comes from. Animals living in its natural environment don’t become overweight or suffer from a chronic illness as a result of their diet. They just know what to eat as they are in touch with the innate intelligence that drives their food choices, and as a result, they thrive. Unfortunately we have come to a point we no longer intuitively know what is correct for us to eat. This is a strong indication how spiritually disconnected we have become.

When you sit down to eat, have your entire focus on the food. Do not watch television, or have it running in the background while eating. When you take each morsel and put inside the mouth, feel the sensations and tastes that it is creating. Chew it nicely, having a mental attitude of gratitude to the persons involved in cultivating that food, taking it to the shops, and cooking. We are all one and interconnected. Attitude of gratitude helps to bring that feeling inside.

We need to start eating ‘real’ food that comes from a plant, not manufactured in a ‘plant’. Any ready to eat food that comes in a packet should not be taken routinely. Give attention to the Pranic value of food. When you pluck a carrot, it is having the highest Pranic value. This keeps on reducing as it is left outside for two days or kept in the refrigerator for a week. If you buy frozen cut and packed carrots from the store, it is actually dead food.

Try to cook your meals as much as possible. Cooking can be done with an attitude of doing your ‘Sadhana”. You can chant mantras while cooking, which will increase the Pranic value.

Satvik, Rajasik and Tamasic food

See your food in terms of satvik, rajasic and tamasic values. Satvik foods like freshly prepared food, cow’s milk, plant based and raw foods help you in your spiritual pursuits.

Rajasic foods in the pure form, can be fresh and nutritious, but the trouble starts when oil or spices are added, rendering it negatively balanced. Items such as red meat, red lentils, toor lentils, white urad lentils, black gram, chickpeas, spices such as chilies and stimulants such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, onion and garlic, tea, coffee, tobacco, soda, alcohol, chocolate, sour apples, pickles and refined sugars all fall in the Rajasic food category. Rajasic food should be consumed only during noon. It is advisable to avoid Rajasic food at dinner as it inhibits digestion.

Rajasic food denotes activity, decision-making, energy that is required for tasks and mental robustness. The foods in this category are stimulating and activate the various functions of the body. Rajasic food energises almost all the systems, specially the nervous system. Their effects on the mind are to help you push yourself beyond your normal capacity and capability.

Tamasic diet constitutes all spicy, salty, sweet and fatty foods. Remember, overeating sattvic food too brings on tamas in an individual. Generally, overeating is a tamasic trait. Some of the spices like pepper, asafoetida, chili, and turmeric are high on pranic energy, but they should be consumed in moderate levels. Excess of it can lead to problems and deteriorate digestion.