After the festive season or any time when
eating can be a focus, sometimes it is hard to get back to where we were and
curb all those indulgences and sweet tastes.
Often we are left feeling bloated and a little low both energetically
and emotionally, and that is the interesting point, watch how you feel mentally
and see the effect that food plays on the mind, see how the body feels, can you
relate your moods to what you have eaten? Can you relate your moods to being
out of routine? To understand what play
the things we are ingesting have on us we have to know the 3 Gunas – this is
the 3 qualities of life, all things are made of these 3 qualities and all 3 are
needed for existence.
Sattwa – purity
Rajas – movement
Tamas – inertia
All the things you put into your body are
made of these 3 qualities, so here is a guide to what foods have what qualities
and how that effects us mentally.
|
|
Food stuffs
|
Qualities they evoke
|
|
Sattvic
|
Fresh, natural, organic, vegetables,
fruits, cereals, grains, nuts, seeds, reasonably cooked, mildly spiced
|
Cleanliness, calmness, peacefulness,
contentment, harmony, wisdom, good morals, spirituality
|
|
Rajasic
|
Fried, colored, with preservatives, processed,
artificial, steaming hot, frozen, sugar, MSG, saline, anything that comes in
a tin or can or packet! Onions, garlic, Spicy
|
Talkative, fast paced mind, competitive
mind, self boasting, big ego, gossiping, fidgety
|
|
Tamasic
|
Fermented, overcooked, tasteless, meat,
alcohol, caffeine, decaying, impure
|
Sadness, depression, fear, ignorance,
lethargy and laziness
|
If you really are taking note of what you
are putting in, you will really see the effects on your whole self. It is really interesting to watch. So the choice is yours! If you are going to make changes then do it
slowly and gradually, often it is the case if we make a dramatic change that it
doesn’t become sustainable and often causes more damage to our levels of
happiness, so do it slowly. And remember
all 3 qualities are needed for balance and harmony but know which one should be
the dominant one and which ones should be ingested in real moderation, I know
what I choose!!
Recipe to combat bloating –
4 cloves
1 tsp. fennel seeds
4 cardamom pods
¼ tsp. dry ginger
Grind the ingredients together and keep in
a glass jar, you can add to boiling water to make a herbal tea, sprinkle on
morning fruits or chew on after meals.
Going for a walk after eating also reduces bloating and aids digestion.
Enjoy seeing how everything is
related.
For now have beautiful days
Om shanti Om
Mangala / Nicky.
