The 3 qualities of life, in which foods they are found and how they effect our mental state.

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.