food and gunas

[Guest guest]

Dear Akka_108

Whether you should eat foods of specific Guna is the

question already addressed by Todd. He has also

indicated the traditional texts which contain Guna

info. What I would like to add a little is:

The Guna are decided by the effect on human mind/body

complex. Distinction between Tamas foods and Satvic

ones can be made out by experience:

Tamas foods cause increased mental activity, reduced

calm and tranquility of mind, more secretion of

Adrenalin, causing sometimes even militancy. They make

the system warm when they pass through digestive

canal. The desire to stop the food comes only after

tension on the stomach is felt, since these foods do

not cause brain to become immediately happy. Time for

digesting these foods is also more.

On the other hand Satvic foods do not require much

time to digest. They contain natural digestive juices

like in fruits. MOst of them contain more proportion

of some sugar, essential component of Cerebro-Spiinal

Fluid. Satisfaction comes due to increased Serotonin

secretion, slight drowsiness. After 10-15 mins of

siesta, the freshness that one obtains cannot be

compared with other Guna foods. Generally Satvic food

cause increase of Kafa, heaviness. Tamas foods add

Pitta and lightness. Since Kafa dosha is easiest to

cure, it is better that one has excess of Satvic food

in his diet rather than other Gunas.

Satvic foods, since they have already most of the

ingredients reqd by brain, do not need spices to be

added. They have enough of minerals, vitamins,

enzymes. Satvic foods quickly replenish the Semen

loss. Despite increase in semen, one does not

experience nocturnal emissions due to satvic

qualities. The tranquility of mind and blissful day is

the result of Satvic food.

In the home too, one can balance the food to contain

majority of Satvic Guna foods. Ocassionally when Tamas

food enters the system, the system responds within 24

hours. There are yogis who have'nt eaten garlic or

onion and have super normal health. Yogis strength can

be measured, though there bodies do not show the

physique of boxing star.

Of course, the food available locally and seasonally

should be harmless. The best health man enjoyed was

when he did not know fire, cooking etc. Hence more

tuned to nature or minimum processing, better is the

food.

Had world been consuming a majority of Satvic foods,

no wars would have occured.

Regards

Shirish Bhate

[Guest guest]

Hi Shirish,

I have to object to delineating the activity of neurotransmitters and

neuropeptides based on the activity of the gunas. Its an interesting

hypothesis, but considering that the neuropharmacological model of brain and

mental function is increasingly under serious criticism, I think tying it to

something like Ayurveda's trigunas theory would be a mistake. Serotonin for

example, has many different activities in the body,let alone the brain,

depending upon the location, e.g. the CNS vs. the ENS (enteric nervous system),

the activity of the post-synpatic neuron, the receptor subtype, etc. etc. I

have an always present concern that we shelter Ayurveda from facile comparisons

to the latest developments in medical science, because unlike Ayurveda, science

does not purport to offer anything except evidence for consideration, a

"best-bet" hypothesis that upon re-evaluation only a few years later may change

with newer evidence. Ayurveda on the other hand, even if one discounts is

supposedly divine origins, evolved concepts and practices based on thousands of

years of empirical study, something thus far science can only admire.

 

As far the digestability of foods that are supposedly designated sattic, rajasic

or tamasic, I believe this to be an entirely individual thing. For example,

milk is often cited to be sattvic, but in myself and in the vast majority of my

patients it causes mucus congestion, bloating, cramping, and either constipation

or diarrhea. Probably this is in part due to the quality of the milk supply,

the fact that toxins like PCBs are concentrated in milk (which is why breast fed

babies are at the TOP of the food chain, and have upwards of 200 times the

exposure level to certain toxins that a woman can only excrete from her body by

breast-feeding), and because milk is pasteurized, which denatures proteins and

enzymes, makes it somewhat toxic food. So saying something like milk is sattvic

may be a totally untrue statement, which is why people should really, really

listen to their bodies to unravel the influence of sattva, tamas and rajas.

 

It also seems to me that for some apsects of rajas you equate with tamas, but

perhaps you mean that tamas and rajas are the same, i.e. they both disturb the

equilibrium of pure awareness, which sattvic foods are supposed to facilitate.

For example, rajasic foods like garlic supposedly increase sexual desire, which

from one perspective may result in a tamasic tendency, i.e. a sexual obsession.

This is apart from the fact that I've never actually seen garlic do this, unless

of course one views normal sexual relations as a sexual obsession, which one may

very well do if one is brahmacharya. But then should we regard the opinions of

brahmacharyas on sexuality as even valid (i.e. why bother to ask an orthodox jew

about what brand of bacon is best?).

 

The truth of the matter is that once one truly understands the nature of sattva,

rajas and tamas, the influence of food upon the mind becomes moot. All food is

in essence tamasic, but for very good reasons we need to maintain the tamasic

structure of our bodies. I think rather than worrying about S,R and T, we

should investigate which foods and herbs make us healthy and happy, and remember

the old adage that "he who controls his tongue controls his life."

 

> Had world been consuming a majority of Satvic foods,

> no wars would have occured.

 

well it appears that Hitler in fact was very particular about what foods he ate,

and certainly ate lots of supposedly sattvic foods. At some point the sattvic

argument begins to tread the waters of cultural fascism.

 

 

> Of course, the food available locally and seasonally

> should be harmless. The best health man enjoyed was

> when he did not know fire, cooking etc. Hence more

> tuned to nature or minimum processing, better is the

> food.

 

and with this I completely agree :-)

[Guest guest]

Dear Shirish

I am extremly interested in Ayurveda, however I must confess that I

only know very little.

I was wondering if you could tell me what ailments could be caused

by tamasic foods and pitta gunas. I live in Australia and I have

witnessed a certain de-generation of my general health over the last

few years. Specially hair loss and bowel movement related problems.

Please, I would be very gratefull for this information.

Thank you

Vinayak