When people first learn about Ayurveda, they are drawn to it by the feeling of peace that surrounds everything about this ancient science.These ideas are much different from how most of the world operates with too much to do with little time to consider nature.
Ayurveda is grounded in the idea that harmony can be achieved by practicing the four pillars of life. Eating foods that nourish or bodies and minds. Living in alignment with nature's rhythms and seasons. Getting proper sleep and managing our energy, both physically and mentally.
We come into balance in these four areas of life by increasing Sattva, and foods that connect you with your higher consciousness. Sattvic foods are grown with mindful practices that are organic, non-GMO, and produced locally. They digest easily and provide the strength and vitality you are meant to naturally have.
Ayurveda and Yoga are built on the philosophy of the three gunas: Sattva (lightness, balance, harmony, purity, and peace), Rajas (heat, activity, passion, turbulence, and stress), and Tamas (heaviness, lethargy, dullness, darkness, and ignorance. These concepts represent the qualities present in food, nature, and actions, as well as our body and mind.
Sattvic foods have the qualities of being balancing, harmonious, and plentiful. They are loosely categorized as most fresh fruits and vegetables, and most whole grains, legumes, and nuts. But how they are eaten, for example, cooked versus raw, can make a difference in whether they add Sattva or Rajas to the mind and body. A vegetable may have all of the possibility of Sattva. But if it is eaten raw, then it may be Rajasic for the body and mind. Many fruits are also Sattvic for the body and mind when cooked lightly with ghee and spices.
Sattvic Foods
Grains: Basmati rice, oats, rice, and wheat.
Dairy: Raw milk, raw-milk cheese, and small amounts of freshly made yogurt.
Sweeteners: Honey, Jaggery, and raw sugar.
Oils: Ghee and olive oil.
Fruits: Just about all fruit that is organic, in season and ripe, but smaller quantities of the heavier fruits.
Vegetables: Most vegetables are good, but smaller quantities of broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbages, cauliflower, potatoes, and sweet potatoes and NO mushrooms.
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, and pine nuts.
Legumes: Aduki beans, mung beans, and tofu.
Spices: Cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, fennel, fresh ginger, and turmeric. Avoid raw garlic, raw onion, and very pungent spices.
Beverages: Pure spring water, raw milk, chamomile, and mint teas and sattvic vegetable juices.
