You are what you eat
It has been mentioned in the Holy Scriptures and have been proven scientifically that you become what you eat. In other words, the food that you consume influences every decision you make and every step you take in life. A good diet that provides balanced nutrition to the body is the best type of diet.
However, eating the same variety of foods day after day can be boring and uninteresting. In order to provide variety to diet, there are different kinds of diet plans that you can choose from. Furthermore, it is important to understand the essence of different food products so that you can partake each of them in moderation and stay fit. However, a good diet can work in an optimum manner only when clubbed with physical activities. Below given are three types of diets that have been elucidated in ayurveda. In addition to these, there is a fourth kind of diet that is mostly followed all over the world and is a combination or the three basic types of diets.
Satvik diets
Satvik diet is the kind of diet that is completely detoxifying. It enhances peace in the body and keeps different energies in balance. This diet is a vegetarian diet and involves consumption of a lot of raw foods. Precisely, only 20% of a satvik diet is cooked and the other 80% comprises of raw salads, fruits, soaked nuts, seeds, raw milk and different herbs. Honey is also an important part of satvik.
Tamasic diet
Tamasic diet is a very unhealthy diet and something that has to be kept away from. Foods included in this category are stale and left over food, dead meat that is not fresh but processed, foods that have been grown by making use of pesticides and foods that contain too high calories such as sugars and artificial sweetners. Consuming this kind of food leads to a number of ailments. Energies in the body are disrupted and people fall prey to different chronic diseases. This kind of diet also accelerates the process of aging. It increases negative energy in the body.
Rajasic diet
The third kind of food is Rajasic food and is a kind of diet that includes foods that stimulate the nervous system. Some examples of this kind of diet are tobacco, fresh meat, black tea, spices, onion, pepper and garlic. Coffee also comes under this diet. Although not as harmful as Tamasic diet, the Rajasic diet does cause an imbalance in energy and the person feels moody and irritable. Restlessness and agitation are common side effects of this kind of diet.