information about the three Gunas or mental states and the foods that are related to creating them!

Satva is... Clarity, peace, happiness Sattvic Foods Sattvic foods are those that are pure, fresh, clean and full of life force energy. Eating a sattvic diet keeps our minds pure, clear and content and is the basis for good health and enduring happiness. In order to experience a more sattvic way of being (calm, clear, receptive, peaceful) the majority of your diet would include fresh, wholesome and “living”(as opposed to processed) foods chosen from the list below. Adzuki beans Caulifower Kohlrabi Quinoa Alfalfa sprouts Celery Lentils (black or brown) Raisins Almonds Chard Lettuce Raspberries Amaranth Cherries (sweet or sour) Lima beans (small amounts) Rice Apples Chestnuts Loganberries Rutabaga Apricots Chinese cabbage Macadamia nuts Sesame seeds (hulled or Artichokes Coconut Mangoes unhulled) Arugula (small amounts) Collard greens Maple syrup Soybeans Soymilk (fresh) Asparagus Corn, fresh Milk (fresh, raw, and pure) Spinach Bananas (ripe) Cornmeal Millet Strawberries Barley Cranberries Mother’s milk Sugar cane (raw) Basmati rice Cucumbers Mung beans (whole) Summer squash Bean sprouts (all kinds) Cream, sweet Mung dhal (split) Sunfower seeds Beets Dates (fresh) Mustard greens Sweet potatoes Black beans Endive Navy beans (in moderation) Tangerines (sweet) Blackberries Escarole Oats (steel cut or berries) Teff Blueberries Fava beans Oranges (sweet) Turnips Black-eyed peas Figs (fresh or dried) Papayas Walnuts (English or black) Brazil Nuts Filberts Parsnips Watercress Broad beans Flowers (edible and sweet) Peaches Watermelon Broccoli Fruit juices (freshly made) Pecans Wheat Brussels sprouts Ghee in moderation Pineapple (sweet) Wild rice Buckwheat Grapefruits Pine nuts Winter squash Buttermilk (fresh) Grapes Pinto beans Yacon Cabbage (red or green) Green beans Plums (sweet or sour) Yams Cantaloupe Honey, raw Pomegranates Yogurt (freshly made) Carob Honeydew melon Potatoes (all colors) Zucchini Carrots Jerusalem artichokes Prunes Cashew nuts Kale Pumpkins Rajas is... Stimulation, activity, passion, creativity Rajasic foods Rajasic foods are stimulating and energizing to the mind and body and tend to include pungent (spicy), sour and salty tastes. A diet consisting of primarily rajasic foods can and can overexcite the circulatory and nervous systems and cause aggression, and competitiveness as well as physical and mental stress. The list below contains some examples of rajasic foods. And although there are lots of yummy foods on the list, rajasic foods should be eaten in moderation to avoid imbalance. Aged cheeses Ice cream Pistachios, salted Avocado Kidney beans Pumpkin seeds Buttermilk (not freshly made) Kefr, not freshly made Radishes Cottage cheese Lime Rhubarb Chili Lemon Rice bran syurp Date sugar Red lentils Ricotta Cheese Dried dates Malt Syurp Salt (all kinds) Eggs Mango, unripe Sour cream Eggplant Molasses Soy milk (boxed or bottled) Fermented food (all) Olives Sugar (all kinds) Fructose Onions (all kinds) Tomatoes Fruit juices (bottled) Peanuts Vinegar Garbanzo beans Peanut oil Yogurt (not freshly made) Garlic Pepper Guava Pickles Tamas is... dullness, inertia, heaviness, darkness, attachment. Tamasic foods Tamasic foods are dulling to the mind and body. Foods that are old, dead, frozen or highly processed, full of chemicals, or impure are included in this category. These foods can leave a person feeling lethargic, dull, heavy, and complacent. They offer little nourishment to the mind or the body and should be kept to the barest minimum in any healthy balancing diet! Notice that some foods can be rendered tamasic based on the way that they are prepared. Alcohol Lard Mushrooms (all kinds) Animal meat (beef, Leeks Onions, all kinds, raw or cooked chicken, fsh, fowl, goat, Leftovers Shallots lamb, pork, rabbit Margarine Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP) shellfsh, turkey, venison) Microwaved food Food with preservatives Fried foods Milk (homogenized, pasteurized, Frozen foods powdered)