What is a Tamasic diet? What does it do to the Body?

We have already told you about Sattvik and Rajasic foods, and how they affect our body and mind. Now let’s tell you more about a Tamasic diet - a diet that mostly consists of foods that are Tamasic in nature, or can increase the Tamas Guna.

Are you one of those people who hardly ever cook and don't mind eating the previous day's stale food right out of the fridge all the time? Do you feel a pizza or a burger is an easy or quick alternative to a meal? If yes, then read on!

Like in today’s day and age we say ‘junk food’… Ayurveda recognized all this ages ago… such foods are simply called Tamasic foods - foods that are not good for us!

• Tamasic foods are those which may cause harm to the physical and mental well-being of a person.
• These are foods that should be avoided if one aims to become healthy in life, or wishes to follow an Ayurvedic way of living - which means that the mind, body and the emotions are all well-balanced if we stay away from, or control the consumption of these foods.

But yes, as per Ayurveda there are a lot more varieties that come into this category - even some that are considered healthy by most of us! Any food that is stale, which is overripe or not ripe enough, food that is fermented, tasteless or rotten… is considered as Tamasic in nature as per the ancient science. Here are some examples:

• Meat
• Fish
• Onions
• Garlic
• Curds
• Mushrooms
• Alcohol
• Vinegar
• Bread
• Cakes
• Pastries
• Canned foods
• Frozen foods

Ayurveda believes that people who eat a lot of Tamasic foods are not only harming their bodies, but their minds as well. This happens because Tamasic foods deplete our Prana or the life force and energy, and fill us up. These foods instead replace Prana with wrong thoughts and urges. We may not realize it, but a predominant Tamasic diet can make us angry and greedy, can even affect our decision-making process for the worse and compromise our judgments. Such a person basically becomes one who lets the Tamas Guna dictate his/her life.

Not only does a Tamasic diet affect the mind of a person, but it affects the body as well. These foods may lower immunity, making the body weaker. They could affect the nervous system as well, affecting the communication from various body parts - especially the digestive organs to the brain, which may lead to several other complications as well.

So what’s the alternative? Well, stick to Sattvik and Rajasic foods instead - while Rajasic foods are not as healthy as Sattvik ones, they are still much better than Tamasic foods.

It might be hard to stop eating onions and garlic… after all they are a part of almost every Indian meal - but bringing down the quantities of these can only do well for us. Try cooking with lesser quantities or without them once in a while. But consumption of alcohol is in our hands - learn how to balance your evils!