In this 21st century men women are too diet conscious, as a result of which today we see every other individual following some kind or the other diet pattern, be it the most popular atkins diet or a vegan diet or the Mediterranean diet. The list goes endless depending upon the goals people wish to achieve in terms of their weight loss and wellbeing.
In olden days, people never used to bother so much about their dietary pattern, but today one has to match up with the ever changing life-style trends to always look fit & presentable, for which they literally get hundreds of thousands of diets choices, from which some are for losing weight, others for gaining weight, lowering cholesterol, for longivity and healthy life, etc. However with all these new trends in our food intake patterns, nobody has ever thought about a unique and magical diet method which is called “Spiritual Diet” method. Yes!! You heard it right! This is the method that’s being followed time immemorial & is suited for all seasons.
All of us forget an important fact that along with the general principles of nutrition, appeal and deriving pleasure, food also has a spiritual component. The spiritual aspects of diet include the purchase, preparation, acceptance and eating of food.We must understand that food that is selected with care, prepared with love, accepted with gratitude and eaten with purity becomes medicine for both our soul and the body with immense satisfaction.Here, the underlying ingredient is remaining in awakened consciousness all the while. When our consciousness is clean & filled with love and in earthly detachment, then the food that we make is purified ,which in turn also purifies our body. As a result, our mind is cleansed to be free from desires and slavery to sense organs. Nowadays, many people also avoid eating onions, garlic and heavy dash of spices which act as unnecessary stimulants to the endocrine system and thus destabilise our mind.
Years of studies over dietary patterns of sages&saints in india reveal that their approach towards eating is very pure, Satvik & simple as available in nature.It is based on two main principles of not causing suffering to any other living being & not distabilising the physiological systems affecting digestive, nervous and endocrine systems .That’s why there are only certain types of food that they woud accept and most importantly,they will never over-indulge, nor allow themselves to be influenced by the senses of sight, smell and taste. They simply follow the basic equation of “As you eat, so your mind becomes” that many of us are familiar with.This is the fundamental tenet of a spiritual diet.
Spirituality says that the type and quality of food and the manner of eating affects the state of our mind directly. That is why food that has been prepared by slaughter of animals carries a karmic debt that becomes a burden on the human soul.
Likewise, food or drink that has a stimulating effect on the body as well as food that is consumed under a state of tension, anxiety, depression, anger or fear carries a toxic load that gradually gives a way for physical disorders like acidity, body ache, sleep-lessness, hypertension, ulcer, arterial plaques, diabetes, gallstones etc. So how does one saves oneself from these miseries? The answer is, simply by following spiritual diet, that includes preparing food in a meditative state with feelings of love and at the same time detachment.
When one cooks the food without any kind of earthly desires or lust, with pure love for almighty, then the food that is cooked will carry a subtle power that energises the soul and the body. Within the parameters of an accurate spiritual diet however, it’s good to accept food with gratitude and not become too focused & choosy like “I can’t eat this or I can’t eat that” unless there are specific health requirements. There is no doubt that any diet that aids in good health as well as in awareness about environment is good, but if the person following a strict diet regime becomes too fanatical and creates stress for self& others, then the positive benefits of following the diet will automatically be lost. So!! the idea should be to lead a life with balanced diet regime without being too fussy & spofish.
Another important aspect of Satvik food is sharing. Its always wonderful to share a beautifully cooked meal with others, because by sharing, we lose our sense of attachment from food and the body and overcome greed. That is why it is often said that a family that eats together, stays together. The natural sustenance of food cooked with love is enhanced by the power of pure vibrations, thereby bringing benefits on a spiritual level.
So!!what are you waiting for? Start following the “Spiritual Diet” by cooking food in rememberance of almighty and by adding ingredients of love, bliss & power to live a happy, healthy & blissful life.