The effect of food on our mental and spiritual states

Victor M Fontane

For years there has been a controversy between vegetarians and and its modalities like vegans, plant based, pescatarians, etc. and non-vegetarians about the reasons, about health, animal protection, etc.

However, from the scientific standpoint doctors, nutritionists, etc. look at the issue only as a mechanistic philosophy: the human body is just a machine that needs a particular fuel, seen from a bio-chemical point of view.

However, food must be seen from a deeper perspective. Ultimately, all is energy and from the criteria of Yoga and from the Patanjali (father of the modern yoga) point of view and based on the Samkhya School which says that there is a primordial matter called Mulaprakriti, Sanskrit term that can be translated as "the root-substance" or nature and there are five elements and three modalities or qualities that are mixed in any proportion within all the matter that exists.

So, when we consume something, we consume a certain type of substance that is made up of the five elements and three qualities. These foods then, in addition to the bio-chemical process, go through other stages until they become mental energy. According to Ayurveda, food goes through different stages until it is integrated into our energy field and mental field. This is how it nourishes your physical body and also your mind. However, to be optimized both physically and mentally, the element must have sufficient energy or prana (life force energy,” “vital energy,” “breath of life,” “spirit-energy,” or “vital principle”) which is not present in frozen food, reheated food or commercially processed food.

On the other hand, the so-called rainbow consumption (all color vegetables, nuts and fruits is necessary to obtain everything that the body needs biochemically and energetically to have a real balanced body.

But what are this five basic elements and three qualities of matter?

Elements:

1. earth (pritvi)

2. water (jala)

3. fire (tejas)

4. wind (vayu)

5. space (akasha).

Qualities:

1. sattva (goodness, calmness, harmonious)

2. rajas (passion, activity, movement)

3. tamas (ignorance, inertia, laziness).

As you can see, the qualities are present in all nature specially in food and depending on what you eat can affect not only your bio-chemistry but also your mental energy and mental field and consequently our spiritual states.