HYDERABAD: Did you know that the food we eat affects our mood and the way we think on a daily basis? Most of us eat to live but we should also understand that what we eat impacts us mentally. According to experts, while meditation helps us stay calm, having certain foods also controls our emotions in many ways.The Brahma Kumaris, who represent a peace society, have long been spreading awareness about this.
Rajyogini BK Kulpdeep didi, the director of Brahma Kumaris — Shanti Sarovar, Hyderabad, takes us into the details of it. “We eat different types of foods and what we consume is what we become. There are healthy diets, which include proteins, minerals and much more, vegetarian diets, which include only vegetables, and nowadays there are vegan diets. But I will stress on the importance of a Stavik diet — a vegetarian diet free of garlic, cooked with pure consciousness and eaten in a pure consciousness. It brings about a lot of change to the body, mind and emotions. Non-vegetarian food, which many people consume, creates aggression. On consuming such food, our body also reacts in an aggressive way is attracted to similar emotions,” she says.
While we look at what we are eating, we should also be mindful of where we are eating, she says. “Many people order food and are not aware of where it was cooked. How the person, who is cooking your food, is feeling is very important. This is because the food absorbs this energy. That is why religions have the concept of holy and sacred food, such as prasad. Whenever you eat at a temple or any religious place, even if the quantity is less, you feel satisfied. It is high time we bring such scared foods into our homes, especially these days when everything around us is so depressing.”
Sanjana Taneja Dixit, a Yoga Acharya who specialises in parental yoga, establishes a clear link between food and how it impacts us. “I am a vegetarian and have been taught by my guru that when we eat plants, fruits and vegetables we become like them, calm and peaceful. They give us oxygen and shelter. The food of the plants is from nature. The energy dominant here is Sattva and Rajas. Satvic energy is calm, composed and Rajasic energy drives motion, energy and activity. When following a non-vegetarian diet, an animal kills and eats. Similarly, we too have a fight and flight response. The animal, when it is being killed, is scared and that is the prana that we are taking into our system. The energy dominant is Tamasic and Rajasic. Tamasic energy is dull and dense,” she says.Sanjana emphasis on the fact that people need to make an informed choice while having food.