Our gross body (physical body) is made of the food that we eat. We are what we eat.
So what is pranic Food? Pranic Food or Positive pranic food is the food which improves the vital energy (Prana or Chi) in your body. Pranic Food gives life to human’s gross (or physical) body while negative pranic food takes it away bit by bit.
It is so important to remember this mantra of life that “We are what we eat”. This is not philosophy but science. Think about this: you consume an apple and a little while later, once it is processed by your body, the apple has become a part of your body. You are the apple; your body is entirely made from the food you consume.
The nature of our food affects our own nature. When we eat sattvic food, it gives us inner clarity, determination and peace. Rajasic food fuels our passions, and tamasic food creates aggression and restlessness. They are named after the three mental humours, because food has a direct impact on your state of mind. For example, alcohol, coffee and tea can have an almost immediate effect on your mental state.
It is crucial here to understand that it is not just the food but also your emotional health that matters. What does the emotional state have to do with food? Well, everything. Your physical health is almost entirely dependent on how your body accepts and processes food, which in turn is affected by your mental and emotional state. Ayurveda covered the physical aspects and yogic scriptures expounded the mental aspects. Both are equally important and this article covers the food part.
This article is going to be your complete guide for Pranic Food because I have spent months researching and talking to Ayurveda experts to find the best positive pranic food that we should eat and negative pranic food that we should avoid. I’ve tested it on myself and noted the results and difference it can make in your life. Here, I am going to share all my research. Here, you won’t just see the list of positive, negative and neutral foods but also how to eat, when to eat and other related aspects which are equally important. So, let’s begin.
If you know about Prana and its importance, then it is no doubt you must or should be searching for Pranic Food because it is vital to get more prana in our body. Positive pranic food increase prana in our body, negative pranic food decrease prana and zero pranic food is somewhere in the middle it does no harm but also do not provide any prana benefits to the body.
Digestive Fire
We need to live the lifestyle and eat the food that keeps our digestive fire in balance which is indeed a very important thing for your well being. According to the author of the book “Physical and Emotional Health”, Om Swami (also my favourite author), if the digestive fire goes out of control, it will burn your body from the inside. First, it burns the fluids in the stomach, then it burns the solids. If it’s not balanced & does not die down, it can turn against us and first burn the vital bodily fluids (apa) and then the life force (prana); the person feels acidic, suffers from heartburn and becomes parched and dehydrated.
People governed by sattva generally have a balanced fire. Those with a predominance of rajas tend to have either wicked or sharp fire, depending on the state of vata in their body. Those with more tamas have slow fire.
Build a mental and moral discipline to attain perfect health. Every natural food has a living energy in it. One should consume foods according to one’s constitution.
Oxidation of food is one of the major causes of inflammation in the body. Oxidation is your food going rusty. Think of a piece of iron that is in a moist, It is going to rust quickly. Squeeze a few drops of lemon on the apple you have cut, and it doesn’t go brown because the vitamin C in the lemon prevents oxidation.
An ideal diet must have a portion of foods rich in antioxidants. Free radicals damage your skin, cells and arteries. They are capable of inflicting harm on your very DNA.
What is Positive Pranic Food (Sattvic Food)
The ancient Indian yogis believed a calm mind was infinitely more powerful than a restless mind. They considered food the most important factor for a calm mind and good physical health.
Positive pranic foods or Sattvic foods are the most wholesome food items like fresh vegetables and fruits fall into the sattvic category. The alkaline foods of our present world are synonymous with the positive pranic or sattvic foods of old times. The only exception is dairy food–Ayurveda treats milk, butter and clarified butter as sattvic, whereas contemporary medical science considers it acidic.
Indian Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) is highly sattvic. Tulsi is rich in antioxidants and you can eat tulsi after a meal especially good to compensate for the negative effect of tamasic food.
Rajasic Food
Foods that arouse passion and desires are called rajasic. These foods make a person restless or too active, and have a negative effect on memory, disposition, calmness and physical health.
Foods that are too bitter, too hot, too spicy, too pungent, too salty, too dry or too acrid are rajasic foods. These foods are the source of suffering, as per the ancient yogis.
Rajasic foods make you more active–they make you more restless and fuel the thoughts and consequently the desires. Almost all seafood, spices, and most grains, beans and lentils fall in the category of rajasic food. All soft drinks and junk foods are rajasic foods. There are certain foods that wreak havoc on your physical and mental health.
Yogic texts classify salt as rajas; therefore it contributes to the restlessness of the mind and depression.
What is Negative Pranic Food (Tamasic Food)
Foods that are not freshly prepared, ill-cooked, insipid, putrid and burnt are tamasic or negative pranic food. Foods that are stale, impure and unnatural are also tamasic. Cooking frozen ingredients and cooking fresh food won’t give you the same feeling. Reheating food that has already been cooked turns it into tamasic food. These foods make us lethargic and ultimately create aggression in our minds.
Acidic foods are mostly tamasic. All canned and processed foods these days are tamasic. All meats are tamasic, and all red meats are highly tamasic. tamasic food leads to excessive free radicals in the body.
Beans such as small red beans, red kidney beans, pinto beans and black beans have plenty of oxidants. Chlorinated water is highly oxidized and should be avoided as much as possible. You should drink good water.
deep breathing, which will flush your body with excess oxygen, also helps in balancing some of the ill effects of consuming tamasic foods.
It is not like you can’t eat rajasic or tamasic foods at all. Those who are involved with too much physical work like athletes, outdoor sports players, army personnel, construction workers or similar may need rajasic food but it is not for sedentary workers. An occasional cup of coffee, a glass of wine or a gratifying dessert with egg in it may all be okay. For that matter, anything is okay as long as it doesn’t become a part of your routine–as long as it doesn’t become a habit.
Vikas Rana
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