Reinventing the Sattvic Diet

It's time to question how "sattvic" store-bought milk really is. 

The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men. ~Alice Walker

When an idea is "out there", most people resist it, often for the sake of resisting. It's human nature, I'd dig my heels in too if in a crazy world, governments declared it was illegal to be vegetarian. 

My idea is that the modern sattvic vegetarian diet (often synonymous with the lacto-vegetarian diet), is as far from sattvic as Kuala Lumpur is from the moon. (Ok, maybe not the moon, New York seems far more believable). Which leads me to my second idea: it is time to reinvent the sattvic diet.

The reinvention idea came about when a friend sent me an article recently on the spiritual perspective of vegetarian vs. non-vegetarian diets. All was well until I arrived at the following paragraph: 

"A spiritual perspective on milk, curd and cheese:

• Cow’s milk, when consumed, helps to increase a person's Sattva component. Out of all types of milk, the milk from a cow is the most saattvik.
• Curd and butter milk are less saattvik than milk
• When other items are prepared from milk (especially through the process of spoiling milk such as in the making of cottage cheese) it starts reducing the Sattva component and increasing the subtle Tama component."

For some reason I found this section indigestible, but I couldn't locate the source of my discomfort. On the surface, it seemed perfectly reasonable: the cow is a much-loved animal in Hinduism, hence it is only natural that milk products be considered among the most sattvic. Yet, something felt a little off. 

If you're unfamiliar with the concept of the sattvic diet, according to the ancient science of Ayurveda, pure foods that the body can easily convert into ojas are referred to as "sattvic" (Sanskrit for 'imbued with goodness'). Ojas are our essential life energy. Foods considered highly sattvic are: milk, rice, ghee, seeds and nuts, fruits and sweet-tasting foods to name a few. 

The literature on sattvic diets says that the best sattvic foods are those that are fresh and free of  chemicals, have a balance of all the six tastes (sweet, sour, spicy, etc) and are consumed in moderate portions. Logically speaking, this would mean consuming organic produce as commercial farming doses crops with liberal amounts of pesticides and other harmful chemicals. 

The same literature also says that dairy products can only be considered sattvic if they are obtained through respectful and humane treatment of animals, which modern factory farming practices make impossible. Ahimsa (the Sanskrit word for non-violence), rules that food that results from violence to animals is not considered sattvic. Aha! So my vegetarian diet was a sham, because my consumption of factory farm-produced milk and eggs is un-ahimsa. In other words, my stomach was in one dimension and my conscience in another. 

Hence I propose that vegetarians who still consume animal by-products makeover their diets. It looks like the vegans were on the right track after all: due to the realities of modern living, a pure vegetarian diet is the only sattvic diet. It's really the best way to rid your body of chemicals (i.e. the hormones and additives in dairy products and eggs) and your conscience of lingering doubts about where your food comes from. 

Another option would be to limit consumption of dairy and eggs to only those that come from free-range farms, as opposed to mass-produced milk or eggs. In theory, free-range farming is where animals are allowed to roam freely rather than be contained. Note that I said "in theory"; reality is a bit dicey. In Malaysia and many other Asian countries, regulations concerning free-range and organic foods are spotty at best. (As for enforcement of regulations, well I'll leave that to your imagination). 


Unless you drive out to the farm yourself to see how animals are treated (assuming that is feasible), there's really no way of knowing if the products you buy are truly free-range. You could, in fact, be paying top dollar for the same thing with a different name. And all the spiritual practice in the world will not redeem you when you knowingly contribute to cruelty towards one of the most gentle of animals: the humble cow. 

Granted, not all of us have the luxury of eliminating animal by-products from our diets, either due to choice or health reasons. But if you're a vegetarian you can reduce your consumption of dairy products and go vegan one or two days a week. You may not be able to stop factory farming practices today, but you will prevent more animals from being treated cruelly in factory farms. If you can't afford to go organic, at the very least buy free-range milk and/or eggs. Baby steps do travel far at the end of the day. And you'll sleep better at night knowing you did something to make the world a more livable place for God's creatures. 
For more information, check out these websites: 
http://luthar.com/bhagavad-gita-and-the-sattvic-diet/

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming.aspx

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/articles/id/spiritualresearch/spiritualscience/veg-or-non-veg#1

www.chopra.com/sattva