Sattvic Diet for Weight Loss and Benefits with Lovneet Batra

Episode 4

Ayurvedic texts recognise how food correlates to our energy bodies, and categorises food as Tamasic, Rajasic or Sattvic based on their gunas and the kind of feelings they induce. Here is a detailed explanation of Sattvic foods. 

What is a Sattvic diet?

‍The foods that are included in a Sattvic diet‍

Storing and preparing Sattvic food

Balancing effects of a Sattvic die

Consumption of dairy in a Sattvic diet 

Hello everyone this is Lovneet Batra your health expert and clinical nutritionist and you're listening to my podcast Nutrition By Lovneet. 

Most people look at food in terms of macros kilocalories, protein, fat carbohydrates vitamins, minerals, and the physical properties associated with the food. Just like us, human beings, we are not limited to being only physical beings, we have different aspects of health, be it mental, emotional, and correlating it to our energy bodies. 

Food is not just all physical. It has an energy associated with it. So today I want to go beyond the physical and talk about the energy aspect of food. In terms of sattvic diet. Now food, as we all know is a fuel. Fuel without we cannot exist, right, and in ancient Ayurvedic text, it is very well explained that food is recognized as the source of all energy based on the energy of food, different kinds of food can be categorized as either tamsic rajasic or sattvic.

Each group has a certain value, or guna as to recall in Hindi. And it induces certain kinds of feelings and energy in our body. Sattvic diet can be the source of abundant energy. Now, the name Sattvic is derived from Sanskrit word satva, which means pure and eating a I sattvic diet can help an individual attain a calm mind active body, and live a long life, it helps in attaining a meditative state of being and a higher state of consciousness, and it is also considered to having a balancing effect on the body and mind.

Now Sattvic foods are said to be rich, prana or life forces, since it consists of pure whole and raw foods that can give us, abundance of energy. Now, India is known for its wealth of delicious fruits and vegetables that can be prepared with minimal spices and without over complicating the recipes too much. 

So this is what sattvic diet is all about, and we are going to talk more in detail now, what kind of foods actually fit in here. Now the basic principle of sattvic diet is that the food that we are eating needs to be raw, and fresh. If you are preparing your food and storing it for a long period of time, inertia sets in and it is not considered sattvic. 

But now let's discuss the food groups here. Whole grains whole grains are considered sattvic. This includes rice, whole wheat, spelt, oatmeal, barley. Now you can either prepare a khichri or a preparation with good quality dairy which is also considered sattvic, be it curd rice or khir.

Coming up, legumes, legumes, especially mung beans, lentils, chickpeas and sprouts are considered sattvic, so if you notice these are all easy to digest lentils that have high bioavailability of nutrients that are actually very nourishing for our body without creating any stress, most mild vegetables are considered sattvic pungent vegetables like garlic, onion, mushrooms are considered non-sattvic. 

‍Ash gourd is one vegetable that is considered highly sattvic. When it comes to fruit all fruits are considered sattvic, nuts and seeds that are lightly roasted or soaked are considered sattvic. And so our natural sweeteners such as raw sugar jaggery and honey. In spices, spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, coriander, and turmeric, are considered highly sattvic and not to mention all these people spices are very beneficial for our health, and super anti-inflammatory. 

Now the rule that I find very intriguing about sattvic diet is about dairy, the most controversial food group these days. Now, for dairy to be sattvic, milk must be obtained from an animal that has a spacious outdoor environment, abundance of pasture to feed on, good water quality to drink. And of course, is treated with love, affection and care, and most importantly is not pregnant. The milk may only be collected after calf has had its share. 

Now dairy products such as yoghurt paneer have to be made fresh and need to be made the same day milk is obtained. Butter, again, needs to be prepared fresh daily as well. Ghee is an exception here that can be kept and can be kept for a longer period of time when it has been prepared. It is a great source of omega-three fatty acids, and of course, it also has a high smoke point, so can be used for cooking. 

Now many people ask me, That is sattvic diet good for weight loss. Yes, of course, it is. If you look at the eating pattern here, the foods that are involved are actually very easy to digest. They are anti-inflammatory. 

So you can think of it as a very nice pea plant detox because what we really call detox is basically having foods that are easy to digest by our system so that it can get the rest, it needs, and then get more efficient in utilizing assimilating nutrients that helps in increasing your BMR and that helps with sustainable weight loss goals. 

Now, what foods are not part of sattvic diet? If you are on a sattvic diet, you cannot have meat, eggs, and processed food, pungent foods or stimulants like tea and coffee. And of course, no alcohol. So if you're looking to give your system some rest. Try this diet out for seven to 10 days, and you will see how energize and how calm at the same time, sattvic diet can help you feel.

Thank you for listening if you found this information helpful you can subscribe to my podcast Nutrition by Lovneet you can also visit our web page www.nutritionbylovneet.com  for health updates, healthy recipes and exciting ways to stay fit.