What's Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic Food? Author, Ayurvedic Health Coach, & Gut Health Expert Dimple Jangda Breaks It Down for You

Author, Ayurvedic health coach and gut health expert Dimple Jangda's new book, The Ultimate Healing Code, is about 'unlocking wellness with the power of energy, vibrations, frequency and sound'. It goes beyond the basics of clean eating, adopting healthy lifestyle practices and getting sound, uninterrupted sleep.

According to her, there are "subtle energy sources in our bodies that are intangible, but they play a powerful role in keeping us healthy". Her new book goes deeper into understanding these subtle forces that are influencing our health.

Present at the launch of The Ultimate Healing Code were Mangal Prabhat Lodha, founder of Lodha Group, Manju Lodha, social activist and philanthropist, Dr Mickey Mehta, India's holistic health guru, Nawaz Modi Singhania, fitness expert and wellness entrepreneur and ADG Krishna Prakash.

Eat local, live local

Taking to the stage, Dimple spoke about consuming what is locally grown, preferably within a five km radius of your home. "Have an international standard of living, but eat local," she urged the audience.

"In cities, it does get difficult as fruits and vegetables are grown in farms, on the outskirts, loaded in trucks and then brought to you," she exclaimed. "But that's fine, as long as it is within the state of Maharashtra. Look at the cooking oils that people across India use. In the north, there's sesame oil. In parts of Western India, groundnut oil is used. Coconut oil is popular in South India. What's grown easily in an area, given the climatic conditions, is the food that should be consumed in large quantities."

What should be avoided, however, are imported fruits, shipped to India from foreign countries and filled with chemicals and toxins that extend their shelf lives.

"The imported fruits you buy are sent by ship, and they reach you after 1-2 months. Imagine the chemicals that are put in these fruits so that they are preserved well and don't rot during transportation. If it can survive on your shelf for six months, it can survive in your gut for that long. Stay away from stuff that stays so fresh even after several weeks, like shiny tomatoes and apples."

It is a known fact that shellac or lac resin is used as a wax in apples, as it provides a protective barrier against moisture or humidity.

"Apple has a season, but now we have been consuming it throughout the year. Mangoes are also seasonal fruits. As soon as the first rains begin, we stop buying mangoes. If you buy mangoes off-season, you'll find a lot of toxins and chemicals in them, as it is artificially ripened. In the monsoon, you will also spot a lot of worms inside it."

That's the reason during Chaturmas, a four-month sacred period in the Hindu calendar, beginning in June/July and ending in October/November, people stop eating veggies grown under the ground like onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, beetroots, and leafy vegetables like spinach, etc., as you'll find microorganisms in them.

Your state of mind can decide what you eat

Food has the power to change your mood and also has healing properties. If you are suffering from a common cold, turning to ingredients easily found in your kitchen, like ginger, pepper, haldi or turmeric, and cinnamon can help.

If you are feeling aggressive and angry, Dimple suggests you settle down with a bowl of khichdi or a sweet like coconut barfi, as it will calm you down.

Feeling lazy and lethargic? "Eat something spicy," she says. "Teekha mirchi aachar can be added to your food and consumed."

If you feel the water content in your body has increased, opt for food like hummus, channa, rajma and chole.

Have creaking joints? Have makhan or white butter and ghee, as they help lubricate your joints.

Milk may not be necessary for adults

It is a common myth that milk helps strengthen your bones, but research suggests that it is not that important in an adult's diet.

Mickey Mehta, who was present at the launch, spoke about milk and its hyped-up benefits. "The need for milk post three years of age is almost zilch, as our body doesn't produce the enzyme that helps us digest milk. The enzyme called lactase cannot dilute or digest the lactose in the milk. Similarly, we get uric acid out of animal protein. The enzyme called uricase is not available to us after we have evolved and lost our canines."

In the absence of uricase, the body cannot convert uric acid into allantoin, which is easier to excrete, and also helps prevent the buildup of uric acid, which can cause gout.

Dimple threw light on a Harvard study, which found that women who consume the highest amounts of dairy tend to also have the highest rates of hip fractures. According to her, milk has animal protein, and to digest it, one needs calcium. When our calcium intake is not enough, it is absorbed from the bones, and that could eventually make them brittle. "Consume milk as per your taste but also have til or sesame seeds and ragi. Your bones will get stronger."

Nawaz Modi Singhania added that children usually are very active and don't need to be put into formal exercise at a very early age. "You may just end up killing the joy of exercising for them. However, when they get into adolescence, they should be initiated into workouts. In the present day, it is a necessity and not a luxury anymore."

What's Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic food?

"The food that can give you nutrition can also turn poisonous for you if consumed in the wrong way," informs Dimple. "One diet plan doesn't suit all. In food, you'll find three qualities: tamas, sattva and rajas."

"Sattvic food is that which gives you energy like the fruit you consumed in the morning, or the cooked/sauteed vegetable salad, soup, khichdi, ragi roti, quinoa etc. It helps give you satiety," Dimple explains. "Rajasic is rich or raja-like food. For example, milk with malai, cinnamon, dry fruits, dates and even kesar or saffron. But you should limit the intake of these foods as they can create heat in your body."

"Tamasic food causes inertia and slowness in the body. The rest you take at night is also tamas. The worst kind of food you can eat is pizza and burgers. They take a long time to digest and aap ka peth kachre ka der ban jata hain (your stomach becomes a dumping ground for rubbish). That is tamasic food, which slows you down and makes you fat and unhealthy. It makes you dull. Among this category of foods, there is some good stuff as well like acchar or pickle."

In Dimple's opinion, 80 per cent of our food intake should be sattvic food, rajasic food should be a handful, and tamasic food should just be ek chhuti bar or a pinch.

Is working out post-meals advisable?

"Exercising after eating is off the grid," says Nawaz. "I don't think anyone thinks otherwise. When we eat, our blood supply directly goes to the stomach to digest our food. As a result, if you eat something heavy, you feel sleepy.

"Anytime of day that suits you is a good time to exercise. But do it, that's important. Find the time, but make sure you do some form of exercise. Just like you go to sleep, eat food and bathe daily, exercise needs to become an everyday habit for you.

"Full intensity, powerful workouts are great for athletes, Olympic medallists, weightlifters or people training for a competition. I don't believe that there should be maximum effort put in workouts. We are hunters and gatherers. We are not apex predators. Our joints are not made for those kinds of loads. Yes, one can do it, but for a short period. For the long run, you need to take it easy. As long as you are working about 70 per cent or so of your capacity, that's good over the long run."

"Stay away from the extreme and also make sure your speed is under control," advises Mickey.