It is freezing cold outside and you are woken up with hot tea in your bed. You are tucked under your quilt while your mother rolls out hot paranthas dolloped with desi ghee. You frown. Holidays are over and you are resolute to rid yourself of the tummy fat you’ve gained. “Today I’m only eating fats! It’s day 2 of my keto diet,” you shout back. “You’ve tried that umpteen times. I don’t understand this generation and their trends at all!” she says. You both argue and in the end, you end up eating the paranthas with a good dollop of ghee. “It’s home-made ghee, your grandmother sent from the village,” your mother calls back. As you devour the meal, you start to warm and full. 

While you may not attribute science to your mother’s argument, ghee is one of the most basic sattvic foods and is very good for keeping away ailments. It is responsible for keeping you warm in the cold. 

Just as a branch cannot survive on its own and must be connected to the tree trunk, which in turn must be connected to the roots in order to absorb the elements and thrive in nature; similarly, neither yoga nor ayurveda are singular, standalone practices. Both yoga and ayurveda are more like branches on the tree of Vedic wisdom. Whatever your exercise regime (or lack of it), food is equally important. 

According to Vedic wisdom, in order to maintain balance, there must be a constant exchange between the individual and the universe. This includes the way we eat, breathe, drink, and live; which must all be harmonious with nature. When any of the above is not synchronous, we are in a state of disease. This is the main philosophy of yoga wherein the mind, body, and spirit are one and cannot be separated. Yogic philosophies recognize food as being responsible for the growth of the body. Food, therefore, is not only a means to live, but it is considered to be sacred.

Food plays an important role in balancing the body from within. Apart from providing the body with nutrition, sattvic foods help you achieve greater physical strength, a sound mind, good health, and longevity. The basic principles of the sattvic diet consist of light and easily digestible food. Most of these foods are sun foods (meaning foods that grow above ground), which have a fast effect on the body’s nervous and digestive systems. These include ghee, honey, nuts, fruits and vegetables, legumes, and herbs.