I had always wondered what monks and sadhus meditating in the Himalayan caves eat. They stay in the inhospitable Himalayan terrain for months, if not years, within the humblest of means, forgoing sleep, food and even warm clothing. After their meditation, many of them return with immense insight on the human condition, some realise their true purpose or get world-changing ideas. What food can be enough to sustain the physical and mental needs in such case, is it the nutrients or the lack of them that facilitates such remarkable spiritual growth? 

When one is on a spiritual path, they start becoming more mindful and conscious of their actions in all aspects of daily life. Of these aspects, food is possibly the most important one, as it not only affects our physical state, but also our emotional state (through hormones and enzymes) and our spiritual state of consciousness. Hence, clean eating is more important for those who meditate or practice certain rituals regularly. Afterall, the quality of your meditation depends on the clarity of your conscience and very often, people experience guilt on both the conscious and sub-conscious level after consuming meat.

On the other side of the spectrum is the vegan diet, which is becoming more widely accepted around the world, the biggest cause being the growing awareness of animal rights and people’s compassion towards animals. From personal experience with veganism and vegetarianism, I can say that I feel happier during and long after eating, whenever I have refused to eat animal-derived food. There is something undeniably reassuring about being compassionate to creatures who do not have a voice, even if you love steak or chicken wings. 

In many world religions, meat-eating is allowed under certain prescribed conditions, which will definitely help a person of that faith deal with the ‘guilt’ aspect of the diet. For instance, Buddhist texts allow the consumption of meat if it is received in alms and the monk knows that the animal was not killed specifically for them. In the west, Christianity, while not necessarily prohibiting meat, views fast food, bigger portions and excessive meat eating as not just temptation, but a manifestation of the ego, which feeds off of more than what is required. Regardless of spiritual dictum, free thinkers of all religions refuse meat and animal products simply because they believe that the earth provides more than enough, both in terms of variety as well as nutritional content.

As for spiritual seekers, diet is just one of life’s areas that must be regulated in certain ways, in order to transcend one’s current state of being. According to Acharya Shree Yogeesh, a spiritual guru, Vegetarianism is the first step of spirituality because it shows that you are consciously compassionate and respectful towards all living beings. He explains that animals have all five senses and a mind, and when they are killed, they experience pain through all their senses. Which also means that a natural death may be free from the feeling of pain for the creature, though the karmic effects of consuming such an animal remain unknown. While this is more of a beginner’s view of food, those with a higher sense of mind and bodily control can live on as little as a glass of water a day when they are in deep meditative trances. Fasting, and not a full stomach, is known to be the optimum state for meditation.

In India, the world’s biggest vegetarian community, there is a concept of a ‘Satvic diet’, which every yogi follows, even those meditating in the remotest Himalayan caves! Satvic food is not just vegetarian or vegan food, it is food made with a conscious, pure state of mind and consumed freshly. A satvik diet includes mostly plant-based, organic food that is freshly cooked and eaten in moderation. In the modern world, it is increasingly difficult (though not impossible!) to follow such a diet as it requires one to devote ample thought and effort in every meal. For starters, you must have at least some idea of where your food comes from, how it is grown, what state of mind you are cooking it with and so on. If it is too spicy or heavy on condiments or too rich for a yogi’s basic needs for sustenance, it’s not suitable. Food that is prepared without harming anyone, with the emotional state of gratitude and purity, is considered Satvic. In fact, the nature of all things can be categorised into three qualities: Sattva (pure), Rajas (rich) and Tamas (dark). The same rule applies for your thoughts, actions and of course, food. Sattvic food is said to leave you feeling light and give clarity of intention, rajasic food will make you feel lethargic and increase desire, and Tamasic food can increase anger and negative thoughts while clouding your clarity.

So whether you are a newbie amateur seeker or a seasoned yogi, in order to ensure your diet is in line with your spiritual goals, a question you can ask yourself is this: Whom do you want to feed with this food, your desire, your body or the divine in you? Regardless of your faith or personal taste, it is most important to be at peace with your food choices. When you look at your plate, does your mind and body accept it? Can you consume its quality (vegetables, meat or just water) and quantity (portion size) mindfully and be at peace? It is important to keep in mind that consciously choosing your food based on these questions is different from craving something specific and then eating it. Your diet should not serve in feeding the lesser levels of your conscience, such as the ego. Whatever your goal, all the important answers will come from within you.