Dear Teresa,
I have been grappling with the Saatvic, Rajasic and Tamasic foods for almost three years now and have still not been able to conclude what according to the 17th chapter of Bhagvad Gita should one eat to remain Fit agile healthy and intelligent and happy/joyfull all along.It has been clearly put forth therein that salt, bitter, chillies, pungent, and sour foods are Rajasic and a cause for greif,suffering and illness.

But at the same time experience tells us that pure Sattvic foods ie sweet,bland, nourishing and agreeable ones cannot be eaten for long without the Rajasic interjections like spices,masalas,ginger lemon etc.etc.

And my experience is that if one takes it to be a kind of Tapasya to eat pure Sattvic foods still one ends up bloating oneself causing indigestion or worse/insomnia etc.

Could you kindly guide me out of the quagmire.
Thankyou,
Jim

Thanks for the recipe, Teresa, kitchari in all its forms is simple and delicious food.

Dear Jim, I don't think one can eat only sattvic food if the mind-body isn't ready for it. If you listen carefully, the mind-body will guide you to exactly what it needs in your present situation. Rajasic food has its role too, as rajas is needed to dislocate tamasic tendencies. We can all benefit from including more sattvic food in our diet, but I don't think we should force the mind-body to adopt a diet that doesn't feel comfortable. As the journey continues, we all find that we are naturally more drawn toward sattvic food, and when that happens, we can encourage it.