Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Expert defines ‘three states of mind and the diet that promotes it’ as per Ayurveda and yoga

Experts inform us that food not only affects our mood but also the way we feel.

Expert defines ‘three states of mind and the diet that promotes it’ as per Ayurveda and yoga

Our brain is constantly working, even when we are sleeping. It regulates our thoughts, breathing, movements, senses, and heartbeat – therefore, it is working non-stop 24/7, informs an earlier report by Harvard Health.

Since the brain works so hard, it needs an uninterrupted supply of fuel which comes from the food we eat. However, the quality of fuel fed to the brain can make a huge difference.


This is because whatever we consume has a direct impact on the function and structure of our brain and eventually our mood.

According to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), “Epidemiological research has observed that adherence to healthy or Mediterranean dietary patterns — high consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes; moderate consumption of poultry, eggs, and dairy products; and only occasional consumption of red meat — is associated with a reduced risk of depression.”

Experts inform us that food not only affects our mood but also the way we feel. Taking to her Instagram account, Ayurveda expert Dr Dimple Jangda asks if there are any specific foods that can make us feel happy and low.

Dr Jangda explains that according to Ayurveda, food and human emotions share an important relationship. “A bar of chocolate makes our body release serotonin, making us feel uplifted,” she states.

Some foods and nutrients help the brain to create chemicals that affect mood, focus, and attention, while certain other foods can drain your energy, registered dietician Sarah Thomsen Ferreira told Cleveland Clinic in an earlier report.

Sarah is quoted as saying, “The Mediterranean diet has gained significant attention for decreasing symptoms of depression, with key components being increased intake of vegetables, fruit, omega-3-rich fish, nuts, legumes, and olive oil.”

Dr Jangda further shares that Ayurveda and yoga define the “three states of mind and the diet that promotes it.”

1. Sattva

Sattva means “balance, harmony, and light.”

The expert adds, “Sattvic diet promotes emotions like compassion, kindness, love, forgiveness, empathy.”

Sattvic foods are pure vegetarian and include foods like vegetables, fresh fruit, whole meal bread, pulses, grains, sprouts, nuts, seeds, honey, herbs, milk, and dairy products that are free of animal rennet (a milk clotting complex collection of enzymes).

When consumed, these foods “raise our consciousness, inspire us to positive action, unleash our hidden potential and creativity.”

2. Rajas

Rajas means “activity, movement, agitation, passion, moving, and emotional.”

Dr Jangda informs that “A rajasic diet is overly spicy or hot and it includes onion, garlic, coffee, fizzy soft drinks, tea, sugary foods, and too much chocolate.”

This type of diet can “destroy the mind-body equilibrium, feeding the body at the expense of the mind,” the expert said.

She adds, “a rajasic person will experience poor digestion and constant restlessness.”

3. Tamas

Means “inertia, dullness, inactivity, or lethargy, tamasic food is the most un-advocated diet, and leads to the destruction of the mind and body alike,” the expert said.

This diet which can harm our body consists of, “dead food such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, stale foods, processed packaged foods, with preservatives and additives, reheated food, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs.”

The doctor explains, “these foods don’t uplift your energy or consciousness, but instead pull us downwards into laziness and inertia.”

In fact, this diet is linked to “diabetes, heart and liver diseases.” Also, those consuming such a diet will feel “unmotivated, careless; unaware of ourselves and others.”

Agreeing with the fact that the foods we eat affect our emotions, Vikas Chawla, Ayurveda Expert, Vedas Cure, told The Indian Express, Ayurveda advocates the adage, ‘What we eat is what we become.’ “Hence, it says there is a direct relationship between our food and emotions. Food gives us energy, and our energy is based on our emotions. Our food habits have a significant bearing on our mood and state of mind, which ultimately decides which emotions we are feeling at a particular time.”

The expert adds, “Foods that cause overwhelming emotions and exacerbate feelings of stress, anger, and depression are oily and greasy junk items, alcohol, consumption of refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, and excessive salt consumption. Ayurveda classifies them as addiction, and any addiction makes us lose our self-control and emotional regulation and causes us to feel irritated, groggy, and virulent.”

More For You

Rajnath Singh

The council that approved the initiation of procurement for arms and equipment is headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

India starts process to procure arms worth $12.31 billion

INDIA’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the initiation of procurement for arms and equipment worth $12.31 billion (£9.05 billion), the defence ministry said on Thursday.

The council is headed by India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Forecasts indicate that the weekend will be unsettled

Getty Images

Cooler conditions bring relief as UK heatwave ends

Key points

  • UK's second heatwave of 2025 ends with cooler temperatures setting in.
  • Tuesday recorded the year’s highest temperature at 34.7°C in London.
  • No return to heatwave conditions forecast for early July.
  • Showers expected in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, with drier weather ahead.

UK heatwave fades as cooler weather returns

Following a stretch of record-breaking heat, the UK has now entered a cooler phase, with no heatwave conditions forecast for the first half of July. This change comes after Tuesday became the hottest day of the year so far, with 34.7°C recorded in London’s St James’s Park.

However, the high temperatures that marked the start of July have now given way to more comfortable conditions. In many parts of the country, temperatures have dropped by more than 10°C, bringing relief from the extreme heat.

Keep ReadingShow less
Families slam Hancock's 'insulting' care home defence at Covid inquiry

Matt Hancock arrives ahead of his latest appearance before the Covid-19 Inquiry on July 02, 2025 in London, England.(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Families slam Hancock's 'insulting' care home defence at Covid inquiry

BEREAVED families have condemned former health secretary Matt Hancock as "insulting" and "full of excuses" after he defended the controversial policy of moving untested hospital patients into care homes during the early days of the Covid pandemic.

Speaking at the Covid-19 inquiry on Wednesday (2), Hancock described the decision to discharge patients into care homes as "the least-worst decision" available at the time, despite the devastating death toll that followed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Getty

Starmer has said the NHS must 'reform or die' and promised changes that would control the rising costs of caring for an ageing population without increasing taxes. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Starmer outlines 10-year NHS reform strategy

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer will on Thursday launch a 10-year strategy aimed at fixing the National Health Service (NHS), which he said was in crisis. The plan seeks to ease the pressure on overstretched hospitals and shift care closer to people’s homes.

The NHS, which is publicly funded and state-run, has faced difficulties recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. It continues to experience annual winter pressures, repeated waves of industrial action, and a long backlog for elective treatments.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Reeves-Getty

Starmer and Reeves during a visit to Horiba Mira in Nuneaton, to mark the launch of the Government's Industrial Strategy on June 23, 2025 in Nuneaton. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Reeves ‘going nowhere’, says Starmer after tears in parliament

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer on Wednesday said that Chancellor Rachel Reeves would remain in her role for “a very long time to come”, after she appeared visibly upset in parliament as questions were raised about her future.

Reeves was seen with tears rolling down her face during Prime Minister’s Questions, after Starmer did not confirm whether she would remain chancellor until the next general election, expected in 2029.

Keep ReadingShow less