312. If I become what I Eat, then what should I Eat???????

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/self-improvement/if-i-become-what-i-eat-then-what-should-i-eat

There is a saying, “You become what you eat.” The essence in that sentence is what I put into my body is what my body will use to create and replace my cells, hormones and neurotransmitters. Whatever I eat will be converted into chyle which is absorbed to compose my body. Then I can logically say that my body can be constructed by junk and low nutrition food which will create an inferior body or on the other hand I can eat highly nutritious and healthy food to have a body with correct structure. 

But will what I eat influence my mind and create moods for me to react to certain situations????

To some extent what I eat does influence my mind. Science says suppose I have a repetitive negative thought then it affect my physical body, so I can say negative thoughts and junk food cause harm to my body while positive thoughts and healthy food build healthy body. I do understand that low nutrition food and negative thoughts are almost impossible to avoid, but I can try my best to replace my thoughts of hatred, guilt, and frustration with compassion, forgiveness, and humor. Ultimately choosing a healthy diet and replacing negative thoughts with positive help me to achieve most advantageous physical and mental health.

Now comes which to prefer Veg and Non-Veg? I have read a lot of for and against on vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. I personally feel food does not matter much as it is the use of that energy which I get from consuming food that matters. A person who consumes Non-Vegetarian food need not be a wicked person and one who consumes only vegetarian food is not always gentle. Yes there are differences in Satva, Rajas and Tamas gunas in the food that influence me. If meat is Tamas so is yogurt and without curds a traditional meal is incomplete. Let us not talk of what we eat let us talk on what we do with the energy that we get from eating.

Eating itself has to be looked in more detail. While for some eating is to sustain the body for some it is to satisfy the sense hence the essence of consuming is itself different. Suppose I am not hungry but I feel an urge to relish a particular dish to satisfy my tongue then it will affect my digestive system be it a healthy food also.

Do people around the world eat exotic dishes to sustaining their body or just for the excitement of sense gratification??????

According to me if eating is to sustain the physical body then it does not matter if the source of energy comes from Veg or Non-Veg. We have heard people relating the kind of food one consumes to the actions performed. That is good to refer to the animals as they do not have Vijnanamaya Kosha (intellect sheath). But we are humans who can discriminate what is good and bad using our intellect.

Suppose I am invited to a feast at my friends place on the occasion of the birthday of his daughter. As I am his friend I am served good food in a silver plate and given fruit juice in silver tumbler. If I pocket the silver tumbler and if they catch me in the act, can I blame the food that they served me to have created the mood to rob the silver tumbler? Can I justify my action in such a manner??????

I agree that food does influence but that is just a source of energy to my body. My mind should listen to my intellect then whatever I eat will not influence my mind. Instead if my mind listens to my senses and dance to its whims and fancies then even if I eat Prasadam from the temple daily I cannot be good citizen.