Sattvic Diet: Food List, Foods to Avoid & 7-Day Meal Plan
Sources: NIN Hyderabad, ICMR, USDA FoodData Central
A sattvic diet, also spelt satvik or saatvik, is a vegetarian way of eating from the yoga and Ayurveda traditions. It favours fresh food and keeps away from food that is stale, very spicy or heavy. Many families in India follow it on festival and puja days, and many yoga students follow it every day.
This page gives a plain sattvic food list, what it leaves out, and a 7-day meal plan you can cook with everyday Indian groceries. Rules differ between families and teachers, so treat it as a starting point.
Where the idea comes from
Wikipedia describes the sattvic diet as a plant-based diet within Ayurveda, also called a yogic diet. Indian philosophy describes three qualities, or gunas: sattva (purity, harmony), rajas (activity, restlessness) and tamas (dullness). The Bhagavad Gita (17.7) sorts food into the same three types. Sattvic food is described as fresh and agreeable.
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Sattvic food list
This list follows common Indian family practice (our note); teachers and families differ.
| Group | Examples |
|---|---|
| Grains | Millets (foxtail, little, kodo, barnyard, browntop), unpolished rice, wheat, barley |
| Pulses | Moong (green gram), toor dal, chana |
| Dairy | Fresh cow's milk, curd, buttermilk, ghee |
| Sweeteners | Jaggery, palm jaggery, honey, dates |
| Oils | Ghee, cold-pressed sesame, groundnut and coconut oil |
| Nuts & dry fruits | Almonds, cashews, raisins, figs, dates |
| Seeds | Sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, flax |
| Vegetables | Most fresh vegetables: gourds, pumpkin, carrot, beans, leafy greens |
| Fruits | Fresh, ripe, seasonal fruit |
| Spices | Cumin, turmeric, fennel, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, dry ginger, in small amounts |
| Salt | Rock salt (sendha namak) is used in many homes |
Foods a sattvic diet avoids
Foods traditionally called rajasic (overstimulating): onion, garlic, tea, coffee and very spicy food. Foods called tamasic (heavy, dulling): meat, eggs, alcohol, and stale or reheated food. A sattvic diet keeps away from both.
The Jain diet is stricter again and leaves out root vegetables such as potato, carrot and ginger.
Why millets fit a sattvic kitchen
Millets are simple, whole grains that cook in 15–20 minutes, so they suit the "fresh and home-cooked" idea. Barnyard millet (sanwa) is also eaten on many fasting days.
7-day sattvic meal plan
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Foxtail millet upma with vegetables | Little millet rice, moong dal, beans poriyal, buttermilk | Vegetable millet khichdi with ghee |
| Tue | Ragi porridge with jaggery | Unpolished rice, toor dal, pumpkin curry, curd | Moong dal soup, phulka |
| Wed | Poha with peanuts and curry leaves | Kodo millet rice, sambar (no onion, no garlic), cabbage | Barnyard millet pongal |
| Thu | Fruit bowl, soaked almonds | Wheat roti, lauki sabzi, moong dal, curd | Little millet curd rice |
| Fri | Little millet rava idli, coconut chutney | Foxtail millet bisibele bath, buttermilk | Vegetable soup, millet roti |
| Sat | Barnyard millet kheer with jaggery | Rice, dal, ash gourd curry, curd | Moong dal khichdi with ghee |
| Sun | Ragi dosa | Browntop millet pulao (no onion, no garlic), raita | Light fruit and warm milk |
Cook fresh for each meal where you can, eat at regular times, and keep spice and salt mild.
More millet menus: our 7-day millet diet plan and millets for Navratri fasting.
Another traditional approach: eat local, seasonal food
All the groceries above are in one place: Sattvic Kitchen Essentials
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Frequently asked questions
What is a sattvic diet?
A vegetarian way of eating from the yoga and Ayurveda traditions that favours fresh food and leaves out onion, garlic, meat, eggs, alcohol and stale food.
Are onion and garlic sattvic?
No. Traditional texts class onion and garlic as rajasic, so a sattvic diet leaves them out.
Are millets sattvic?
Millets are whole grains, and they are commonly included in sattvic and fasting meals in India.
What is the difference between sattvic and Jain food?
Both are vegetarian and avoid onion and garlic. Jain food also leaves out root vegetables such as potato, carrot and ginger.
Sources & References
- Wikipedia, “Sattvic diet”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sattvic_diet
- The Yoga Institute, “What is Sattvic Diet (Satvik Bhojan)?”: https://theyogainstitute.org/what-is-sattvic-diet/
- Orggu, Millets for Navratri fasting
- Orggu, 7-day millet diet plan
