High Vibration Foods for Whole-Body Health

High vibration foods and herbs can help you feel more energized and balanced. Here, we’ll share the Ayurvedic principles of high vibration foods and how to add them to your diet.

by James Han

Everything we do in life can be thought of as a transmission of energy, whether we’re giving it away or receiving it. In Ayurveda, our lives can easily be thrown out of balance due to our diet, exercise habits, spiritual practices and more. Though we may strive for mind-body balance and wellness by searching for all-purpose, prescriptivist answers, the truth is that our own bodies have unique needs based on our doshas, or Ayurvedic body types, and our specific life circumstances.

One important part of your healing journey may very well involve foods — particularly high vibration foods.

In this guide, we’ll cover a few tips on how to elevate your diet with nourishing foods that help you feel more energetic and radiant.

Eating Tamasic, Rajasic or Sattvic Foods

In Ayurveda, everything, including food, can be organized into three gunas. With regard to diet, these  describe “grades” or qualities of different vegetables, herbs, essential oils and seeds that can affect your body and mind. They are known as Tamas, Rajas and Sattva — and Ayurvedic philosophy encourages you to maximize the amount of Sattvic foods (or high vibration foods) in your diet. Here’s a breakdown of each, in order of worst to best.

Tamasic Foods

Tamas is a low vibration energy that encompasses a watery, cool and “yyn”-like nature, and often corresponds to darkness, inertia, resistance and lethargy. In moderation, Tamasic foods can ground and relax you, but because they are harder to digest, eating too many of them can make you feel like you’re stuck in a dark, perpetual rut. Greasy, overcooked and heavy foods tend to increase Tamas (and build ama, or toxic waste), though here are some others to limit:

• Meat, fish and eggs.
• White flour.
• Jams and jellies.
• Hard liquor.
• Foods with preservatives (including high salt content).
• Processed foods.
• Canned foods.
• Fried foods.
• Frozen foods.
• Refined sugars.

Rajasic Foods

Rajas is a medium vibration energy. It encompasses fieriness, turbulence and a “yang”-like nature, and Rajasic foods often build physical endurance or stimulate the body. While a healthy dose of Rajas can give you energy and excitement — and help you achieve your goals and push through obstacles — too much can result in agitation, sleeplessness and even anxiety by aggravating your Pitta dosha. Rajasic foods include pretty much anything has a very salty, bitter, pungent, spicy or “out-of-balance” taste, but here are some specifics:

• Meat, fish and eggs.
• Excessive salt.
• Chiles.
• Caffeinated beverages.
• Mustard.
• Pickles.
• Vinegar.
• Most spices and seasonings.
• Onions and garlic.
• Citrus.
• Honey.

Sattvic Foods

Sattva is a high vibration energy that represents balance, clarity and truth. Though a balanced diet is important — which is to say, don’t try to “cut out” all Tamasic and Rajasic foods — Ayurveda suggests that prioritizing Sattva can help you attain mind-body wellness and feel your most energetic. Sattvic foods are typically vegetarian, free of preservatives and additives, and are easy to digest. 

Since Sattvic foods are the gold standard for bringing harmony and health to the mind-body, we’ll break them down in more detail below.

The Sattvic Diet: Benefits and High Vibration Foods To Enjoy

The Sattvic diet naturally comes with plenty of potential health benefits, whether or not you are an avid practitioner of an Ayurvedic lifestyle. It emphasizes whole, nutrient-dense foods that provide your body with a diverse mix of healthy proteins, carbohydrates and fats, as well as fiber for optimal digestion. In general, a Sattvic diet will have all the benefits of a vegetarian diet, though with less risk of long-term health problems since it steers clear of deep-fried and processed foods.

Best Sattvic Foods, Spices and Herbs

Here are some common high vibration foods and ingredients you can easily incorporate into your diet. Note that you don’t have to limit yourself exclusively to these foods — if you’re currently eating a lot of processed foods, fast food, meat and other traditionally non-Sattvic ingredients, make small, gradual adjustments, or talk to an Ayurvedic practitioner to help you out.

• Vegetables: lettuce, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, squash, kelp, peas, lettuce, etc. 
• Fruits (the lower the sugar, the better): dates, peaches, apples, mangos, cherries, melons, pomegranates, etc.
• Nuts and seeds: hemp seeds, almonds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, pine nuts, coconuts, sesame seeds, etc.
• Oils: red palm oil, olive oil, sesame oil, ghee.
• Dairy: grass-fed yogurt, milk, cheese.
• Spices and herbs: basil, turmeric, ginger, parsley, cilantro, fenugreek, cumin, cinnamon, fennel, ashwagandha, bacopa, tulsi, unrefined salts (see our guide on Ayurvedic spices and herbs, if you’re curious!).
• Legumes: mung beans, chickpeas, lentils, bean sprouts.

How to Incorporate High Vibration Foods Into Your Life

While simply adding foods from the above lists can help you shift to a healthier lifestyle, finding the right balance of Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic foods will require a bit of research on your specific body type, or dosha. To start, follow our detailed outline on how to find your dosha, then study some of the tips below.

Pitta Dosha

Pitta dosha can be equated to Rajas, especially when out of balance. Minimize your consumption of Rajasic foods and consume more Tamasic and Sattvic ingredients in your diet. Taking SLOW, an Ayurvedic tincture with Sattvic essential oils and CBD for relaxation, can help you feel calm.

Kapha Dosha

Kapha can be equated to Tamas, especially in an imbalanced state. Consume less Tamasic foods and opt for Rajasic and Sattvic ones instead. Our GO tincture for focused energy is a great way to inspire movement and activity.

Vata Dosha

Vata can display a variety of symptoms, and those with this constitution should prioritize Sattvic foods and minimize the amount of spices, onion and garlic they consume.

Final Thoughts

High vibration foods and herbs are just one component of a healthy lifestyle. If you’re struggling to attain mind-body balance and cope with the effects of stress, burnout and more, try balancing other areas of your life as well as your diet. Healing meditations, tension-relieving head massages, stress-busting yoga poses and our very own essential oil blends amplified with CBD are all gentle ways to find the calmness and groundedness you may be missing. To learn more about Ayurvedic practices and ways you can supercharge your wellness routine, check out our blog.

James Han is a writer, editor and content strategist based in Los Angeles. When he’s not deep in a Google Doc, you can find him reading, watching films and taking long walks.

References:

Art of Living - Three Types of Food 

Healthline - Sattvic Diet Review 

WebMD - What Is a Sattvic Diet?