Adano Ley (Swami Nitty-Gritty) said …

“Sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic means pure, cooked, or old.”

Using the Essene terminology of Edmond Bordeaux Szekely, there are four grades of nutrition.

One, “biogenic” nutrition, which is freshly picked and raw food.

It’s uncooked and regenerative food, known in Ayurvedic science as sattvic food.

Live sprouts are an example of a sattvic food.

Two, “bioactive” nutrition, which is cooked or “active” food, known in Ayurvedic science as rajasic food.

Rajasic food is often hot or spicy.

Three, “biostatic” nutrition, which is stale, decomposing, or preserved food, known in Ayurvedic science as tamasic food.

Tamasic food can sometimes be therapeutic, which is why Adano often added rotting vegetables to the many delicious soups he prepared at the “Banana Grove Kitchen.”

He told me they were for “the antibodies.”

Four, “biocidic” nutrition, which is toxic or synthetic food, e.g. irradiated, genetically engineered, overprocessed, synthetic, or pesticide-saturated food.

Even biocidic and caustic foods can be therapeutic in certain situations, even foods that encourage autolysis, the self-digestion or cannibalism of our own tissue.

The metabolic homeostasis that equilibrates anabolic and catabolic forces in the human mechanism is not possible without autolysis.

As Adano phrased it, “Abstinence cures nothing.”

According to Shri Shivapuri Baba, quoted by Renu Lal Singh in Right Life: Teachings of the Shivapuri Baba, 1975, 1984 …

“Being a slave to Sattwa Guna means being unduly dominated by desire, e.g. desire to do good to others. Being a slave of Rajoguna means being unduly attached to a particular person, thing, place, activity, profession, etc. Being a slave of Tamoguna means being dominated by inertia or undue hatred for a particular person, thing, place, activity, profession, etc. If you are a slave of Sattwa Guna in food, you will rather starve than take anything except Sattwika food. If you are a slave of Rajoguna in food, you will rather starve than take anything except Rajasika food. Similarly, if you are a slave of Tamoguna in food, you will prefer to starve but you will refuse to take any food other than Tamsika food. A Sattwaguni is too much attached to goodness, theoretical knowledge and unenlightened happiness of devotion to God or meditation. A Rajoguni is too much attached to activity, power, wealth, etc. A Tamoguni is too much attached to idleness and physical pleasures.”