The word diet conjures up a plethora of visions and ideas concerning restricted caloric intake and weight loss, but in reality, the word "diet" typically means food choices you habitually make. The dietary choices you make affect not only your physical and mental well-being, but it is believed that the food you eat also influences your spiritual development. Traditional religious beliefs from around the world recognize the importance of proper diet, and over time, dietary laws and guidelines became a part of religious ceremonies and spiritual evolution. Today, for those questing for God realization, the path becomes one that includes wise dietary choices.
Christian Diet
Many Christians in today's world are omnivores, paying no attention to the quality, or quantity, of food they put in their bodies. Seventh Day Adventists view their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit, and strive to live a life of purity and peace, adopting a healthy diet in order to live in a more godly state. With the birth of the Christian Vegetarian Association, more Christians are choosing to eat a plant-based diet, viewing vegetarianism as an appropriate way to serve God, honor their bodies as a temple of the Holy Spirit and preserve God's original creation.
Jewish Dietary Law
Judaism has particular guidelines when it comes to dietary practices and eating. The Jewish community adopts a kosher, or proper, diet in accordance to the Torah. For an animal to be kosher it must be cloven-hoofed and chew its cud. Not all parts of a kosher animal may be eaten, and meat and milk are not cooked or served together. Strict guidelines govern the slaughter and serving of meat in order for it to be considered kosher. All fruits and vegetables are considered kosher and permissible to eat. Grains are considered kosher only after tithing a certain portion before consumption. The dietary laws of Judaism are intended to teach self-discipline as well as compassion for all living things.
Hindu Fare
The world's oldest religion is grounded in a love of nature and a connection to all living things. Hinduism promotes a vegetarian lifestyle in an effort to live in harmony with nature. Foods are categorized in accordance to their qualities, such as Sattvic, which is pure; Rajasic, which is pungent and spicy; or Tamasic, which is stale, overripe or spoiled. Sattvic foods include fresh fruits, vegetables, raw nuts, whole grains and legumes. Embracing nonviolence as one of their religious ethics, the dietary choices of Hindus revolve around compassion and respect for all God's creatures. Hindus believe that their diet affects the body, mind and emotions, which can alter their states of consciousness. A proper Sattvic diet is seen as vital for spiritual evolution.
Buddhist Dharma
Like Hindus, Buddhists embrace a vegetarian diet, prohibiting any consumption of meat. Buddhists are encouraged to contemplate where their food came from as well as how it was grown, transported and prepared. To Buddhists, the act of eating should be utilized for spiritual realization. Living the Buddha dharma means not causing harm to any living thing. By adopting a vegetarian diet, Buddhists embrace compassion and nonviolence in hopes of ending ignorance and suffering. Their dietary ethics revolve around loving kindness toward all things in their quest for enlightenment for all sentient beings.
Yogic Diet
Yoga sees the body as a physical instrument the consciousness uses while in this world. Therefore it is vital to your physical health, spiritual growth and enlightenment to keep the body pure. Yogis follow a vegetarian diet, embracing the observance of ahimsa, or nonviolence. The diet of the Yogi is seen as a discipline of mind and body, and eating is approached with spiritual awareness and reverence for life. Food is energy for the body, and pure foods increase vital energy, health and stamina as well as imparting a feeling of joy and peace within the mind. According to Goswami Kriyananda, founder and spiritual preceptor of the Temple of Kriya, when a person has achieved physical purity, she has the ability to perceive the light of God within her own temple. Yogis believe that your food choices reflect the level of your mental and spiritual purity and development.
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