The Awakening Process and Food Cravings
As we transform and spiritually awaken, our relationship with food will often shift, sometimes dramatically. Foods that once brought comfort begin to feel either heavy or bland. The cravings for certain foods may persist, yet the foods they're associated with no longer satisfy.
This phenomenon is deeply understood through the Ayurvedic concept of the three Gunas: Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. These qualities influence not only our states of mind but also our sensory preferences, digestion, and dietary choices. As consciousness evolves, so too does the vibrational resonance between our body, mind, and what we consume.
The Three Gunas & Food...
Tamas is associated with inertia, heaviness, and ignorance. Tamas manifests in foods that are stale, overcooked, excessively processed, or chemically preserved. These include fast food, microwaved meals, canned goods, and anything that lacks vitality or prana. Tamas can dull the mind, slow digestion, and suppress emotional processing.
Rajas brings energy, motion, and stimulation. In excess, it fuels restlessness, overthinking, desire, and addiction. Rajasic foods are often spicy, salty, sour, or overly stimulating. This includes strong coffee, sugar, fried foods, chocolate, and many convenience snacks. While they may offer a short-term energetic boost, they tend to agitate the nervous system and disturb inner peace.
Sattva represents balance, harmony, clarity, and purity. Sattvic foods are light, fresh, seasonal, and infused with intention. These include warm, home-cooked meals, whole grains, ghee, fresh fruit, herbal teas, and food prepared with love. Sattva nourishes both body and spirit, supporting spiritual clarity, emotional equilibrium, and vitality.
As awareness expands, the body and subtle nervous system begin to recalibrate. Even if the mind is still habituated to certain cravings, the deeper intelligence of the body starts rejecting inputs that no longer align with the higher frequency. The result is dissatisfaction, not because the craving wasn’t real, but because the food no longer matches our emerging state of consciousness.
Ayurveda teaches that taste (rasa) is not just a physical experience; it’s a psycho-spiritual one. As someone shifts toward more sattvic states, their taste buds evolve to perceive subtle flavours and energetic qualities more acutely. Freshly cooked meals become more appealing, while heavily processed or artificial foods begin to taste energetically “dead.”
Over time, the body begins to crave prana, not just taste. The desire moves away from intensity and toward nourishment, grounding, and clarity.
Cravings also arise from Doshic imbalances:
Vata may crave dry, light and sweet things like popcorn or sweets
Pitta, when elevated, will crave spicy, salty, sharp rajasic foods (e.g., chips, salsa, coffee).
Kapha may reach for heavy, tamasic options like cheese or heavy meats in response to emotional dullness or comfort-seeking.
When coupled with a spiritual awakening or major life shift, these doshic tendencies can become amplified, making dietary clarity even more difficult to navigate.
The key is not to fight the cravings, but to meet them with awareness. Rather than asking,
“What do I want to eat?” consider asking:
What energy am I truly seeking?
Is this craving coming from restlessness, depletion, or genuine hunger?
Will this food bring clarity, or is it masking discomfort?
This level of inquiry invites the body and mind into greater alignment. It doesn’t require rigid control, but rather a process of attunement, responding with love, presence, and understanding.
Awakening happens in a spiral. There will be times of clarity and times of contraction. The goal isn’t to live in pure sattva at all times, but to cultivate more moments of inner harmony through conscious choices.
Over time, the body learns to trust this new rhythm. The nervous system softens. Digestion improves. Emotional reactivity reduces. And eating becomes a sacred act once again, not a battleground between craving and control, but a portal to deeper connection.
If you need help with cravings or would like to understand your body’s needs through the wisdom of Ayurveda, you can find out more here.
