The Ayurvedic diet has always been an advocate for energy-rich foods but in recent years, food manufacturing companies have successfully created fake foods that mimic real foods. They look & taste almost alike and create confusion in the minds of consumers. Hence, here is a simple 5 set of rules one can employ at any time to distinguish real from fake food.
1. Real food contains Prana or life energy.
One of the simplest ways to distinguish real food from artificial, packaged, or processed food is by understanding whether the food we consume has this energy or prana.
For example, if you have a meal of multigrain rice, leafy greens, and an apple for lunch, each of these items, when dropped on fertile soil, has the potential to grow into its original form. This is how nature is designed—to germinate, grow, and eventually decompose.
In contrast, if you were to eat a meal from McDonald's and drop fries, a Coke, or chicken onto fertile soil, they would simply rot or disappear within a few days. This type of food lacks prana or energy and cannot transform into something nutritious. Therefore, always choose foods that have high prana, as they are more likely to nourish your body and support your overall well-being.
2. Real food is rarely advertised.
Factory-made, artificial, processed, or packaged products often require extensive advertising and money investment. Organic, healthy foods like berries, mint, or millet are seldom promoted by brand names or company names. However, when these natural ingredients are mixed into products like ice cream or cocktails, they suddenly require branding, and marketing, and are sold at higher prices to sustain those brands and generate profits.
It's important to note that once these berries or mint are mixed into other products, they are no longer in their original form. This transformation reduces their energy or prana. As a result, these altered foods must be marketed, branded, and packaged in appealing containers to attract consumers and justify the higher price.
3. Real food comes from nature, not from a factory.
It's clear that real food originates from natural sources. For example, when potatoes are handpicked and delivered directly to the grocery store, they remain in their most organic form. When we buy and consume them in this state, we are eating food that retains its natural energy or prana.
However, when those same potatoes are sent to a factory and processed into potato chips, they lose their natural essence. They are no longer nature-made but factory-made, which diminishes their prana. In fact, potato chips can become harmful to your health because they contain additional ingredients like salt, sugar, preservatives, additives, and coloring agents.
So, even if a packet of potato chips is the last option available in your grocery store, it's better to avoid it. The natural energy of the original potato is compromised, and the added ingredients can be detrimental to your well-being.
4. Real food can be easily decomposed.
Always remember that real, organic food naturally decomposes within a few hours to a few days. For instance, tomatoes, if left unrefrigerated, can wither and dry out within hours. Similarly, cooked grains can rot within a day if not refrigerated.
On the other hand, processed foods like tomato ketchup can stay in a bottle for days or even months, and cereal packets can sit on a shelf for months or even a year. This stark contrast clearly shows that processed or packaged foods are not real foods to begin with.
Many people are tricked into buying these packaged foods to avoid frequent trips to the grocery store. However, in reality, you're better off visiting the grocery store at least twice a week, sometimes even three times, to ensure you're buying the freshest groceries. This way, you avoid relying heavily on bottled or processed foods, which lack the natural energy or prana that fresh, organic foods provide.
5. Real food is only edible for a certain number of days.
As mentioned earlier, this is because real, organic food is naturally perishable. A common example I often cite is milk. If you buy milk directly from a cow farm—where the cows are raised cruelty-free and milked only after feeding their calves—this milk, when boiled, will remain edible for just 2-3 days.
In contrast, the milk available in grocery stores can last for weeks or even months. This extended shelf life is due to heavy processing, which involves adding preservatives to make the milk last longer. Additionally, white coloring agents are used to mask the smell and color of these preservatives, and sweeteners or salt are added to improve the taste. Not to mention, modern-day cows are often injected with antibiotics and hormones to stimulate milk production.
When such heavily processed milk is consumed by the majority of people, the potential negative health outcomes are vast and concerning. The natural prana, or life force, of the milk is lost, and the added chemicals and hormones can contribute to a range of health issues.
For more refer to my booklet 15 rules of sattvic diet available to buy here. Also, my upcoming book on Obesity will shed more light on this subject which will be published in 2025. Also, watch my interview with celebrity ayurvedic health coach Dimple Jangda to understand more on how to modify an ayurvedic diet for chronic illnesses.
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