The three different types of gunas are Satvik, Rajsik, and Tamsik. Different foods are associated with different types of gunas.
Satvik foods are those, which give calmness, peace, good health, inner happiness, etc.
Rajsik foods are those, which increase energy, aggression, restlessness, anger, ego, agitation, irritability, insomnia, etc.
Tamsik foods lead to decreased energy, laziness, disorientation, confusion, unhappiness, etc.
Gunas of food depends on many factors e.g. its freshness, temperature, how is it prepared, who prepared it, its rawness, the time when eaten, any additives or preservatives, type of utensil in which it is kept or cooked, state of plant and animal from which it is taken, etc.
For example, many believe that yogurt is satvik. However, its satvikness depends on many factors some of which are the following:
Is it cow or goat or buffalo milk?
Was the animal pregnant when expressing milk?
Were calves well fed at the time of milk expression?
How fresh milk is.
How fresh yogurt is.
Was yogurt made in earthenware, steel pot, copper pot or something else?
Whether it was consumed in the morning, evening, or night?
Who prepared it?
Who served it?
Guna of the person preparing the food and serving the food also affects food quality.
Different types of fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. have different types of gunas.
Bharti Raizada