The food of virtue purifies existence and prolongs its duration. They provide strength, health, joy and satisfaction. These substantial foods are sweet, juicy, fatty and full of flavor.

Foods that are too bitter, sour, salty, pungent, dry or hot, are loved by those dominated by Passion. They engender suffering, misfortune and disease.

And dear to men enveloped in ignorance, food cooked more than three hours before being consumed, food deprived of taste, freshness, smelly, decomposed or impure, even leftovers.

The only functions of food are to increase longevity, to purify the mind, and to give the body health and vigor. In the past, major authorities in this field have chosen the foods which best serve these functions, and which are, among others, dairy products, sugar, rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables. These foods are dear to men ruled by virtue. Others, such as corn or molasses, although not very tasty on their own, can become so when mixed with milk or other virtue foods, and thus join the circle of virtue.

All these foods are naturally pure; they stray far from things “intouchables”, unclean, like meat and liquor. Likewise, fatty foods cannot be related to the fat provided by the slaughter of animals. Animal fats are available in milk, which happens to be the most wonderful of all foods. Milk, butter, cheese, and the like produce animal fat in a form that excludes any need to kill innocent animal creatures - a heinous crime. Only a barbaric and demonic mentality allows the slaughter of animals to continue. The only civilized way to get the fat that humans need is to get it from milk. The slaughter of animals is the way of acting specific to the infrahuman, to human-animals. As for proteins, they are widely found in split peas, chickpeas, dal, whole wheat, quinoa, lentils, cashews, peanuts, etc.

Passion foods, bitter, too salty, too hot, or too spicy with red pepper, cause suffering because they produce an overabundance of mucus in the stomach, a source of disease.

The Foods marked by dark ignorance are essentially those that are not fresh. Any food cooked more than three hours before consumption belongs to the darkness of ignorance (except food first offered to the Lord). Because when decaying, these foods give rise to bad odors, which often attract men enveloped in ignorance, but always repel those ruled by virtue.

Food reliefs can only be eaten when they come from 'a meal first offered to the Supreme Lord or to holy men, especially the spiritual master. Otherwise, all leftover food is ignorance, and only spreads infection and disease. Such foods, although extremely pleasing to men enveloped in ignorance, never attract men ruled by virtue, who would not even touch it. But the best food is that which is first offered to God, the Supreme Lord, who teaches in the Bhagavad-gita “Words of Krishna, Christ, God, the Supreme Person” that if they are offered to Him with devotion, He accepts dishes