Health and Diet
Categories of Material Energy (including Food)
The Sanskrit-language conception of the material universe considers all the varied energy/matter in it to be made up of some combination of three so-called modes. These modes work like the three primary colors in a color palette. The mode names are: Goodness (Sattvic), Passion (Rajasic), and Ignorance (Tamasic), and in the domain of foodstuffs, here is a widely accepted categorization:
Sattvic foodstuffs include responsibly-sourced milk products (especially ghee), fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, mild spices, honey, nuts and seeds.
Rajasic foodstuffs include eggs, fish, stimulants, and stimulating foodstuffs such as hot spices especially onion and garlic.
Tamasic foodstuffs include meat, alcohol, and depressants.
Note: Some interpretations consider onions and garlic as Tamasic rather than Rajasic.
Food as Spiritual Medicine
The deeper idea is that food, when prepared and offered to Kṛṣṇa (who can taste via a glance) with affection, becomes prasādam which means literally, mercy. What we then eat is no longer just nutrition; it has been transformed by the offering itself.
And, as you may already have figured out, Kṛṣṇa is well-known to accept only Sattvic-mode offerings.
Going further
This kṛṣṇa.name site is meant as an introduction, rather than an exhaustive resource. For comprehensive information and personalized training, the devotee couple of Yogi Nataraj and Sundari Mataji, who have dedicated their livelihoods to the Health and Diet mission, come highly recommended.
Free resources include their YouTube channel and website:
Paid offerings include several books plus online and in-person courses on Intermittent Fasting, Cooking, Meditation, Hand Exercises (Mudras), and the comprehensive Kṛṣṇa Yoga — Sattvam Yoga Teacher Training and Manual.