A Complete Guide to Sattvik Diet by an expert

This time for our sixth edition of Chronicles of the Homechef
series we introduce you to a learned and respected member of the Cookpad
family . He designs all the delicious sattvik recipes of the Iskcon
Hubli kitchen. Lets find out all we need to know about sattvik diet from
Guru Ramgopal Dasaji:

Tell me a little bit about yourself and what does cooking mean
to you?

I am a Bhakti Yoga Practitioner and a full time volunteer at ISKCON. I
have dedicated my life for the service of Lord and mankind. Cooking for
Lord with love and devotion is meditation for me.

When did you start eating and cooking sattvic food?

I was born in an orthodox Brahmin family. So I have been eating only
sattvic food since my birth. I started cooking at a very early age. I
learnt cooking from my grandmother by watching her churning out
delicious dishes every day.

Can you tell us the benefits of eating sattvic food?

We eat food to increase our life span, to purify our minds and to
increase our bodily strength. All these three purposes are met by
Sattvic food. Sattvic food increases the duration of life, purifies our
existence and gives strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. All
the essential nutrients, both macro and micro nutrients are present in
optimal levels in sattvic food. It means sattvic food provides
carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals and water in optimal
quantities for the better upkeep of the body and mind. As evolved
species among various species of life and as civilised people, we should
commit less violence against other living beings, to sustain our bodies.
By eating sattvic food, we become more compassionate towards all species
of life. Not only this, we do not exploit the mother nature as much by
shifting to this lifestyle.

There are a lot of preconceived notions when it comes to eating
sattvic food like there are limited options to eat? Recipes won't be
that tasty etc.. how would you address these concerns?

The options are not limited. There are so many varieties of vegetables,
grains and fruits available. So many products can be prepared from milk.
Almost every day, I cook a new dish and offer to Lord Krishna. Infact,
Sattvic food is too delicious. Because cooking sattvic food in natural
ways brings out the original flavors of all the ingredients without
masking their taste, nature and appearance. Without combining sattvic
food, non-sattvic food does not turn out to be delicious. Meat is masked
with rich vegetarian spices and vegetables to make it palatable.

Is it difficult to cook sattvic food? Do you fall short of recipes
sometimes?

It is not at all difficult to cook sattvic food. Cooking non-sattvic
food requires hours of cleaning, marinating and cooking. Sattvic food
does not take much time to cook. Cooking process is also not so
complicated. There is no shortage of recipes. I myself have developed
more than 400 recipes. There are so many books available in the market
on vegetarian food and there are so many recipes available on the net.

What inspired you to join Cookpad?

I found a Cookpad link for a recipe in a facebook group. I liked the
Cookpad template very much. The attractive template with the title of
the recipe featuring in green, which is also the colour theme of sattvic
food, inspired me to join Cookpad.

Are you using the Cookpad app or website? How much time do you take to
post a recipe?

I use both the app and the website. If using app, it takes more time. So
I prefer using the website. If using website, I take 10 to 15 mins to
post a recipe.

Do you use social media to share recipes?

I make video recipes and post in the youtube playlist by name 'Sattvic
Recipes' and also share my daily experiments with sattvic food on my
facebook wall.

Does posting recipe with picture help? Do you spend time on food
styling? Which device do you use to click pictures of your recipe?

Of course. Picture speaks a lot more details about the recipe and the
food. If food looks good and smells good, it should taste good too.
Right now, I don't spend much time on food styling. But I would like to
spend more time on it, if I could get the privilege of time. I use Nikon
D7000 DSLR camera to shoot food pictures. Also I use my Smart Phone
camera sometimes.

Do you have any tips or suggestions for Cookpad users who want to
switch to sattvic food?

I would like to request the Cookpad users to give a try and include
sattvic food in their diet. You may even take one day out of a week,
Sattvic Thursday or Sattvic Saturday, when you could encourage your
family members to eat only sattvic food.

Do you have any feedback/suggestions for Cookpad?

Cookpad is doing a great job in encouraging home-cooking. No exotic food
can be compared to food cooked by a person for his/her family members
with love and dedication. Cookpad is encouraging the people to cook food
at home. This is the need of the hour. With changing times and
priorities, people have lost interest in cooking food at home. I request
Cookpad to continue this spirit, engage more and more men and women to
cook by continuing with the weekly contests and prizes.

Thank you Guru Ramgopal Dasaji for taking the time to share your story
with the Cookpad community.

So there you have it! Guru Ramgopal Dasa helps us burst all our myths
and clear any doubts about sattvik diet. People like Guruji make us
believe in the Cookpad mission and are helping us spread our love
for home cooking . If you have any questions for Guru Ramgopal Dasa or
would like to know anything in specific, don't forget to reach out to us
on info-in@cookpad.com.