Whatever we eat to keep our body fit is called food. What a pity that we know so little about our food that we take many times  everyday from our birth to death. The staple food of north Bharat is Roti of wheat. But in Eastern and Southern parts of Bharat it is rice. Hence there are great dissimilarities in our habits and taste of food in different parts of country. The word 'Food' not only includes wheat, rice and cereals but also water, air and sun rays, etc. Here the main purpose is to make us familiar with  some  broad principles in selecting the type of food to be taken. In particular we give below some guidelines for a sadhak, which will be of great help to him in the practice of Yog.

General
Take food only when you feel hungry. While taking meals fill half of the stomach with food. Leave 1/4th part for air and the remaining 1/4th for water. Chew the eatable well and take water in small draughts (at least half an hour after meals). Remain calm while taking meal. If, for any reason there is any anger or agitation in mind get composed before taking the meal. No rigid formula can be given about selecting our food items. Many factors are to be taken into account. They are: age, the nature of work, season, personal taste, the availability of food of our choice at a particular place, the level of sadhana, physical  condition, the circumstances prevailing, illness, etc. The quality and quantity of food we take should be really fixed by ourselves taking into consideration these factors. In spite of these important considerations, we give below some general guidelines for our readers who can benefit from them with some modifications here and there and in accordance with the personal circumstances.

Winter Season
This is the phlegm producing season. Hence you should avoid taking all phlegm producing articles of food.

Severe Winter Season
This is the wind (vayu) producing season. Hence try to avoid wind-producing eatables.

Spring Season
This season again is phlegm-producing season. Hence avoid taking such food that produces phlegm.

Summer Season
This is the bile (pitt) producing season. Hence keep away bile producing food.

Rainy Season
It being wind producing season, do not take wind producing food.

Autumn Season
This being bile producing season, avoid bile producing food.

There are three types of people in the world, accordingly there are three types of food.

Tamsic
A quality that produces inertia, laziness and infatuation.

Rajsic
A quality of Prakriti that produces passion and motion.

Satvic
The quality that brings purity. In Bhagvat Geeta Bhagwan Krishan has described Satvic food containing the following qualities:-
Food that gives longevity of life, truthfulness, strength, health, happiness, love, juicy, greasy and which forms part of the body.