Can we consume carrots? What about other foods? Why do many devotees disagree even on this?

Different devotees may have different opinions about what foods should be consumed or not. They may also have different preferences. Do we need to fight over it?

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Different devotees may have different opinions about what foods should be consumed or not. They may also have different preferences. Do we need to fight over it? What are the restrictions prescribed by our previous acaryas? What is authorized, what is restricted, and what is in the gray line?

There are certain foods that, although vegetarian, should be avoided in a Vaiṣnava diet, such as garlic, onions, coffee, and so on. These dietary restrictions are not just arbitrary restrictions but are based on the effects these foods have on our consciousness. Coffee is a stimulant, just like tea (the types that have caffeine in them), which negatively affects our consciousness, increasing the influence of the modes of passion and ignorance. The result is an increase in the direction of material activities instead of pure Krsna consciousness. It also brings other effects, like restlessness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and so on, which also don’t help. Because of all of this, we avoid it. Garlic and onion also have similar effects, and because of that, they are also avoided. Although vegetables, they are also considered mild intoxicants. Because they are ultimately detrimental to our consciousness, Krsna also doesn’t accept, and that’s another reason for avoiding them. Garlic, however, may be accepted as medicine if needed, just like many other substances that we don’t normally use may be used when they are useful to cure some disease.

According to one’s position and priorities in life, certain foods may also be preferred over others. For example, one who is trying to pacify his mind and focus on spiritual practice is advised to avoid rich foods, eating instead simple food like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and milk. Prabhupada even said that “Masur dhal and urad dhal are considered non-vegetarian” in one of his purports, because of their high content of protein. This doesn’t mean they can’t at all be consumed by devotees, but just that the high content of protein is not very favorable for someone trying to fix himself in the mode of goodness. They may, however, be consumed by other devotees who are in family life and don’t have such a priority, needing energy to work and raise their children.

There is also a difference between first-class food, which is offered to the deities, and food that may be consumed when there are no better options. There are many rules in terms of ingredients that may or may not be used while cooking for deities due to different factors, but these rules are relaxed when one is just cooking for one’s family. We generally don’t offer grains such as corn and soya to deities, for example, as well as frozen vegetables, and a long list of other ingredients, because they are not considered first class, but this doesn’t mean we have to starve when these are the only options available.

There are also foods that are avoided due to not being completely pure. In this case, consuming it or not will be determined by how strictly one desires to be and what are his options are. Industrialized foods in general are not considered first-class, but one may still use certain products if there are no better options. Even parboiled rice may be avoided by some because it is pre-cooked as part of the processing.

There are also other classes of foods that don’t have such negative properties but are avoided by different groups of Vaiṣnavas due to cultural characteristics. For example, many Vaiṣnavas in India avoid eating potatoes, tomatoes, as well as a number of other vegetables and fruits, not because they result in some intoxicant effect, but simply out of tradition, since these are ingredients that were brought by the Europeans. They are not used in the Jagannātha temple in Puri, for example. Things, however, can become quickly contradictory: some Indians will refuse tomatoes and other “imported” vegetables, but eagerly accept chili, for example, which was also introduced just a few centuries ago.

Finally, there is the polemic around carrots. There is a story mentioned in the Puranas about a Brahmana who sacrificed a cow as part of a gomedha-yajna. However, before he could rejuvenate her at the fire, his wife, being hungry, cut a piece of the flesh and cooked it without his knowledge. However, before eating it, she had a change of heart and decided to just throw the pieces of meat away. Later, when the Brahmana resurrected the cow, the pieces of meat she had thrown away also came back to life. A piece that fell into the water became fish, and the parts that fell into the earth became different types of vegetables. Many Vaiṣnavas relate carrots to such vegetables that appeared from this pastime and thus avoid them, but Prabhupada didn’t consider it important (or maybe he didn’t agree with this interpretation) since he didn’t establish such restrictions in our society. According to disciples who were with him, he was himself consuming carrots.

In the end, stories in the Puranas can be interpreted in different ways, and one can understand their real meaning only by the instructions of a pure devotee. However, if one doesn’t want to consume carrots, one may also do so, since there is also no injunction that makes it an obligatory part of Vaiṣnava practices. The point is just that one should be able to respect the sensibilities of others and not try to impose his views.

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