What Are Hindu Dietary Restrictions?
Food and drink that the Hindus avoid include meat, eggs, poultry, fish, caffeine, alcohol and very spicy foods, and strict Hindus also do not eat mushrooms, onions, leeks and garlic. Not all Hindus avoid meat, but most of them try to avoid beef. The Hindu faith promotes a number of dietary practices arising from the belief of respecting God’s creation and living in peace with nature.
Hinduism is regarded as the oldest religion in the world and the third-largest religion. According to Hindu beliefs, the food a person eats determines his or her mental and physical state. It is believed that eating pure foods helps people to be clean and natural. Hindus believe that eating intoxicating and animal food may cause a person to develop animal qualities. Killing animals for food is considered a bad practice, and anyone involved in it may face negative consequences.
In Hindu, the name of the cow is “aghnaya,” which refers to “not to be killed.” Cow products including milk, dung, ghee, urine and curd are used during worship. This is one particular reason Hindus avoid eating beef. Pork and beef are the most strictly forbidden to eat, but some Hindus do eat meat from other animals.
