These are excerpts taken from a discourse given by Baba at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning in July 1996 ( the excerpts are taken from the book Sai Prescriptions, published by the Sri Sathya Sai Health and Education Trust, Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital Hospital in Whitefield, Bangalore).
Food for Healthy Body and Mind
"Right food must essentially contain Sathwic food. It means that the food must not contain mutton, fish, onions and the like. In your hostel, there is of course no mutton and fish! But, onions are used extensively. This is because it does not get spoilt. It also has its advantages. It improves your digestion power.
There is a popular saying in Telugu, "the good done by the onion (ulli) is not done by your own mother (thalli)!'' You must also take care to avoid excess of spice, chilli and salt. May people think that Sathwic food means fruits and milk. These can also be thamasic! For example, eating two bananas is correct. If you eat four bananas, it becomes thamasic. Do not take a cup of thick milk. Comparatively, it is hence said " One cup of wine is better than a cup of milk."Thick milk contains plenty of fat and calcium. It is also liberally laced with glucose. When the blood is saturated with too much of glucose, it turns the residual glucose into acid. The result is that you develop boils. This acid and the blood combines to form stones in the gall bladder. 
Ensure that you take at least seven to eight cups of water daily. Water cleanses your internals. This also ensures that stones do not form inside your kidneys because water goes to the kidneys and constantly keeps it flushed.Eat rice and vegetables well. Green leafy vegetables are the best of the lot. This is because under the skin lies a very light secondary layer, It is this layer that protects the skin. Green leaves strengthen this layer, apart from having other benefits. It is very good for heart patients too because green vegetables are totally free of oils. Vegetables contribute to some extent to the cholesterol. What must you do when you have excess cholesterol? Cholesterol is essential to some extent. The limit prescribed is about 10%. But if it crosses 20% or 30% your nerves and veins will harden like rusted pipes. This consequently thickens the blood making the heart pump less and less blood. The heart pumps the blood and sends it to the lungs which purifies the blood and distributes it to the entire body. When the heart pumps less, more and more cholesterol accumulates there, which is dangerous for the heart. Hence it is advisable to take a white onion daily.
Garlic pills can also be taken daily, a daily intake of one pill after lunch will get rid of the cholesterol problem. Green leafy vegetables and drumsticks are very healthy for the body. Drumsticks are good for the brain. Do not take too much of potatoes. Potatoes contain 80 % starch that will only make you slightly fat, but also give you very little in terms of health.Tomatoes are also good. The seeds of the tomatoes may be removed and a curry made of the tomato. This is because the seeds of the tomato do not get digested easily. They remain in the digestive canal and gradually become stones, when they combine with glucose. These stones go down to the stomach and remain a mass, giving frequent trouble.
We must also ensure that eating must always be in a limited quantity. You must be able to get up from your plate with the same ease and lightness with which you sat down to eat. This is the correct limit. You come quite easily to eat. But when you get up you need a support ! Many people develop a paunch like that.
Proportion is very important as it confers health to the body. Never take meat, cigarettes, or other intoxicants and drugs. Habitual cigarette smokers develop cancer. You can perform this test on smokers. Take a white cloth and put it across the mouth after the person has smoked. You will see bright red dots on the cloth. When the external cloth has itself been so noticeably spoilt, you can well imagine how much destruction it is causing to the veins and lungs. The two fingers that hold the cigarette will develop a yellow colouration. White spots develop on the lips. The skin around the lips turn dark. You must avoid taking curds. It is better to take the two cups of buttermilk. Curds have too much of protein."
