Today's culture has seen an influx of vegan and vegetarian diets. These diets are very popular for obvious reasons, people would like to be healthier. We are starting to realize that vegan or vegetarian diets DO not mean "healthy" and requires the consideration of the vegetables that are being eaten as well as the quality. Another important factor to keep in mind is "how your body responds to these foods". EATING sentient foods is A philosophy introduced by yogis and in the west can be considered the diet of the spiritual individual.
Sentient foods are foods that are CREATED THROUGH NATURE’S PROCESS, AND THAT AID in the production of vital energy IN THE HUMAN BODY. Sentient foods are foods that primarily Affect the mind and spirit as well as the body. Serious meditators, yogis and those individuals involved in spiritual practices benefit from a sentient diet. A sentient diet is also called a sattvic diet WHICH is one of the three classifications of a yogic diet. The other two classifications are static and mutative.
The natural force that creates motion and change in the universe is predominant in some foods. Mutative foods are beneficial to the body and may or may not be beneficial to the mind. These foods are stimulants, and some examples are:
Taken in moderate amounts, mutative foods are not harmful to spiritual progress.
There is a static force that creates inertia in the universe. This force solidifies and binds consciousness. A static quality characterizes some foods, and when eaten, they make the mind dull and drowsy. These foods are detrimental to mental concentration and meditation. They also stimulate the lower chakras (psycho-physical controlling points) of the body and the mental properties controlled by these centres, making it more difficult for the aspirant to maintain mental purity.
In conclusion, it isn't to say mutative or static foods are unhealthy or bad for you. Depending on where you are in your diet, these foods can be better than most other foods such as processed foods. In this same way foods that are more sentient can be conflicting with someone who hasn't been eating fruits and vegetables and has consumed predominantly fast foods and refined sugars. What's important is being present, listening to our bodies and paying attention to the signs and warnings.
(Source: Dada Vedaprajinananda, http://simplysentient.org/philosophy/)