The view in Sikh Dharma on vegetarianism is that meat begins decomposing quickly, and when one eats dead flesh it fills the bloodstream with uric acid and other toxins and pollutants. These substances are not conducive to a meditative mind. Meat can also be difficult to digest and often remains in the colon to putrify. Those on the Sikh Dharma path believe that excluding meat from one’s diet can help us to live healthier and with greater vitality.

Meat is a very concentrated form of protein, and takes a long time to digest. The challenge to the digestive process can result in heaviness, energy loss, physical discomfort and a mental state of agitation that is not conducive to meditation. Vegetables tend to be lighter, and much more easily assimilated.

In addition, eating meat is a significant contributor to climate change, and Sikhs strive to be natural leaders of the ecology movement because they see God in all.

~Resource:  Living Reality (1994) by Bibiji Inderjit Kaur Khalsa.

*Note: only vegetarian food is served in Gurdwaras, but the choice on whether or not to eat meat falls to each individual Sikh.