100 Years Jay · The Food Class
Is Mushroom Coffee Good for You Every Day?
An audience question about mushroom powders in coffee, capsules and milk, and Vaidya Jay's answer: tamasic, medicinal, and a 100-year diet.
By Vaidya Jay · November 2026
Please consult with your practitioner before doing this. This is for educational and demonstration purposes only.
Vaidya Jay, in his own words. The full transcript is at the end of this page.
Quick Answer
Is mushroom coffee good for you every day, according to Ayurveda?
According to Vaidya Jay, mushrooms are tamasic in Ayurveda: a food that makes the mind go down in your day-to-day activity. They have a place when taken for medicinal purposes, but traditionally they were eaten only in certain seasons, so as a daily diet he says to give them a break. On mushroom coffee every day, his test is time: what happens ten years later?
In his words, mushrooms are "something that makes your mind go down in your day-to-day activity".
Key Takeaways
- 🌿 In Ayurveda, mushrooms are tamasic: they make the mind go down.
- 🌿 Mushrooms are in soups at almost every restaurant, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese, so we eat them every day.
- 🌿 Traditionally they were eaten only in certain seasons. Diet-wise, give them a break.
- 🌿 As medicine they have a place. As a daily scoop in coffee, Vaidya Jay asks what happens ten years later.
- 🌿 Ayurveda thinks in a 100-year diet, not a one-day diet.
- 🌿 The goal is a steady energy, like an ocean, rather than a tsunami wave.
The Ayurvedic View
Are mushrooms tamasic?
This answer comes from Vaidya Jay's food class, where he walked through the tastes and qualities of everyday foods. On mushrooms, he started with the word tamasic: a food that does not lift you up. Mushrooms are,
"something that makes your mind go down in your day-to-day activity"
That does not make them forbidden. In his words, there is a place for them. The question is how much, and how often.
How We Eat Them
Why does Ayurveda say to give mushrooms a break?
Vaidya Jay's point is about the way we consume them today:
"if you go to any restaurant, you will see mushrooms in soups"
Thai soups, Vietnamese pho, Japanese shiitake. Then the part we forget:
"But culturally and ethnically speaking, they are only in certain seasons. Because we are in America, we get to eat them every day."
So his rule for the diet is simple:
"they should not be consumed every day until unless they are medicinal and you are taking for medicinal purposes. Diet-wise, you should give them a break."
The Audience Question
What about mushroom coffee and mushroom powders?
An audience member asked about the mushrooms made into powder: put in coffee, taken in capsule form, stirred into milk. As she put it,
"Because that's a lot of mushrooms, it's like a whole scoop of mushroom."
Vaidya Jay did not answer with a nutrient. He answered with time:
"Let's talk about it in 10 years. What happened to these people who took mushroom coffee every day?"
The Long View
What is the 100-year diet?
"In Ayurveda, we talk about 100 years of diet. Not one year diet, two year, one day diet."
A food that makes you feel great today is not the same as a food you can live on for a lifetime:
"Oh, I feel great today. I have so much of energy. No, not sustainable."
Calm, Focus, Chaga
Are functional mushrooms a fad?
The follow-up question named the types: one to calm you, one for sharpening the mind, chaga. So, is it a fad?
"Yeah, it is not a fad. As I said, if you're consuming it for medicinal purposes, it has a place."
The difference is the reason you take them. As medicine, they have a place. As a daily diet for a boost, Vaidya Jay asks what we are really looking for.
What We Chase
Why do we keep chasing energy?
With any of these foods, Vaidya Jay says, the search is the same:
"when it comes to any of these functional foods, we are looking for a state of mind that is more pleasant to us"
And the object of the search keeps changing:
"So, now, today, it is mushrooms. Tomorrow, it is something else."
His answer is the Ayurvedic one. Ask,
"why don't you maintain an energy like a steady ocean rather than a, you know, tsunami wave?"
At a Glance
Mushrooms, as Vaidya Jay sees them.
| Question | Vaidya Jay's view |
|---|---|
| Mushrooms in Ayurveda | Tamasic: they make the mind go down. |
| Traditionally | Eaten only in certain seasons. |
| Every day in America | Diet-wise, give them a break. |
| As medicine | They have a place. |
| Mushroom coffee, daily | Ask what happens ten years later. |
| Calm, focus, chaga | Not a fad as medicine. Not a daily boost. |
| The goal | A steady energy, like an ocean, not a tsunami wave. |
The Food Class · Part 1
Start with the six tastes.
This answer comes from Vaidya Jay's food class. Part 1 is the opening: why we are still hungry after we eat, and the six tastes of Ayurveda.
Vaidya Jay's Notes
Frequently asked questions.
Are mushrooms tamasic in Ayurveda?
Yes. Vaidya Jay describes mushrooms as tamasic: a food that makes your mind go down in your day-to-day activity and does not motivate you much.
Should you eat mushrooms every day?
Vaidya Jay says no, unless they are medicinal and you are taking them for medicinal purposes. Culturally they were eaten only in certain seasons, so diet-wise he says to give them a break.
Is mushroom coffee good for you every day?
Vaidya Jay asks to look at it over time: what happened to the people who took mushroom coffee every day, ten years later? Feeling great for one day is not the same as a diet that is sustainable.
Are functional mushrooms like chaga a fad?
Not a fad, says Vaidya Jay. If you consume them for medicinal purposes, they have a place. Taking them every day as a diet, for a boost, is where he asks you to slow down.
What is the 100-year diet in Ayurveda?
Vaidya Jay says Ayurveda talks about 100 years of diet, not a one-year or one-day diet. The test of a food is how you live with it for a lifetime, not how you feel today.
What does Vaidya Jay suggest instead of chasing energy?
He says we look for whatever gives us energy: today it is mushrooms, tomorrow something else. Ayurveda asks for an energy like a steady ocean rather than a tsunami wave.
Read the transcript: mushrooms ▾
Vaidya Jay and the class, in their own words · lightly edited for clarity
This is a traditional Ayurvedic teaching. It is education, not medical advice.
Tamasic in the sense, something that makes your mind go down in your day-to-day activity. It doesn't motivate you much. You become dull. You have to become dull, correct. Yeah.
So, there is a place for it, but the way we consume, like if you go to any restaurant, you will see mushrooms in soups. Like if you go to a Thai restaurant, there is mushrooms in any soup. Yeah. If you go to, let's say, Vietnamese restaurant, then there is pho in which they put some mushrooms, right? If you go to Japanese, there is shiitake and things like that.
But culturally and ethnically speaking, they are only in certain seasons. Because we are in America, we get to eat them every day. And I am saying that they should not be consumed every day until unless they are medicinal and you are taking for medicinal purposes. Diet-wise, you should give them a break.
So, these mushrooms that they make into powder and you put in your, I don't know, they say you can put it in your coffee or in anything, you know, or they put them in capsule form or you can put them in milk or whatever. What about that? Because that's a lot of mushrooms, it's like a whole scoop of mushroom.
Let's talk about it in 10 years. What happened to these people who took mushroom coffee every day? What happened to them 10 years later? In Ayurveda, we talk about 100 years of diet. Not one year diet, two year, one day diet. Oh, I feel great today. I have so much of energy. No, not sustainable. Okay. Okay.
Because they have all these different types of mushroom. One is to, you know, calm you. Another one is for sharpening the mind. And I don't know. Chaga and all of these things. So, it's a fad.
Yeah, it is not a fad. As I said, if you're consuming it for medicinal purposes, it has a place. If you do it as a diet, thinking that it's going to boost your... See, ultimately, when it comes to any of these functional foods, we are looking for a state of mind that is more pleasant to us. And there is constant energy.
See, we are energy mongers. So, we look for what gives me energy. What gives me energy? So, now, today, it is mushrooms. Tomorrow, it is something else. Right? So, Ayurveda says, you know, why don't you maintain an energy like a steady ocean rather than a, you know, tsunami wave? Yeah. Okay. All right.
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Disclaimer
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult your physician, qualified healthcare practitioner, or licensed healthcare provider regarding your diet and your health, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition, or are taking medications. Individual results may vary.
