Modern, to english/german translated literature about yoga tells that sattva is a state and term of and for pureness. In the section of food this might be fresh, in a good environment grown food which is cooked by a loving minded person, eaten in a calm and secure place. Food that causes the body almost no effort to clean itself and which also does not disturb the mind after eating.
Sattvic food should keep the body light, supple and well and never cause sickness or pain.
Most people in modern world will never think about those facts and do eat as their senses please. Which is now common and learned since childhood and through advertising.
To eat sattvic is very, very strenuous (for me, since I have a lot of allergies and intolerances). In yogic literature they say sattva in terms of food is milk, ghee, some fruits, some vegetables, grains, small legumes and water. I’ve tried – it helped for a while but still wasn’t working that good for me!
Maybe it’s the cold environment where I live, the ever changing seasons, the bodily constitution the genetic defects, or the self-abuse of my body in my youth through alcohol, diets and such. Maybe it’s the whole package of what is/was. And also an awareness of what I would try to avoid in sight of future…