Within the broad stream of Shaktism, there is no single, universal dietary rule binding on all devotees; rather, dietary practice is shaped by lineage, regional culture, and the particular form of the Goddess being honored. Many Shakta communities, especially those aligned with more orthodox or temple-centered practice, uphold a vegetarian diet as an expression of purity and non-violence, and they typically avoid alcohol and other intoxicants. During periods of intensified worship—such as major festivals or personal vows—devotees often adopt even stricter disciplines, including fasting or simplifying the diet to more sattvic foods. It is also common in many circles to refrain from onions, garlic, and other foods considered tamasic on ritual days or during special observances.

Alongside these mainstream patterns, Shaktism also preserves Tantric currents in which the relationship to food and drink is framed in a markedly different ritual logic. Certain Tantric lineages, especially those associated with left-hand (vāmācāra or Vama Marga) practice, may employ the pañcamakāra—the “five Ms,” including meat, fish, and wine—as sacramental substances in carefully regulated rites. In such contexts, meat and alcohol are not understood as license for indulgence but as powerful ritual elements, generally restricted to initiated practitioners and specific ceremonial settings. Even in regions where animal sacrifice or non-vegetarian offerings to forms such as Kālī or Tārā are maintained, many individual devotees may still choose to remain personally vegetarian and abstinent from alcohol.

Regional and cultural variations further diversify these patterns. In some Bengali Shakta milieus, for example, fish is widely accepted, whereas many South Indian Shakta communities tend toward strict vegetarianism. Tribal and folk expressions of Goddess worship can also exhibit distinct dietary norms, reflecting local understandings of the Divine Mother and her relationship to the natural world. Across these diverse settings, days especially associated with the Goddess—such as Tuesdays, Fridays, or the nine nights of Navarātri—often become occasions for temporary dietary restrictions, fasting, or heightened simplicity in food.

Taken together, these strands suggest that Shakta dietary discipline is less about a single code and more about aligning one’s way of eating with the chosen form of the Goddess, the guidance of a particular tradition, and the inner aspiration for purity or transformative ritual experience. For some, this alignment finds expression in lifelong vegetarianism and complete abstention from intoxicants; for others, it may involve participation in esoteric rites where substances ordinarily avoided are ritually sanctified. The common thread is that food is never merely fuel: it becomes an offering, a medium of relationship with Śakti, and a concrete way of embodying devotion in daily life.