Answer

In Jain Chaturmas, the exact food rules can vary by sect, guru, and family tradition. But a commonly followed practical list is:

Generally consumable

• Grains and cereals: wheat, rice, bajra, jowar, etc.
• Pulses and beans: moong, chana, toor, masoor, urad
• Milk and dairy: milk, curd, buttermilk, ghee, paneer
• Dry fruits and nuts
• Fruits
• Spices, salt, sugar, jaggery, edible oils
• Vegetables permitted in your tradition, usually non-root vegetables

Generally avoided / non-consumable in strict Chaturmas

• Root vegetables: potato, onion, garlic, carrot, beetroot, radish, ginger, turmeric
• Leafy greens: spinach, fenugreek leaves, coriander leaves, etc. in many traditions
• Sprouts and germinated grains
• Fermented foods in some strict observances
• Honey
• Stale or overnight leftover food
• Food after sunset

Explanation

The main idea of Chaturmas is greater restraint and less harm to living beings during the rainy season.

A simple way to remember it:

• Fresh, simple, and daytime food is usually preferred.
• Root-based, sprouted, stale, and night-time food is usually avoided in stricter practice.

Common time limit followed

• Food after sunset: avoided
• Fresh cooked food: ideally eaten the same day
• Leftover cooked food: often not kept overnight in strict observance
• Water: usually filtered and used carefully within the same day in strict routines

Spiritual Understanding

Chaturmas is a time for:

• reducing violence in food habits,
• increasing discipline,
• improving self-control,
• and deepening spiritual practice.

The purpose is not only to follow a rule, but to live with more awareness, more simplicity, and less harm.

Takeaway

If you want the simplest rule:

• Eat fresh, simple food
• Avoid root vegetables and sprouts
• Do not eat after sunset
• Do not keep cooked food overnight

If you follow a specific Jain tradition, the list may be a little different, so it is best to follow your guru’s or family’s paramparā.