In plain words
The food dear to each person is also threefold; so too are yajña, tapas, and giving. Hear the distinctions among them.
Word for word
Food too, now, dear to everyone, is threefold; [so are] yajña, tapas, likewise dāna: hear this division of them.
आहारस्त्वपि सर्वस्य त्रिविधो भवति प्रियःयज्ञस्तपस्तथा दानं तेषां भेदमिमं शृणु
Other commentaries
The commentators
▸Bhagavadgītābhāṣyam
आहाराणां च रस्यस्निग्धादिवर्गत्रयरूपेण भिन्नानां यथाक्रमं सात्त्विकराजसतामसपुरुषप्रियत्वदर्शनम् इह क्रियते रस्यस्निग्धादिषु आहारविशेषेषु आत्मनः प्रीत्यतिरेकेण लिङ्गेन सात्त्विकत्वं राजसत्वं तामसत्वं च बुद्ध्वा रजस्तमोलिङ्गानाम् आहाराणां परिवर्जनार्थं सत्त्वलिङ्गानां च उपादानार्थम् । तथा यज्ञादीनामपि सत्त्वादिगुणभेदेन त्रिविधत्वप्रतिपादनम् इह ‘राजसतामसान् बुद्ध्वा कथं नु नाम परित्यजेत् , सात्त्विकानेव अनुतिष्ठेत्’ इत्येवमर्थम् । आह —
आहारस्त्वपि सर्वस्य भोक्तुः प्राणिनः त्रिविधो भवति प्रियः इष्टः, तथा यज्ञः, तथा तपः, तथा दानम् । तेषाम् आहारादीनां भेदम् इमं वक्ष्यमाणं शृणु ॥ ७ ॥
In plain words
And here, in order, a picture is being drawn of what sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic people each actually enjoy eating, sorted by the threefold family of tastes -- rich, oily, and so on. Among particular foods of that kind, the very intensity of your own liking becomes the telltale sign: once you understand, through that sign, whether you are sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic, you can avoid the foods marked by rajas and tamas, and take up the ones marked by sattva instead. The same goes for sacrifice and the rest -- they too are shown here in three kinds, sorted by these same three qualities, and for exactly the same reason: 'once you understand something as rajasic or tamasic, how could you not give it up, and hold instead to what is sattvic?' That is the whole point. And so it is said --
Food too comes in three kinds — the food that every eating creature holds dear, and dear here means desired. So does sacrifice. So does austerity. So does giving. Listen to this distinction among them, among food and the rest, which is about to be spoken.
Close to the Sanskrit
And here a demonstration is being made, in due order, of the being-liked by sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic persons respectively, according to the threefold class-division into tasty, oily, etc. -- [these foods] being differentiated -- among specific foods of the tasty-oily etc. kind, by the sign of the excess of one's own liking, having understood the state of being sattvic, rajasic, [and] tamasic, for the purpose of avoiding foods marked by rajas and tamas, and for the purpose of adopting [foods] marked by sattva. Likewise, [there is] the demonstration of the threefold nature of sacrifices etc. too, by the distinction of the sattva-etc. qualities, here -- for this very purpose: 'having understood [things as] rajasic or tamasic, how indeed should one abandon them, and pursue only the sattvic ones.' [Krsna] speaks --
But food too, of every eating living being, becomes threefold — dear, that is, desired; likewise sacrifice, likewise austerity, likewise giving. Hear this distinction of those, of food and the rest, which is about to be stated.