( The Recommended Diet by Ayurveda, the Science of Life )
The Scientific Aspect
Vedic Foods means high octane fuels like clean water fruits, vegetables, sea
vegetables, herbs and their teas, whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes and plain
white yogurt without fruit or sweeteners. Foods not okayed by Ayurveda include
low octane fuels - all sugars,excess oils,alcohols, stimulants such as
narcotics, tea and coffee, white breads, candies,carbonated soft drinks and
sweetened fruit juices.
Modern scientific research has found out the presence of "Phytochemicals"
( "phyto" is a Greek term meaning "plant derived") that are
disease preventing ( cancer preventing ) substances in all fruits and
vegetables. Eat a variety of coloured fruits & vegetables to get a full
range of phytochemicals. One should favour the consumption of less animal
protein foods or dairy.
The Solar Ingress into Capricorn and the six months following that Ingress are known as Uttarayana ( The Northern progress of the Sun, Declination North ). This time is known as Adana and we have to eat seasonal fruits like Pomegranate, Water Melon, Orange, Grapes, Tender Coconut and its water, carrot juice etc. The Solar Ingress into Cancer and six months following that are known as Visarga or Dakshinayana ( The Southern progress of the Sun, Declination South ) and we are instructed to eat bittergoud, gherkins, guava etc.
Acid-Alkaline Balance - Key Indicator of Health
Foods either leave an acid ash or an alkaline ash. Maximum health is in an
alkaline body. The average 20th
century diet, stress, pace, lifestyle & environment produce far more acid
than is healthy. The human body is alkaline by design & acidic by function,
which means that your body's health is dependent upon it being alkaline.
The original source of stress is known as a stressor. Most of the stressors in
todays' society ( cigarette smoke, alcohol, stress itself, bad diet,
coffee, sodas, pharmaceuticals) all produce an acid state in the body. All
cancerous states are acid states of long duration.
Research indicates that 90% of our general population is far too acidic, which
leads to a variety of negative health effects. Over time, being acidic is the
main cause of degenerative diseases & aging. If you have an acidic body, you
become energyless, exhausted physically & mentally and you lose the radiance
and shine of skin & hair. Grains ,sugar, dairy, animal or vegetarian
protein & oils yield an acid ash while fruits, sea vegetables, quality
water & herbs yield an alkaline ash You should consume 20% of your food
daily, by weight from the acid ash-forming foods & 80% , from the alkaline
ash-forming foods.
pH ( standing for 'potential of Hydrogen' ) is a measure of the relative acidity
or alkalinity of a solution. The scale of pH ranges from 1 to 14. 14 is totally
alkaline and zero is acidic. The middle of this line is 7, neutral. Quality
water has a Ph of 7 and you should maintain this level.
It is ideal to incorporate 2 glasses of
lime juice along with the 8-12 glasses of water which is taken daily . A diet of
80% alkaline ash foods is ideal. We have to maintain this ratio - 80 %
alkalinity & 20% acidity for optimum health.
The effects of having an alkaline body
1) we are calm & collected
2) we have high energy level
3) our sleep patterns are deep
4) we have less colds and flus than normal
5) the immune system is fortified
6) the body has good absorption/assimilation/digestion.
One of the Ten Commandments of Hygiea ( the Greek
Goddess of Health is that "Thou shalt eat pure, unprocessed, living natural
food". This means we have to eat more natural foods & less processed
foods ( which are more or less acidic ). Truly speaking, processed foods,even
though they taste well, are robbers as they rob us of our natural, vibrant
health. We are, indeed, indebted to Mother Nature for giving us these natural
foods or to the Divine Blueprint who created these powerful, natural foods.
|
|
I) The Ethical Law of Reason
Love in Action is Non-violence & because of this noble passion, ethically
one desists from killing animals. Inflciting pain is Sin.
II) The Consequences of the Law of Karma
The Law of Cause & Effect, of Action & Reaction & the Grand Law of
Causation is known as the Law of Karma.
Divine Merit & Sin have been defined in transcendental literature thus.
Helping others is divine merit.
Inflicting pain is sin.
All actions have reactions, physical & karmic.By involving in inflicting
pain to others ( animals included ), one must in the future, experience an equal
measure of the suffering caused.
III) Medical Reason
Fruits and vegetables are alkaline by nature and by consuming them we keep our
80-20 percent ratio of alkalinity & acidity.
Vegetarian diet is easier to digest, imposes fewer toxins on the body &
provides a wide range of nutrients. Vegetarians are less susceptible to major
diseases ( because they are more alkaline than acidic ) and thus live longer.
They have smaller medical bills, fewer physical complaints & less frequent
visits to the doctor. Their immune system is stronger, bodies purer & skin
more glamorous because of natural foods.
IV) The Spiritual Reason
While the Occidental perspective is to consume food which will bring out
aggression & dynamism, the Oriental perspective is to consume food which
will bring out the latent divinity in man.
Food is the source of the body's chemistry & the subtle essence of food
becomes the mind. What we ingest, affects our Consciousness, emotions and
experiential patterns. One should abstain from meat, fish & eggs if one
wants to live in higher states of Consciousness. By ingesting the grosser
characteristics of animal foods, one introduces in to the mind lust, greed,
anger, jealousy, anxiety, suspicion, fear etc all of which are locked into the
flesh of the butchered animals. For these reasons, vegetarians live in higher
consciousness & non-vegetarians abide in lower states of Consciousness.
V) The Ecological
Reason
As our Mother Earth is suffering, we have to understand that Meat is the cause
of the escalating loss of species, destruction of ancient rain foreststo create
pasture lands for livestock, loss of topsoils and the consequent increase of
water impurities and air pollution. Hence by renouncing meat, we save our Planet
Earth.
Here we give below foods for the tripod of Body, Mind & Self
Food for Self
Ghee ( Indian Clarified Butter ) & Water energized with
Mantra
Food For for Mind
Fruits ( sweet ), Green Vegetables, Coconut, Yogurt, Sugar, Walnuts. Rice (
basmati)
Food For Body
Fruits ( citric ), Vegetables which grow under the earth, Milk, Proteins, Wheat,
Corn, Barley etc
Lentils & Spices
Foods to be generally avoided
Eggs ( Can cause ulcers, Heart & kidney problems )
Coffee ( Can cause BP, Arthritis, Nervousness )
Red Meat ( Can cause Cholesterol related diseases )
Old Chocolate ( Can cause Leukemia )
Pound Cakes ( Stagnation of digestive system)
Refrigerated Food.
May I finish my article with a quotation from the Philosopher-King Parikshith
"The animal killer cannot relish the message of Absolute Truth " !