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Diet by Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis
Light and Love
The Sanathana Sai Sanjeevinis is the complex healing system where
the prayers connected with Sanjeevini Healing Cards, vegetarian
diet, lifestyle and Ayurvedic wisdom. Swami has explained and
completed this system, especially the part, what concern to diet,
sathwic food and lifestyle.
Sai Sanjeevinis has paid a significant attention to vegetarian
diet. Without the vegetarian diet and lifestyle this system of
treatment is not productive. Some advices and explanations
concerning vegetarian diet has submitted.
By Sai Sanjeevinis wrong diet and lifestyle are often the cause of
many ailments.
Humans' food habits are guided by sense of taste and instinct.
Habits humans have received in childhood also play an essential
role.
The large role has consumer-society advertisements directly from
media or by different 'studies' about good for health products
full of different artificial additions. Often even the medical
profession serves commercial interests.
There is a lack of awareness about the harmful effects of such
foods - but what is most disturbing and unfortunate is that even
those who are aware continue to serve these indigestible foods.
Humans taste as all other senses are provided by God to be used
for receiving balanced food what is easily ingested and gifted
health and harmony with nature. However, today's general tendency
is that senses are out of control and all balance has been lost.
Humans are as slaves to their five senses and tongue has lost the
discrimination - that instinct - to eat only what is good food for
health and what may firmly dedicate to God. There are no doctors
among wild animals. The instinct tells them what to eat and how to
cure the diseases. Human beings have the same instinct, but it has
hidden under the layer of delusive senses.
When human beings are not in harmony with nature, when they are
violating God's bounty at every step, when the mother Earth, the
animals, the underprivileged, are all crying out at the abuse
heaped on them by humans' for their own selfish ends. In such
conditions instincts slowly die.
"Vegetarian food helps to human beings to return to harmony with
nature and with themselves.
"Sathwic (pure, health promoting) diet does not mean simply the
food we take through our mouth but also means the pure air we
breathe through our nose, the pure vision we see through our eyes,
the pure sounds we hear through our ears and the pure objects we
touch through our feet and hands. All that we take in through the
doors of our five sense organs may be described as diet. Listening
to bad sounds, looking at bad sights, touching bad things do not
constitute sathwic diet."
- BHAGAWAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA - (http://www.saisanjeevini.org/frames.htm)
Reference:
http://www.saisanjeevini.org/frames.htm
Enjoy the site:
http://www.saisanjeevini.org/welcome.htm
The consequent parts are about strange for human body properties
of non-vegetarian food by Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis and own
insights. This theme has properly studied in our teacher's
environmental scholarship, as vegetarian food is a base for
spiritual enlightenment and ecological consciousness. Several
points of view of modern science what reached nearly to the same
standpoints.
Seven parts of mails are the explanations why vegetarian food is
healthy mainly by Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis, but not only. (This
site is very large and includes the healing methods. The
compilation from this site by additional notes seems to be more
clear explanation for the benefit of vegetarian food). The other
parts include Swami's quotations and recommendations about the
quality the food and personal experiences how in conditions of
long cold winters to prefer vegetarian food. The last part would
be about standpoints of modern science concern to vegetarian and
non-vegetarian food.
(By the way, from history is known that many worldwide famous
persons were vegetarian. In italy Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
would often buy caged animals at the market just to set them free.
George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950) turned vegetarian at age 25.
About them in the last part).
Non-vegetarian foods including meat, fish, eggs putrefy within a
few hours and so the putrefaction takes place within human body,
what carrying around decaying corpses and toxins from them.
Eggs too rot as fast as meat and fish. Eggs provide the largest
quantity of cholesterol. Besides, the eggs are full of chemicals.
The hens are kept in the most shocking conditions - never allowed
to roam free in the sun, always sitting in one position to produce
"assembly line" eggs. They are fed hormones (for better produce)
and artificial yellow colour (which is one of the worst offenders
in children's behavioral disorders) to make the eggs look more
appetising.
(Those eggs are "nuggets of concentrated nutrition" is a myth. One
egg contains almost zero iron, 1200 IU of Vitamin A, a large
quantity of Vitamin D and is loaded with Cholesterol. Compare that
to 6000 IU of Vitamin A in a small bunch of drumstick leaves and
10,000 IU in an even smaller bunch of coriander leaves. Both these
are also very rich sources of iron as are all green leafy
vegetables. Vitamin D is available from the sun - it is formed
directly on the skin by the action of the sun).
Countries where meat and other non-vegetarian food is consumed in
large quantities have the highest rates of colon cancer. The
animals are fed all sorts of hormones and drugs to fatten them up
- these are also recycled to humans and result in severe hormonal
disturbances in men and women. Antibiotics are a routine part of
their diet. Ingesting these will make us immune to their action
should we ever need to use them.
Human's stomach has to produce a lot more acid to digest
non-vegetarian foods. They themselves contain of uric acid. It is
one of the causes of suffering from ulcers, arthritis, psoriasis
and other skin problems, etc.
The adrenal glands or stress glands become very active in the
animal during captivity and during the butchering process. The
adrenal so produced is recycled to humans thus causing unnecessary
panic, stress and fears.
Many diseases (ulcer, arthritis, eczema, asthma, psychiatric,
heart, blood pressure, cancer, and kidney cases) can wholly or
partially cured when all non-vegetarian foods have eliminated from
the diet.
If we wish to live long and be strong and hardworking let's learn
from nature. The elephant, the bull, the horse (we measure power
as horsepower) are all vegetarians. The elephant lives 100 years
and more. The lion and all other carnivores on the other hand live
only 15 years. The lion is vicious and violent and works hard only
to kill for food. The rest of the time it spends sleeping (20
hours per day).
It is known that to produce one pound of meat 12 to 20 pounds of
vegetable products as animal feed is needed.
It takes 60 litres of water to grow 1 kilo of wheat, 200 litres to
grow I kilo of green beans, 3000 litres to produce 1 kilo of eggs,
8200 litres to produce 1 kilo of chicken 16400 litres to produce 1
kilo of pork and 50,000 litres to produce 1 kilo of beef (Look:
Higher Taste 'ISCKON' -Published by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. ISBN
0-89213-128-4).
Morally and spiritually, there is only one God. How a human being
can dedicate actions to God when he/she ruthlessly and needlessly
kills and harms His animated Creation.
Reference:
http://www.saisanjeevini.org/frames.htm
By Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis not
only meat, eggs and fish but also refined sugar, sweets,
chocolates (prepared from refined products), bottled drinks,
aerated water and juices with artificial additions are not
welcome.
These products consist in "empty calories" for the body. The
so-called "juices" and "fresh juices" in packets have made from
concentrate and/or pure chemicals - they contain water, sugar,
artificial flavor citric acid, preservative compounds.
Sugar by its properties is near to acid what may damage inner
tissues. The process of refining requires several corroding
chemicals have added to the sugar. The number of diseases, which
are caused/aggravated by sugar, would fill a book.
Sugar unbalances human being and can cause brainstorms. People
suffering from psychiatric disorders, depression, phobias, fears,
paranoia, compulsive behavior and epilepsy must omit refined sugar
and other products containing much sugar from their diet.
Many people like to add sugar to their tea by eating sweets and
chocolates, gulping down colas and other bottled "soft" drinks. An
eight-ounce "soft" drink contains 8 teaspoons of sugar; one square
inch of chocolate can contain up to 20 teaspoons of sugar. Besides
sugar, 'soft drink' (Cola, Pepsi) contains phosphoric acid, which
is corrosive and prevents calcium from being utilized in the body.
It makes mush out of children's teeth and can actually retard
their physical and mental growth. Drinks containing caffeine (all
colas) are addictive and can ruin our kidneys. Several 'light'
drinks contain no sugar but other sweeteners, which are so
dangerous that they require a statutory warning in some countries
(like cigarettes). Soft drinks are dangerous especially for
children.
Not welcome to healthy diet are packaged foods -chips, soups,
sauces, cornflakes. They all contain many artificial additions.
Most additives are well known carcinogens (cancer promoting). MSG
(monosodium glutamate), which is added to most of these foods, is
responsible for nerve impairment, can, and does retard mental
growth of children. It is responsible for hyperactivity, loss of
concentration, headaches and neck pains.
Cornflakes contain 80% sugar and refined flour. The remaining 20%
are chemicals with different c names. "Vitamins added" is another
gimmick in fact these are in a form, which is impossible for our
bodies to assimilate, and end up being treated as toxins by human?s
body, which of course means that one?s liver and kidneys take a
beating.
Nota Bene! Cornflakes and snacks prepared from natural products by
soft technology without chemicals and refined flour, sugar and
artificial trans -fats 'transforms' to healthy diet products.
However, it is easier to produce the junk food than near to
natural dietary products. Especially in India there are many
plants as natural additions for health and taste what is possible
to add to this products.
Such is brief information by Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis about danger
for health caused by junk food, what is popular among
consumer-society includes children. Swami in his Works has
explained the same in more detail years ago.
It is interesting to underline that to the same position has
reached the modern science. The latest science news (Sept 2003 -
May 2004) from different groups of researches warning the parents
that junk food is the source of several diseases of children and
adults.
Click to the site http://www.cspinet.org/ and be convinced of this
truth through scientific discoveries when Vedic's and Swami's
wisdom is not enough clear. News in May 2004 what this site
reflects on governmental level USA, Canada, concern to refined
sugar, flour and not healthy artificial additions in snacks and
soft drinks. 75 % of drinks and 85 % of snacks are unhealthful,
declares CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest).
Another latest research is about dangerous properties trans-fats
what is widely used in cookies, chocolates, trans-fatty margarines,
snacks, and other kinds of fast foods. Nutrition experts call for
ban on hidden food villain.
(Many analyses have made by Elaine Turner at the University of
Florida and by nutrition expert Alice Lichtenstein of Tufts
University in Boston. Yet in 2002, a US expert committee charged
with making nutritional recommendations concluded that there was
no level of trans-fats in the diet that could be deemed safe. In
2003, the Danish government issued regulations slashing the amount
of trans-fats allowed in foods).
Trans-fats are received by special technology - adding hydrogen to
unsaturated oils. The process rearranges the hydrogen atoms around
the double bonds so they are on opposite sides of the carbon chain.
The artificial solid or partially solid trans-fats (margarines)
are formed. Such fats are preferred by industry because they are
versatile and last longer. Human body does not accept trans-fats.
However, they are world widely spread in our food.
Small quantities of trans-fats occur in meats and dairy products,
but most arrive in our stomachs through processed foods.
Nutrition experts say trans-fats are disastrous for humans' health.
Whereas saturated fats raise both 'bad' low-density lipoprotein
cholesterol (LDL) and 'good' high-density lipoproteins (HDL),
trans-fats boost LDL without affecting HDL, increasing the risk of
heart disease.
Nutritional guidelines have long advocated cutting back on the
saturated fatty acids found in meat and dairy products, and
boosting unsaturated fats abundant in nuts, seeds and vegetable
oils. For healthy life, it is important plant oils rather than
even butter.
(Fatty acids are the building blocks of fats, and the different
types are distinguished based on their chemical structure. All are
made up of strings of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached to
them. In saturated fats, each carbon atom is bonded to as many
hydrogen atoms as it can hold.
Unsaturated fats contain fewer hydrogen atoms, and one or more
pairs of carbon atoms are linked by double chemical bonds. A fatty
acid with one double bond is called monounsaturated; those with
more than one are called polyunsaturated).
Additional brief information one can receive from 'Nature. Science
Updates' Article by Helen Pearson "Trans-fats come under fire." 19
May 2004,
http://www.nature.com/nsu/040517/040517-6.htm
Reference:
http://www.saisanjeevini.org/frames.htm
Light and Love
By Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis milk, processed cheese, milk based
sweets are not welcome for healthy diet. Theoretically, it is
understandable, but according to today?s conditions, it is hard to
follow. Today there are many different standpoints by science.
Several of them are controversial. About them in the following
parts.
Let us look at it using our common sense - is there any other
animal in nature that drinks another animal's milk after it has
weaned away from the mother's milk?
The calcium in milk is bound up in casein. Casein and lactose are
broken down in our body by rennin and lactase respectively. Both
these enzymes are all but missing from the human body by the age
of 3 - in many cases even earlier. (There is 300 times more casein
in cow's milk than in human milk). Casein in milk remains
undigested in our body where it sticks to the mucous membrane of
the intestines. The intestines react by secreting more mucous to
wash it off. Soon it begins to degenerate and putrefy due to the
bacteria feeding on it. This putrid matter is then pushed around
in the body - never able to leave and causing more and more mucous
to be produced which the body endeavours to throw out through its
orifices. Ones who suffer from tonsilitis, bronchitis, sinusitis,
ear infections, asthma, discharging eyes, vaginal discharges,
amoebiasis, migraine, colitis try not to drink milk.
The truth is - the more milk we drink, the more we are likely to
suffer from calcium deficiency! The high phosphorus content in
milk upsets the delicate balance which the blood maintains between
phosphorus and calcium. Due to the high phosphorus content, the
blood is forced to draw calcium from healthy bones and teeth - so
drinking milk can actually cause osteoporosis (brittle bones) and
can cause teeth to decay.
The excess calcium so carried by the blood is then deposited in
soft tissues causing tumors, cataracts, kidney and gallstones,
spurs and bony growths, spondylitis, sciatica, thyroid problems,
prostate problems, atherosclerosis (deposits in arteries), etc.
What is the first thing the body does when the milk is ingested?
The body produces acidic enzymes in order to curdle the milk so
that it can stay longer in the stomach for digestion.
In fact, lemon water and tamarind water are both powerful
antacids. (This may sound peculiar when doctors keep telling us
that these two items are acidic). What we view under the
"microscope" in the laboratory is not necessarily, how the inside
of our body views it.
Inside the body both, these remove acid. Take a cue from our
traditional eating patterns - our chutneys, chaats, sambars,
rasams - which are "hot and spicy" - always use tamarind in the
recipes to antidote the ulcer causing chillies.
Another thing that antidotes the chillies are pure desi ghee
(clarified butter). South Indian food -rice is liberally
"garnished" with desi ghee to antidote the chillies in the "hot"
sambars and rasams. People with operable peptic and duodenal
ulcers have been saved from the surgeon's knife by the help of two
things.
A. Giving up non-vegetarian foods, eggs and dairy products except
ghee (cooking everything in ghee - no oil) butter and homemade
yoghurt (curds).
B. Introducing fresh lemon and water into their early morning
regimen on waking (honey may be added but no salt or sugar).
During two weeks, one can have the results. After a month, one
will feel like a new person as organism has purified from toxins
and various unhealthy products.
There may be weight loss. (Many people are aware that at the age
of 40 being overweight is not good - but by views of Vedic wisdom
and modern science the roots of foundation "fat" are in childhood.
Many diseases starts with wrong eating patterns acquired through
childhood conditioning.
What concern to milk then cow gives it to human beings at the cost
of her own babies.
About modern dairy in very brief.
Anyone knows how cows are treated. Over fattened with drugs, cows
as principal herbivores are fed chicken bones in its feed. Cow's
udder is hooked to a machine. She stands long hours parting with
milk in this crude way all the year round. Her milk is produced at
the behest of hormones.
(Hormone oxitocin is used during childbirth in women where the
contractions of the uterus are insufficient. Oxytocin produces
contractions in the uterus).
In India, the same hormone has injected to cows and buffalos twice
a day because this causes the milk to flow faster.
(Oxytocin is a "banned" drug worldwide for animals, but is
available at a throwaway cost in India and almost every milkman
uses it. Besides the fact that this hormone causes several
disorders in humans when they drink this milk, it causes acute
torture to the animal.
Indian milkmen push an iron rod into the uterus of the cow and
crudely shake it about to cause pain, which they believe will make
the milk flow faster. What kind of milk a cow that goes through
this kind of torture, will "gift" us)?
The spiritual consciousness is closely connected with ecological
one. How can a human being to obtain a spiritual/ecological
consciousness when he/she is regularly uses and produces junk
food, by methods hostile to the nature, plants and animals? It is
actual global problem. For human society?s enlightenment, there is
a need to entwine spirituality, science and ecological
consciousness. The basic role here plays Swami's wisdom gifted to
humanity.
"Eating food is a holy ritual, a yajna. It should not be performed
during moments of anxiety or emotional tension. Food has to be
considered as medicine for the illness of hunger and as the
sustenance of life." (Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba;
http://beaskund.helloyou.ws/askbaba/vidyavahini/vidya29.htm).
Natural, pure food, received by friendly to nature technology is
instead of medicine and sustainer of life towards spirituality.
Reference:
http://www.saisanjeevini.org/frames.htm
This part is about refined food
products. In refined products, their natural state of the products
have been changed by removing the nutrients and adding several
chemicals that the product's life would be longer and taste
better.
Among these products is refined oil. Studies have shown that the
chemicals added to the oil during refining may promote cancer.
Such oil is no better than butter and ghee in preventing heart
disease. Unrefined oil is a much better, be it bet mustard oil,
coconut oil, sesame oil, olive oil, etc.
Sea salt and rock salt was provided by nature and that is the way
they must be had. Is there a need to add iodine to salt at any
case? "Commerce scientists" have declared that thyroid problems
are a result of a lack of iodine. In fact, those thyroid diseases
have increased today in spite of the most thyroid patients
answered that they have been using always refined with iodine
salt. Salt is an essential product for human body, but it has to
be under control as senses. Iodine salt one can use as medicine,
but in some cases.
Refined salt has more than natural one a property of water
retention. It causes that tissues to become clogged, capillaries,
arteries, and veins to get choked and leading to high blood
pressure.
High blood pressure patients are given diuretics. However, such
organism has several acid waste products what irritate skin after
taking diuretics. This is the waste products which trying to
excrete itself through the skin. Many such patients also end up
damaging the kidneys.
Wheat and rice are nutritious as widely spread food. When they are
refined all the goodness is removed, but in such state flour and
rice can last longer on the supermarket shelf. Flour with
artificial vitamins and other additions cannot be fully absorbed
by body. Healthy diet product is whole-wheat.
It is quite easy to make bread with whole-wheat flour, without
preservatives, eggs, color, milk. Brown, unpolished rice is
nutritionally sound for them who can digest it.
(Many people today are allergic to wheat and others who convert
every grain of wheat they eat into mucous which causes several
disorders like chronic sinusitis, pus in the ears, bronchitis,
etc).
By Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis there is an advice to remove cooked
tomatoes from food, as they turn acidic. Healthy food is ripe
uncooked tomatoes. (In India, tomatoes have entered into diet some
hundred years ago and replaced tamarind). Tamarind has a unique
quality of binding fluoride and removing it from body thus
preventing fluorosis in populations where concentration of
fluoride in drinking water is high.
By healthy diet customs, by Swami there is no place for alcohol,
drugs, and tobacco products for people who are on the way towards
spirituality.
"Research has revealed that non-vegetarian and alcoholic addicts
are more prone to heart ailments than vegetarians. If the
vegetarian food that is consumed should be balanced and wholesome,
it should contain liberal doses vitamin C and vitamin E, which are
available in vegetables like carrots. The presence of these
vitamins prevents hearts ailments in a large measure.... Birds and
beasts do not suffer from cardiac and digestive ailments to which
man is prone. The cause can be traced to the natural food, which
animals consume, unlike human beings who consume all sorts of
fried and cooked items of food being slaves to the palate. Modern
man consumes many artificial foodstuffs and variety alcoholic
drinks, which are injurious to health... When man observes
moderation in diet he can be saved from most diseases." (Sri
Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. "Sathya Sai Speaks." Vol. 27, Chapter
3).
Reference:
http://www.saisanjeevini.org/frames.htm
In addition to the food unhealthy
qualities caused by humans' not complete, far from nature-friendly
technology and ignorance the natural style of life, Swami stresses
to the important method of purifying the food.
There is a wish to share it as a special part of this serial about
diet.
"Realising that man's attraction for sensual pleasures is due to
the kind of food that he takes, the ancients devised an easy and
sacred method for purifying food before eating. They used to
sprinkle some water on the food and utter the mantra: "Annam
Brahma! Raso Vishnuh! Bhoktaa devo Maheswarah!" (The solid food is
Brahma, the liquids are Vishnu and the enjoier of the meal is
Maheswara). The sprinkling is done with Sathya and Rita (Truth and
the Cosmic order which together sustain the universe). In
performing this rite, the partaker of food is praying to the
trinity to protect him with "Sathya and Rita." ...By this rite the
food was being sanctified. The intellectuals of today, full of
pride in their knowledge and skills, are ignoring the potency of
Sathya and Rita." (Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. "Sathya Sai
Speaks." Vol. 23, Chapter 17).
In the previous parts, mainly the
negative properties of non-vegetarian food and refined food
products with unhealthy chemical additives to them were
considered. It is a general outlook. Each organism has created
little differently from others and has the specific bents for
food. Everyone would pick up such food that is more suitable to
his/her organism. Swami's explanations concern to food precisely
observes distinctions of everyone's needs in food what by Swami is
as medicine.
However, in reality nearly not anybody can completely avoid
refined food products with chemical additives. Today part of
vegetarian products is produced by gene technology. By my opinion
for most people today is no need absolutely to avoid relatively
ecologically clean diary products and unfertilized eggs. It seems
that for someone even little amounts chicken, little quantities of
coffee or tea can serve as medicine and to use them is probably
better than artificial chemical drugs.
There are two similar rules for all peoples on the Earth. It is to
adhere to moderation at partaking of food and to dedicate the food
for God mentally and/or through prayers. (Ancient Estonians
devoted to the forces of nature through their deity Taara, did not
have their meals without prayers of gratitude to the nature, which
gifted them their meals. Thanks, prayers from heart in any form
purify the food through sacred vibrations. Even some modern
researchers start to find this and have reached to the
hypothetical explanations. (About it I try to note in the next
part).
Here is nothing has said about drinks with alcohol and other
drinks with artificial chemical additives. They are not food, but
poisons for human body.
By Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis is healthy to add to the diet
different natural products and additives according to season.
It is useful to add:
1. Water (especially spring water), fresh seasonal fruits, fresh
seasonal vegetables, gur (jaggery), butter, pure ghee, home-made
curds (yoghurt), butter milk.
2. Whole grains (according to season) eg. wheat, jawar, bajra,
barley, parboiled and/or unpolished rice.
3. Lentils, dals, beans, grams. Nuts and seeds - sesame,
sunflower, almonds, walnuts, pistas and coconut.
4. Dry fruits (in winter).
5. Fresh lemon water (without sugar).
6. Tamarind - to lentils (to prevent flourosis and acidity).
7. Sprouted or living foods.
8. Wheatgrass and Rejuvelac.
9. With fried food is recommended to use only unrefined oil.
For children's food is useful to add milk made from sesame seeds,
sweet melon seeds, soya beans, wheat, coconut, almonds, peanuts
combining with dates and honey, flavouring with cardamom
(ilaichi), saffron (natural kesar - not artificial flavour),
kewra, natural vanilla etc. These can be given to newborn children
also (diluted) where mother's milk is not available for some
reason.
The addional explanations concern to protein, calcium, vitamin A,
vitamin B12, iron by Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis:
1. Protein comes from amino acids - everything that grows on the
earth has amino acids. Where does the elephant, the cow, the
horse, the bull get its amino acids? From grains and grasses!
All grains, lentils (daals), all vegetables are rich in proteins.
2. Calcium - nature abounds with it and in readily assimilable
form with phosphorus and magnesium in the correct ratios - in all
green leafy vegetables and nuts especially sesame (til) seeds and
almonds. Even to tiny babies is good to give milk made from sesame
seeds, coconut, wheat, almonds, soya bean, if for some reason
mother's milk is not available.
3. Vitamin A - green leafy vegetables and naturally yellow fruits
- mangoes, papayas, carrots, peaches - are rich in vitamin A. The
drumstick plant - its leaves, flowers and fruit, coriander leaves,
fresh mint - all these are the richest sources of vitamin A.
4. Vitamin B12 - it has explained by science that it comes from
animal sources. It is true ? it comes from animal's residing in
humans' intestinal tract - the friendly bacteria, when antibiotics
have not killed them. If it so, then it is good to take homemade
yoghurt freely (never after sunset) and Rejuvelac. However, health
body knows how to balance itself.
5. Iron - All green leafy vegetables are full of iron as are dry
fruits and most fruits (especially the ones that turn brown if
left exposed after cutting or pealing). That milk, meat, or eggs
are essential to fulfill our iron requirement is a story of
commercial interests. One humble bowl of spinach (palak) contains
as much iron as 60 gallons of milk. In eggs, there is no
sufficient concentration of iron.
Reference:
http://www.saisanjeevini.org/frames.htm This site contains
separate chapters about 'Wheatgrass and Rejuvelac' and "Alternate"
Recipes' not observed in this serial.
The final part of the serial is
about culture of dietary, what in general is in accordance with
explanations by modern science. There is a tiny collection of
Swami's quotations on this theme. As there was sent to
'saibabanews' several mails about experiences and Swami's
explanations and advices concern to the food, I tried not to
repeat them and therefore little changed the construction of
serial.
Eating is a sacred action for everyone. Every human being
from whatsoever nation has to eat in silence with awareness to
be grateful for food to God. Healthy eating is starting by
prayer to God.
Sanatana Sai Sanjeevinis recommend chewing food properly.
Juices, buttermilk etc. must be had very slowly drink and moved
around in our mouth so that they combine well with the saliva
and then swallowed. Solids, on the other hand, must be first be
liquefied by chewing well, and then drunk. A great deal of
digestion, especially of starches, takes place in our mouth.
It is healthy to eat only half a stomach. The remaining
space is for the "cooking" of food with digestive juices.
When one is ill or down - it is healthy either to abstain
totally from eating or eat only fruits (fruits are better than
juices because we chew them) and to drink only lemon and water
with honey added. Food uses up energy for digestion - valuable
energy that we need for recovering and recouping.
The note: What has given in this
chapter is one of the points of views. Please accept it only if
it appeals to your common sense - otherwise reject it. These
recommendations are only a beginning in one's quest for being in
accordance with Nature. Health is in everyone?s own hands.
There are many arguments about
whether human being is herbivore (vegetarian), carnivore
(meat-eater) or omnivore (one who can eat and digest both). In
fact, there is mounting evidence to suggest that a human being
was a fruitivore! It is possible to live only on a combination
of fruits and nuts and never suffer any malnutrition.
Most people eat fruits:
A. after food,
B. combined with milk for dessert,
C. cooked, stewed, or baked.
This is not right.
Fruit must eat on an empty stomach.
Fruit must never combine with milk or grains.
Fruit must eat uncooked.
After being chewed well in the mouth, fruit enters the
stomach for 15 -20 min, 30 min for bananas and then proceeds to
the intestines where it digests itself with its own enzymes. If
it is eaten after a meal it sits on top of the food and ferments
because it does not get a clear passage to go down to the
intestines. Not only is the fruit rendered useless - it can
become a cause of acidity, indigestion, gas, colic, constipation
and other diseases.
For this same reason, it must not be combining with any
other foods. The other foods need to sit in the stomach for
several hours for digestion.
Cooking the fruit destroys its self-digesting enzymes and it
becomes a burden for the body.
In fact acidity, colic, indigestion, constipation can all be
helping substantially by eating fruits at least 1/2 hour before
food. Chronic sufferers of these problems should abstain from
having any cereal, bread, roti or paratha for breakfast - they
must have only fresh fruits.
Fruits are the best bet when there is a severe hunger. They
provide energy very quickly and efficiently without using up
valuable energy reserves of the body. Other foods use massive
amounts of energy in the process of digestion.
1. "It is the best to preserve one's health by good
thoughts and good deeds. It is best to be vigilant about food
habits. Coconut kernel, coconut water, sprouting pulses, cooked
or half cooked vegetables, and greens are good for health." (Sri
Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.15, Chapter 21).
2. "Food habits are of primary importance when health has
to be secured and maintained. When these are not regulated,
health suffers...Among the eight million four hundred thousand
species of living beings, all except humans live on food as
provided by Mother nature.... one should realise that food
materials, as offered by nature, are really more beneficial."
(Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.15, Chapter 54).
3. "The mother must herself prepare food for the home; for
food, that is prepared with love and served with a smile is much
more sustaining and strengthening than food cooked by a hired
woman and served by a disgruntled refractory kitchen boy." (Sri
Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.9, Chapter 13).
4. "The food consumed by man should be proper, pure and
wholesome. But nowadays people eat whatever they get and
wherever they get it, and thereby spoil their health. Food plays
a major role in the preservation of health. Care should be taken
to see that the food consumed does not have much fat content,
for the fats consumed in large quantity are detrimental not only
to one's physical health but also to one's mental health." (Sri
Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.27, Chapter 3).
5. "By regulating your diet and avoiding certain bad
habits, you can preserve health. Moderate food, and food of the
Saathwik type, will promote mental poise and also physical
happiness... Many people consume more than necessary quantity of
rich food and such have to practice moderation." (Sri Bhagawan
Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.1, Chapter 28).
6. "But I hope you learn also about the distinction between
the Saathwik (calmness promoting), the Raajasik (emotion
producing) and the Thamaasik (sloth encouraging) types of food
and of the effect of these on character. The mind is the key to
health and happiness and so, food must be chosen that it does
not affect the mind adversely, along with Saathwik food, the
mind must also be given special diet like Dhyaana, Japa,
Naamasmarana, etc. to keep it sound and steady." (Sri Bhagawan
Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.9, Chapter 13).
7. "The type of food that you consume decides the degree of
concentration you can command; its quality and quantity decide
how much your self-control is lessened or heightened. There are
four pollutions against which man has to be vigilant - of the
body (removable by water), of the mind (removable by
truthfulness), of reason (removable by correct knowledge) and of
the self (removable by yearning for God)...God is the doctor.
Seek Him, rely on Him, you will be free from disease." (Sri
Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS. Vol.14, Chapter 31).
8. "Though men are all equally subject to birth, life and
death, though all are one kind, why they allow the Aanandha
which is the right of each to slip away through hatred and
conflict? Why is the demon prevailing over
the Divine in man? The answer has been deluding man for ages.
Well! Aham (ego) is the cause. The narrow limited self, the
ego, is the root of the evil. Probing the problem a little
deeper, I would say that the nature of the food relished is
primarily responsible. Food is of three qualities
Saathwik, Raajasik, and Thaamasik (leading to purity, passion
and inertia)... Since food alleviates or arouses, prevents or
promotes emotions and passions, it moulds the behaviour, conduct
and attitudes of men." (Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS.
Vol.16, Chapter 19).
By Swami (it is in accordance with modern science) the food
plays significant role for mental and spiritual life of
humanity. Therefore, the science about qualities, properties and
technology of food would be a part of ecological and spiritual
culture. For spiritual development, it is not enough to study
spiritual scriptures, Swami's Works, to meditate, have the faith
to the God: the results are poor when one forgets about Saathwik
diet of food as sustainer the body, adobe of Atma. It seems, one
of the purposes why ecological and social problems are so sharp
and demonic today, is the production of 'technological' food
with artificial additives where pictorially to say, has done all
to kill the natural properties of food. Is it lacking of
spiritual and ecological consciousness?
Seems, it is the the purpose why
Swami in many His works repeatedly pointed to the significance
of humans food habits and culture of dietary.
9. A simple, clear and brief explanation about forms of
food by Swami is in the book: Sri Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba. SSS.
Vol.11, Chapter 8, "Forms of food."
Reference:
http://www.saisanjeevini.org/frames.htm
Sourced from
Sai Baba New forum - Articles by Dr. Reet Priiman:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/2580
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/2584
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/2590
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