Pranam *The Science of Eating and Good Health*
The scripture known as the *Ayur-veda,* is the oldest known work on biology, hygiene, medicine, and nutrition. This branch of the *Vedas* was revealed thousands of years ago by Sri Bhagavan Danvantari, an incarnation of Krishna. "Old", is not the same as "primitive", however, and some of the instructions of the *Ayur-veda* will remind today's reader of modern nutritional teachings or just plain common sense. Other instructions may seem less familiar, but they will bear themselves out if given the chance. We shouldn't be surprised to see bodily health discussed in spiritual writings. The *Vedas* consider the human body a divine *gift,* a chance for the imprisoned soul to escape from the cycle of birth and death. The importance of healthful living in spiritual life is also mentioned by Lord Krishna in the *Bhagavad-gita* (6.16-17), "There is no possibility of becoming a *yogi,* O Arjuna, if one eats too much or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough. One who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working, and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the *yoga* system." Proper eating has a double importance. Besides its role in bodily health-over-eating, eating in a disturbed or anxious state of mind, or eating unclean foods causes indigestion, "the parent of all diseases"-proper eating can help the aspiring transcendentalist attain mastery over his senses. "Of all the senses, the tongue is the most difficult to control," says the *prasada-sevaya,* a song composed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, one of the spiritual predecessors of Srila Prabhupada, "but Krishna has kindly given us this nice *prasada* to help us control the tongue." Here are a few guidelines for good eating taken from the *Ayur-veda* and other scriptures. 1 The *Bhagavad-gita* (17.8-10) divides foods into three classes: those of the quality of goodness, those of the quality of passion, and those of the quality of ignorance. The most healthful are the foods of goodness. "Foods of the quality of goodness [milk products, grains, fruits, and vegetables] increase the duration of life; purify one's existence; and give strength, health, happiness, and satisfaction. Such foods are sweet, juicy, fatty, and palatable." Foods that are too bitter, sour, salty, pungent, dry or hot, are of the quality of passion and cause distress. But foods of the quality of ignorance, such as meat, fish, and fowl, described as "putrid, decomposed, and unclean," produce only pain, disease, and bad *karma.* In other words, what you eat affects the quality of your life. There is much needless suffering in the world today, because most people have no other criterion for choosing food than price and sensual desire. The purpose of food, however, is not only to increase longevity and bodily strength, but also to purify the mind and consciousness. Therefore the spiritualist offers his food to the Lord before eating. Such offered food clears the way for spiritual progress. There are millions of people in India and around the world who would not consider eating unless their food was offered first to Lord Krishna. 2 As far as possible, take your main meal at the solar midday, when the sun is highest, because that's when your digestive power is strongest. Wait at least three hours after a light meal and five after a heavy meal before eating again. Eating at fixed times without snacking between meals helps make the mind and tongue peaceful. 3 A cheerful mood helps digestion; a spiritual mood, even more. Eat in pleasant surroundings and center the conversation around spiritual topics. According to the *Ksema-kuntuhala,* a Vedic cookbook from the 2nd century A.D., a pleasant atmosphere and a good mood are as important to proper digestion as the quality of the food. 4 Foods should be combined for taste, and for efficient digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Rice and other grains go well with vegetables. Milk products such as cheese, yogurt and buttermilk go well with grains and vegetables, but fresh milk does not go well with vegetables. The typical Vedic lunch of rice, split-lentil soup, vegetables, and *chapatis* is a perfect balanced meal. Avoid combining vegetables with raw fruits. (Fruits are best eaten as a separate meal or with hot milk.) Also avoid mixing acidic fruits with alkaline fruits, or milk with fermented milk products. 5 Srila Rupa Gosvami explains in the *Upadesamrita* a five-hundred year-old classic about devotional service, "One of the ways for devotees to express love is to offer *prasada* and accept *prasada* from one another." A gift from God is too good a thing to keep to oneself, so the scriptures recommend sharing *prasada* with others, be they friends or strangers. In ancient India-and many still follow the practice-householder would open his door at mealtime and call out, *"Prasada! prasada! prasada!* If anyone is hungry, let him come and eat!" After welcoming his guests and offering them all the comforts at his disposal, he would feed them to their full satisfaction before taking his own meal. Even if you can't follow this practice, look for occasions to offer *prasada* to others, and you will appreciate *prasada* more yourself. 6 Vedic culture places great emphasis on cleanliness, both internal and external. For internal cleanliness, we can cleanse the mind and heart of material contamination by chanting Vedic *mantras,* particularly the Hare Krishna *mantra.* External cleanliness includes keeping a high standard of cleanliness when cooking and eating. Naturally this includes the usual good habits of washing the hands before eating, and the hands and mouth after. 7 Vitality and strength depend not on how much we eat, but on how much we are able to digest and absorb into our system. The stomach needs working space, so instead of filling it completely, fill it just halfway, by eating only half as much as you think you can, and leave a fourth of the space for liquids and the other fourth for air. You'll help your digestion and get more pleasure from eating. Moderate eating will also give satisfaction to your mind and harmony to your body. Overeating makes the mind agitated or dull and the body heavy and tired. 8 Visible flames and invisible combustion are two aspects of what we call "fire." Digestion certainly involves combustion. We often speak of "burning up" fat or calories, and the word "calorie" itself refers to the heat released when food is burned. The *Vedas* inform us that our food is digested by a fire called *Jatharagni* (the Fire in the Belly). Therefore, because we often drink with our meals, the effect of liquid on fire becomes an important consideration in the art of eating. Drinking before the meal tempers the appetite and, consequently, the urge to overeat. Drinking moderately while eating helps the stomach do its job, but drinking afterwards dilutes the gastric juices nad reduces the fire of digestion. Wait at least an hour after eating before drinking again, and, if need be, you can drink every hour after that until the next meal. 9 The scriptures tell us that for every bit of food wasted in times of plenty, an equal amount will be lacking in times of need. Put on your plate only as much as you can eat, and save any leftovers for the next meal. (To reheat food it is usually necessary to add liquid and simmer in a covered pan. Stir well and frequently.) If for some reason *prasada* had to be discarded, then feed it to animals, bury it, or put it in a body of water. *Prasada* is sacred and should never be put in the garbage. Whether cooking or eating, be careful about not wasting food. 10 It may seem unusual for a cookbook to recommend fasting, but according to the *Ayur-veda,* fasting strengthens both will power and bodily health. An occasional fast gives the digestive system a rest and refreshes the senses, mind, and consciousness. In most cases, the *Ayur-veda* recommends a water fast. Juice fasting is popular in the West because Western methods encourage long fasts. In *Ayur-vedic* treatment, however, most fasts are short-one to three days. While fasting, one should not drink more water than needed to quench one's thirst. *Jatharagni,* the fire of digestion, being freed from the task of digesting food, is busy incinerating the accumulated wastes in the body, and too much water inhibits the process. The *Brahma-vaivarta* scripture says, "One who observes *Ekadasi* is freed from all kinds of reactions to sinful activities, and thereby advances in pious life." 11 So the system shall be fine and obesity is non system; being amazonic is not obesity; the Russian ladies are jijantic as oput Punjabis and they can run nonstop for 30 minutes. So obesity has several factors where the main fact is munching food all the time. Insulin may not make any one fatter; hunger with or without insulin urges for heavy eating; people who are fat are advised to go to gym; but after the workout they add to their food in hunger; so they do noy drain out anything. Insulin is also one such. Too much kR IRS 30722 On Fri, 29 Jul 2022 at 20:26, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty < [email protected]> wrote: > *QUES ANSW MEDICAL 07-2022-18* > > *Dear friends,* > > *These are information compiled as QA by me in 1998’s-2014’s and stored in > my computer. They are posted by very learnt doctors in kidshealth.org > <http://kidshealth.org> etc. * > > *Many advancements have come in medical field. Hence some information > may have additions or some times changes. * > > *These are for general information, and for any health problem one has > to consult doctor. * > > *BEING COMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS.* > > *Sincerely,* > > *R. Gopalakrishnan, 78, dated 29-07-2022* > > > *Q1 Why is food safety so important?* > *A1 Proper food preparations are necessary to prevent your family from > becoming sick from food-borne illnesses caused by bacteria such as E. coli, > Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria (which can cause symptoms such > as diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and dehydration).* > > *Q2 Is it harmfull to eat fruit with broken skin ?* > *A2 Yes. Fruit with broken skin (bacteria can enter through the opening in > the skin and contaminate the fruit)* > > *Q3 What should be the temperature setting of our refrigerator and what is > the reason to keep it like that?* > > *A3 Our refrigerator should be set for 40° Fahrenheit (5° Celsius), and > your freezer should be set to 0° F (–18° C) or lower. * > > *These chilly temperatures will help keep any bacteria in your foods from > multiplying. * > *If your refrigerator doesn't have a thermostat, it's a good idea to > invest in a thermometer for the fridge and freezer.* > > *Q4 Do childrens are obese now a days? What is the reason? What is BMI?* > > *A4 Today, 10% of 2- to 5-year-olds and more than 15% of children between > the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight. * > > *If you combine the percent of kids who are overweight with the percent of > kids who are at risk of becoming overweight, about one out of three > children are affected.* > > *A child with a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for age > and sex is considered overweight.* > > * BMI uses height and weight measurements to estimate how much body fat a > person has. * > > *To calculate your child's BMI, divide his or her weight by his or her > height squared, or wt/ht2. * > > *(Important: To use this formula for BMI, the child's weight and height > measurements must be in kilograms and meters, respectively.* > > *Underweight: BMI below the 5th percentile* > > *Normal weight: BMI falls between the 5th and the 85th percentiles* > > *At risk for overweight: BMI between the 85th and 95th percentiles * > *Overweight: BMI at or above 95th percentile* > > *Q5 Do BMI is a 100% perfect measure? If not what are the reasons for it?* > > *A5 BMI is not a perfect measure of body fat and there are situations > where BMI may be misleading. * > > *For example, a very muscular person may have a high BMI without being > overweight extra muscle adds to a person's body weight - but not fatness* > > *In addition, BMI may be difficult to interpret during puberty when kids > are experiencing periods of rapid growth. * > *It's important to remember that BMI is usually a good indicator - but is > not a direct measurement - of body fat.* > > *Q6 What are the risks of over weight?* > > *A6 Overweight children are at risk for serious health conditions like > type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol - all once > considered exclusively adult diseases* > > *Overweight children are at risk of developing medical problems that > affect a child's present and future health and have direct impact on > quality of life including:* > > *high blood pressure, high cholesterol and abnormal blood lipid levels, > insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and bone and joint problems* > > *Shortness of breath that makes exercise, sports, or any physical activity > more difficult and may aggravate the symptoms or increase the chances of > developing asthma* > *Tendency to mature earlier (overweight kids may be taller and more > sexually mature than their peers, raising expectations that they should act > as old as they look, not as old as they are; overweight girls may have > irregular menstrual cycles and have fertility problems in adulthood)* > > Q7 What Causes Overweight? > > *A7 There are a number of factors that contribute to becoming overweight, > either alone or together. * > > *Genetic factors, lifestyle habits, or both may be involved.* > > * In some instances, endocrine problems, genetic syndromes, and > ***medications can be associated with excessive weight gain.* > > *Kids who watch more than 4 hours a day are more likely to be overweight > compared with kids who watch 2 hours or less. Not surprisingly, TV in the > bedroom is also linked to increased likelihood of being overweight* > > *And although physical education (PE) in schools can help kids get up and > moving, more and more schools are cutting PE programs altogether or cutting > down on the amount of time spent actually doing fitness-building* > > *Genetics also plays a role - genes help determine your body type and how > your body stores and burns fat just like they help determine other traits. * > > *Because both genes and habits can be passed down from one generation to > the next, multiple members of a family may struggle with weight.* > > *Studies have shown that a child's risk of obesity greatly increases if > one or more parent is overweight or obese.* > > ****My note- My nephrologist has told me use of insulin cause body > weight.* > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Thatha_Patty" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/380831176.3130800.1659106608951%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/380831176.3130800.1659106608951%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZorRDE%3DNCT-rDvkpgfuvCqT-CY7DruzE%2BQ3OSzqUkLAHyQ%40mail.gmail.com.
