Health has become a very complex matter. There are as many opinions as there are health authorities. Billions of dollars are spent to distort the simple truths, and public and not-for-profit health organizations are sponsored money by the very companies destroying public health to recommend the products they sell. Trillions of dollars are made at the expense of innocent people’s well being.
I’ve lately been watching documentaries on lifestyle and diet. I watched “What the Health” co-directed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn, “Food Choices” directed by Michal Siewierski, “Supersize Me” directed by Morgan Spurlock. My fascination with food habits goes back a long time. I’ve been studying food habits and their effects on growth and development for almost 10 years.
These documentaries eschew consuming animal products viz. meat, dairy products, etc. They link the causes of cancer, heart diseases directly to the consumption of animal products. They also show how these industries are disturbing the nature and ecology. It was very shocking and extremely depressing to watch these documentaries as they unravel the conspiracies of the very organizations which are supposed to focus on public welfare.
Now, I’m a vegetarian by birth and now by choice. I don’t take flesh for aesthetic and spiritual reasons. But, I know that animal flesh is the worst food you could possibly eat. It’s second-hand food. It’s denatured, highly processed, decayed, puss-filled, and what not. Meat combines the worst with all the other kinds of foods. I won’t combine with starch, proteins, sugars, fats, fruits, nuts. But again, I’m a vegetarian and you may not believe me. I highly recommend giving the above documentaries a watch.
Now, let’s put that debate aside and focus on vegetarianism. I’ve lived my entire life as vegetarian and can speak from experience. If the obesity is unequivocally linked with meat consumption, why are more and more vegetarians obese? I’m from India and I’m surrounded by almost all vegetarians. Brahmins were (and still are?) considered the cream of the society and Indian intelligentia. They are ardent vegetarians and abstain from even onions and garlic. They are very picky. They practise great austerity and great deliberation in food choices. But, they too are getting increasingly obese. This may not be true of entire Brahmin population but it is true of people I’ve come in contact with and they are quite a few. I take them as examples just to drive home the point that you can be staunch vegetarians and eat fruits and vegetables and can still have all the symptoms of meat-based diet.
The so-called vegetarian diet consists of a great deal of dairy products like milk, curd, butter, ghee, grains, cereals, spices, sugar, coffee, tea, and things like that. Fruits are consumed but they are almost always combined with other foods. Raw vegetables are vehemently avoided. Oil processed foods have taken the monopoly of the tongue. Vegetarians tend to overeat, they don’t have a time or place for eating. There was once a time when we used to view food as God, but now we don’t even give it a glance and put it down the throat as fast as possible as there are other foods in sight. (Of course, there are exceptions. A great number of people DO eat right.)
So, which diet is the best? Aren’t fruits and vegetables praised as cure for all modern maladies? It can’t be answered without first understanding the role of foods and their principles of combination. There are dietary laws as there are laws in physics and chemistry. If we follow them, then even meat-based diet could lead to better health than a haphazard vegetarian diet.
There are some very basic things which have to accompany our diet whatever it may be. Man doesn’t live by food alone. They are:
1. Eat less. Less we eat, less the damage to the body, more we live.
2. Exercise daily. We need to move, breathe to stimulate our lymph system. We need fresh air and sunshine.
3. Eat simple foods. Simpler the food, better the digestion.
4. Follow the principles of food consumption which acknowledges the limitations of our digestive system.
5. Fruits and raw vegetables should dominate our diet. Fruits should be had on empty stomach.
6. Less and less animal products including dairy.
7. More unprocessed, wholesome foods, healthier we are.
8. A positive, interesting lifestyle surrounding all things. Make life sacred. The rest will care of itself.
Well, I’ve barely scratched the surface of human health. Health is not cheap and requires a willingness to understand the nature of the body and foods. Thank you and comments are always appreciated.
References:
Fit for Life series by Harvey
Mucusless Diet Healing System by Arnold Ehret
Rational Fasting by Arnold Ehret
The Hygienic System by Herbert M. Shelton
Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices by Dr. Norman W. Walker
P.S. My previous blog might interest you: https://medium.com/@shiva_yb/working-in-it-companies-in-india-and-abroad-paying-the-price-4063a8e09e0f
