Preventive Medicine: Diet

 

#PreventiveMedicine

The principles of life and health are deeply rooted in spirituality. Yesterday I discussed the essence of Dnyaaneshwar’s abhanga Runu zunu  bhramara. 

We talked about establishing a secure source for our happiness and higher meaning in our lives by connecting with the transcendental reality that underlies our physical existence. In that discussion the context of addictions , which in turn is related to mental health was addressed. 

Let us turn to some other aspects that factor into health and see also how spirituality ties into wellbeing.

In this post I will address diet from view of Preventive Medicine.

Diet:

Air, water and food are the basic necessities to sustain life. While Mother Nature has installed an automatic system for each creature to obtain air for survival, there is no such fully automatic mechanism for getting nutrition and hydration. 

Each person has a free will in these matters and must exert it to obtain food and water. Like everything else in life, choice opens the door for innumerable possibilities. 

These possibilities are affected by our outlook, understanding, education, circumstances, resources and preferences.

Outlook:

Are we eating to live or living to eat?

Are we eating for our own sake or is there a higher purpose for eating ?

Do we respect food or take it for granted?

Understanding and education:

Why is food essential? 

What is good food and what is not? 

What are good eating habits and what are not?

Circumstances and Resources:

These two may be connected but not always .A person from a well placed family will have plenty resources to buy good quality and quantity of food and more likely be able to make use of those resources. Yet occasionally despite the resources, his circumstances may prevent him from using them. If his work hours are insane and he is constantly on the go, he may skip meals, or eat hastily or infrequently, not pay attention to the nutritional value. If he has health issues like indigestion or more serious stomach problems despite resources he may be restricted from eating. If he is alcoholic he may have resources but still not get proper nutrition.

On the other hand a poor person may have no money to buy food. Or he may be poor but fortunate to work in a household where food is provided. 

Preferences:

Someone may like spicy foods , others drawn to sweets. 

Someone may stick to their traditional food, others may like to try out new things.

All of the above factors influence the ultimate results of our nutrition.

Let’s now see how and where does spirituality factor in our diet ?

Since childhood we were taught to pray before each meal. I know such practice exists even in other religions and cultures. I will share briefly some of the chants and the thought behind these prayers as it is very relevant to the topic of food.

Vadani kawal gheta naam ghya Shri Hariche

Sahaj havan hote naam gheta phukache

Jeevan kari jeevitwa anna he poorna brahma 

Udar bharan nohe jaanije yadnya karma

Jani bhojani naam vache vadave 

Ati aadare gadya ghoshit jaave

Hari chintane anna sevit jaave 

Tari Shri Hari paavijeto swabhave 

वदनि कवळ घेता नाम घ्या श्रीहरीचे ।सहज हवन होते नाम घेता फुकाचे ।

Chant the holy name of Shri Hari when you begin to eat. It costs nothing yet helps greatly to digest ,absorb, metabolize and assimilate the food.

Per scriptures, God exists in our body in the form of five different vayus( energies) . Prana, Apana, vyana, udana, samana. Of this Samana vayu is the energy that comes into action for digestion. In the verse above the reference is to this action of samana vayu. Invoking the name of Shri Hari calls upon this energy to readily process the food we are consuming. And also bringing the awareness of HIS presence in the form of this energy. Thus not only is food Purna Brahma as stated in the next line, but even the forces needed to burn the food constitute God himself. 

जिवन करि जिवित्वा अन्न हे पूर्णब्रह्म ।उदरभरण नोहे जाणिजे यज्ञकर्म ॥१॥

This food provides a lifeline. And hence it is equivalent to the Supreme Godhead ( Purna Brahma). The purpose of food is not mere filling the stomach or satisfying one’s appetite. It is an act of yadnya, sacrificial offering to God to sustain the body in His service and service of people.

जनीं भोजनी नाम वाचे वदावे ।अती आदरे गद्यघोषे म्हणावे ।

हरीचिंतने अन्न सेवित जावे ।तरी श्रीहरी पाविजेतो स्वभावे ॥२॥

Make it a habit to chant the name of God with great reverence and zest when you consume your meals or interact with people. The repeated remembrance of God with every bite of food will slowly inculcate divine qualities in you. 

The above verses were composed by the saint of the seventeenth century, Samarth Ramdas. 

Shri Krishna Himself in his discourse to Arjun in the Bhagwad Gita shares his thoughts about optimal eating habits when discussing the qualities of a sthithapradnya and again while discussing satva, raja, tama gunas. 

There He says : Offering whatever you eat to ME with a sentiment of yadnya and devotion before consuming avoids incurring sin. In contrast those who cook and eat for themselves cultivate a mental culture of ego centric living. They disregard MY presence and live a life of ignorance and sin. 

One who eats too much or too less cannot make spiritual or physical progress.

Diet that is saatvic ( fresh vegetables, fruit, grains ,milk products )promotes saatvic thinking and behaviors ( compassion, learning, charity etc)

Rajasic diet( spicy, oily) will invite rajasic tendencies ( aggression, grandiosity etc)

Tamasic diet( stale or rotting foods, meats) will lead to tamasic behavior( laziness, ignorance). 

Thus, as you can see, saints and scriptures address the purpose of diet, the importance of quantity and quality of food and the direct and indirect effects of various foods. 

If you look from perspective of science, it doesn’t contradict the spiritual teachings. Fresh fruit and vegetables are considered beneficial as opposed to diet rich in red meats. Fresh food is considered healthier than processed or stale foods. Steamed, sautéed or grilled good is better than fried food.

When you approach diet from the point of Preventive Health it begins with your planning for meals and grocery shopping. 

Your shopping list and grocery basket should avoid cookies, cakes, donuts, ice creams on a regular basis. Avoid canned and processed foods as much as possible. Even desirable foods like grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy must be ideally purchased in small quantities so it is consumed fresh and not wasted. Plan a balanced diet with more protein and fiber, lesser carbohydrates and fats. Include a large portion of salad in at least one meal per day.

Cook and eat in a clean environment. Wash your hands before cooking and before eating. Unhygienic food can lead to diseases like gastroenteritis, stomach ulcers and hepatitis caused from infections. 

Take joy in cooking and cook with love for the people you are cooking for. The quality of food in such a way most certainly is superior and those who eat such food derive happiness.

Regular and excess consumption of oily or fried foods can lead to early development of heart disease.

 Avoid burnt, charred foods. Carbon in such foods can cause cancer.

Cook enough for the family to last for a day or at most two days. 

As much a possible try to sit down and eat slowly rather than eat in a rush. Chew your food well, don’t gulp it down with water at every bite. The digestive process begins in the mouth. Saliva plays an important role in breaking down food ingredients.

Be aware of quantities you take in your plate. Eat till stomach is filled to half and not till food reaches the throat and stomach threatens to burst. One quarter after food must be filled with water and the last quarter left available for air for optimal assimilation. Don’t take into the plate more than what you can eat and what you should eat.

Unlimited calories consumption leads to obesity. Obesity can lead to developing diabetes and heart disease. It can also cause damage to joints from weight bearing. It can lead to low self esteem.

What time you eat is important. Keep a fixed schedule for your meals and the interval between two meals small. Eating dinner earlier is preferable. Late night meals are not good. They lead to more fat production in the body.

To the extent possible eat as a family, together. 

Don’t watch TV, listen to music, talk on the phone or surf the internet when eating your meals. Keep the phone away. 

Don’t eat outside of home or bring outside food at home too frequently. 

Food ethics must extend to social responsibilities. 

Don’t waste food. The world faces inequities of food. Wasting food therefore is in bad taste.

Instil healthy eating culture in the kids from an early age. Teach them to respect food and be grateful for it. Teach them to share food. Also teach both sons and daughters to cook for themselves.

We were raised to treat a guest with respect and extend hospitality with fresh food even if they arrived unannounced occasionally. In my parents’ home even the house staff was instructed to not let a guest go without food if my parents were not home. 

It is better to give food to a beggar than money. It is less likely to be abused. Feeding the hungry is often a better way to celebrate your happy occasions. 

Thus developing a healthy relationship with food is one of the most basic steps in Preventive Medicine. It is good for the body, mind and spirit.

Many illnesses, as I have pointed out, can be prevented by following a healthy diet. 

In the next post we’ll see about other lifestyle choices that play a role in prevention of illness.

Saree for the day was one from my earliest collections of fine ikats from Odisha. This one is in cotton and made by a master artisan from Barpali in Sambalpur district. The deep bottle green color is rich. Combined with the finest of ikat motifs on the body, marked by shankhas ( conch shells) along the multi row rudraksh borders makes it a joy to drape every single time.