Quick viewing(Text Mode)

Diet for Health and Higher Consciousness a Yogi’S Guide to Healthy Food for a Healthy Planet

Diet for Health and Higher Consciousness a Yogi’S Guide to Healthy Food for a Healthy Planet

Diet for and Higher A Yogi’s Guide to Healthy for a Healthy Planet

Dada Shiilabhadrananda

Ananda Marga Publications Anandanagar,

2

Copyright © 2009 Publications

All reserved by the publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-9966-05-201-1

Cover: Viveka Wu

Published for PCAP (Prevention of Cruelty to and Plants), a branch of the global socio-spiritual organization Ananda Marga.

Registered Office:

Anandanagar PO Baglata Dist. Purulia, W. B. India

www.anandamarga.org

3

To P.R. Sarkar, whose and teachings are the inspiration for this book and the inspiration of my life.

4 Acknowledgement

I would like to extend my sincerest thanks and appreciation to the numerous people who have assisted my effort to publish this book. Their help has been in the form of editing, background material, proof reading, financial support or suggestions on style and content. They include:

Amrta Kuru, Chindy Tan, Edwin Low, Didi Ananda Anuradha, Didi Ananda Rucira, Dada Aksarananda, Dada Dharmavedananda, Dada Diiptimayananda, Dada Gunamuktananda, Dada Jyotirupananda, Dada Maheshvarananda, Dada Mantrajapananda, Dada Nabhaniilananda, Dada Ravishekharananda, Dada Satyashubhananda, Dada Shambhushivananda, Dada Vedaprajinananda, Dada Viitaragananda, Daniel Acosta, GBTC Trainees of Davao, Isaac Vitesnik, Jitendra Singh MD, John Gannage MD, Kalyani Chew, Kamala Alister, Kan Ritkajon, KL Leong, Krisada Kampanatsanyakorn, Mark Gannage, Michael Hickey, Miklos Platthy, Oliver Shayuli, Omar Arabia MD, Richard Maxwell MD, Robert Shapata, Sauli Siekkinen MD, Steve Landau MD, Susan Crowther, Tang Tamminga, Vicky Flores, Vivek Wu and Zsolt Platthy.

5 Table of Contents

Introduction

Section I: Healthy People

1. The Goal of 2. The Forces of Nature 3. Uplifting the Mind through Sattvic (Sentient) Food Rajasic (Mutative) Food Tamasic (Static) Food Certain Qualifications on Food Categories Sentient Diet and Conventional The Mental and Spiritual Effect of Food 4. The Different Kinds of Vegetarians Vegetarianism Goes Mainstream Reasons Why People Go Vegetarian 5. What’s Wrong with , and ? The Medicinal Effects of Onions and Garlic The Heating Effect of Onions and Garlic Garlic as a The Negative Qualities of Mushrooms Vegetarian and Pure Vegetarian 6. Alkaline and Acidic Food The Process of Digestion Some Examples of Very Alkaline Some Examples of Very Acidic Foods 7. The Culture of ( Eating Habits) Selection of Food 8. The Health Advantages of a Vegetarian Diet Heart New Medical Approaches to Reversing Heart Disease Dietary Components That Promote Cancer Dietary Components That Protect Against Cancer The Industry The Role of Sweetened Beverages : “White Poison” The (GI) Summary 9. The Health Benefits of Sattvic Food

6 Fiber Sterols Processed Foods and Whole Grains and Positive Hydration Effect Alkaline Ash Vegetables and Nutrient Density Free Radicals and Anti-Oxidants Key Vitamins in Vegetables and Fruits A Folate Key Minerals : , , and Soy Foods Nuts and 10. The Dangers of Sodium Obesity Rates and Fast Food Consumption “” Film The McLibel Case 11. The Question Osteoporosis Absorption Rates Intolerance Summary 12. Not All Are Bad Saturated Trans-Fatty Acids Monounsaturated Fats Polyunsaturated Fats Cold-Pressed Oils High Fat and Healthful Six Simple Steps for Controlling Fat What’s Better: or ? 13. FAQ About the Sattvic Vegetarian Diet 14. Yoga’s Healthy a. Selfless Service b. Daily Bath c. Asanas Asanas and Hormonal Secretions

7 d. The Results of Scientific Studies on Meditation and Yoga e. 15. Chlorophyll and Lymph Sources of Lymph in Food The Role of Chlorophyll in Photosynthesis Do Eating Vegetables Make You Smarter? Summary 16. Why Raw Foods are Good for You The Life Force in Food 17. Fasting for Health Examples of Long Fasts Fasting and Detox Benefits of Fasting Noted by Physicians Different Types of Fasting The One-Day Fast Fasting and the Moon How to Break the Fast Who Can Fast Fasting and the Production of Lymph AM Wellness Center My First Fasting Experience 18. The The Seventh Day Adventist Pyramid How Much is a Serving? Inconsistency Between Word and Deed 19. The Secrets of Long Life The Longest-Living Communities

Section II: Healthy Planet

20. and Healthy Soils The Shift From Family Farms to Industrialized Agriculture Crop Yields of Organic and Conventional Farming Useful Components of the Organic Method A Comparison of the Content of Organic Foods and Conventional Foods Family Farms Making a Comeback Summary 21. The of Factory Farming The Poisons in Farms Cows The Veal Industry Pigs Eating Their Own Kind Aren’t There Laws That Protect Farm Animals?

8 Inspection Methods Don’t Ensure Public Safety The Exploitation of Workers 22. : The of Non-Injury 23. The ’s Fine Art of Deception The Power of Advertising Some of the Food Industry’s Clever Tactics Making Money at Any Cost 24. The Environmental Fallout from Meat Consumption Water Pollution Water Land Resources Rainforest Depletion and the Loss of Expenditure The Depletion of Our Fish Resources Aquaculture President Obama’s Position Summary 25. Meat Consumption and Global 26. Neohumanism and a New for Humanity An Inner-to-Outer Approach Vegetarianism and Neohumanism PCAP 27. Conclusion

Appendix Table 1: Percentage of from , Fats and Table 2: , and in Foods Table 3: Nutrient Density of Selected Foods Table 4: Fiber in Selected Foods Table 5: Trans-Fatty Acid Content of Certain Foods Table 6: The Vegetarian Food Guide: A Guide to Daily Food Choices Table 7: Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamins and Minerals Table 8: The BMI Chart

Notes

Bibliography

9 Introduction

We are in the midst of a revolutionary change in human consciousness. More than ever before, we are questioning old values, doubting the way we have always done things, trying to make sense of a world which seems to lurch from one crisis to another: oil, food, stock markets, economy, water.

The remarkable changes that have globalized society in the last 20 years are pushing us towards adopting a new paradigm of living. Whether it is the field of , social , the Green movement, revelations in science or the spiritual renaissance we are in the midst of sweeping changes not seen since the dawn of civilization. Hence the explosion of interest in alternative healing practices, eco-friendly homes and workplaces, strengthening of local economies, vegetarianism, and a host of other new trends that are reconfiguring the way we think and live.

This book is about the changing landscape in the field of eating and food. I do not hope to answer all of the bigger questions in this small publication. But like a hologram in which a miniscule portion contains within it the entire entity, I hope that some of the ideas and choices, put forward in this book will synchronise nicely with other areas of your life which you are questioning and looking for new answers.

We will look at the vegetarian diet from the perspective of holistic health, , welfare, and the environment—four topics which dominate discussions with family and friends all over the world.

We will see why a plant-based diet has been the preferred diet of mystics and great thinkers since the dawn of time. Buddha, Einstein, Franklin, , Krsna, Pythagoras (some even argue, ) --world figures whose changed the course of history. Scientific evidence mounts that a plant-based diet is the best way to overcome the scourges of modern day living with near epidemic rates of heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes. These indicators affect practically all developed countries in spite of remarkable in medical science.

With the worries of and global warming constantly rearing their heads in the form of level five hurricanes, melting of polar ice caps and mountain glaciers, gyrating weather patterns and loss of biodiversity we will look at how an animal-based diet is considered by experts to be one of the leading causes in our current environmental crises.

As human beings constantly evolve to higher levels of consciousness and intelligence, we will see how the manner in which meat is produced together with its attendant acts of egregious cruelty to innocent animals mocks our human potential for good.

The ideas in this book are borrowed from the ancient holistic tradition of Yoga, which is making an increasing impact in the thinking of people everywhere interested in new ways of living in harmony with oneself and the world. Specifically this book relates to the ideas of

10 Tantra Yoga as enunciated by the spiritual master, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, 1921-1990, (also known as P. R. Sarkar) who founded the world wide socio-spiritual movement, called Ananda Marga. Ananda Marga has social service activities and yoga centers in over 100 countries around the world as part of its motto of: “Self Realization and Service to Humanity”.

My own journey into vegetarianism began at the age of 19 at the same time that I first became interested in the holistic practices of Yoga and meditation in the idealistic period of the early 1970’s. I remember my father’s stark prophesy back then: “Vegetarian? You’ll be dead in six months”. I am happy that it happened differently. We have all come a long way since those days when vegetarianism was linked with , protein deficiencies, drugs and communists.

There is always a lively debate between science and when it comes to vegetarianism and similar topics. This may be due to the fact that vegetarianism and its related practices such as yoga and meditation have not come under the scrutiny of Western empirical science. Yet we know that science too has its limitations. The billions of dollars spent on cancer research over the past 35 years while the rates of death from cancer continue to soar are a sober reminder of this fact. Hence the experiences of vegetarians and yogis since millennia, though not scientifically documented, can also be considered part of the universal body of human knowledge.

I hope you will find the points in this book based on rationality and progressive thinking. Diet is one part of the whole picture in the gradual emergence of a new human consciousness which is inclusive, universal, just, and rational.

11 Section I: Healthy People

There are many components that interact together to ensure good health. Doctors say that 75% of all modern ailments are psycho-somatic, that is they have their origins in the mind. Our modern illnesses of stress related disorders, nervous breakdowns and borderline personality disorders are just some of the indicators that our mind plays a key role in helping us to attain and maintain good health.

Humans are mind-preponderant beings. If we punish our dog but then offer him food a few hours later, he will partake of that food. The same thing could not be said for a human being since we are dominated more by our mental feelings than by our instinctual urges.

This book is about diet. We will analyze the role of food in affecting our mental state primarily and our physical state secondarily. Evidence continues to mount about how different foods affect our state of mind thereby affecting our overall well-being one way or the other.

Other factors apart from food affect our health which we define here as a harmonious balance between our physical, mental and spiritual selves. Regular physical exercise, fresh air, use of water, regular psycho-spiritual exercise, pleasant social relationships, avoidance of bad habits, fasting and observance of universal laws of life are some of the other elements which combine together to ensure a long, happy and healthy life. We will be looking at some of these factors during the course of our book.

12 1. The Goal of Yoga

The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word, “yunj” which means “to unite”. The unity envisioned in Yoga is a mystical state of Oneness with all of Creation. It is a rare mental state realized by mystics, prophets and sages throughout history in many lands. For some it is considered the highest level of consciousness attainable. In different cultures it is known by different names: samadhi, nirvana, satori, , enlightenment, and so on.

But Yoga is also a path or leading to the state of Oneness. Whether we believe we can ever attain those lofty heights, it is true that many people are benefiting from the many changes that they experience as a result of a systematic practice of the various components of the Yogic lifestyle. Some of those components include: observance of universal ethical , practice of asanas (comfortable body postures), deep breathing, sense withdrawal, concentration and meditation.

Once while I was traveling on a train in Thailand dressed in my robes as a Yogic monk, my friendly travelling companion stretched out his palm and asked, “Can you see my future?” I politely declined his request. Undeterred his next question was, “Where’s your magic carpet?” I responded, “I left it in my ashram; I decided to take the slower land route and enjoy the scenery”. By then he was in full flow and queried, “Do you sleep on a bed of nails?” To which I replied very slowly tongue in cheek, “You see, as I am a novice in the practice, I use pins for my bed, I am not yet at the nail stage”.

Traditionally Yoga in the East was followed by a few and was more associated with mind reading, levitation, defying death and the occult. Although in the West it is more commonly known today as asanas (yoga postures), this is only one aspect of a whole spectrum of practices that gradually and subtly develop us physically, mentally, socially and spiritually.

Some people believe that the emerging relevance of Yoga practice and philosophy will assist humanity in bridging the gap between the old and new ways of looking at ourselves and our world.

In Ananda Marga the lessons of meditation are taught freely to anyone interested to learn. Yoga postures, diet, fasting and a host of other holistic practices are also gradually introduced to the new aspirant according to his/her capacity and willingness to understand and incorporate these habits into a daily routine.

This book will deal extensively with the food choices related to a holistic lifestyle. Fortunately the food which is healthy for our is also healthy for our planet. We are in the midst of trying to support an ever-increasing that is consuming the planet’s resources at an ever-alarming rate. So you can eat in peace knowing that a vegetarian food choice is a plus for the Earth and its inhabitants.

13 2. The Forces of Nature

“The frank realization that physical science is concerned with a world of shadows is one of the most significant advances…the shadow of my elbow rests on the shadow table as the shadow ink flows over the shadow paper…to put the conclusion crudely, the stuff of the world is mind-stuff” Sir Arthur Eddington 1

According to the philosophy of Tantra Yoga, the Universe is a resultant of the interplay between Consciousness and Its Creative Principle. The Cycle of Creation is seen to be manifested in two phases: first, from the very subtle (Supreme Consciousness) to the very crude (inert matter) and second, from the very crude to the very subtle again. Within this cosmic scheme of things, the human being may be found on the upper levels of this returning cycle, as he/she approaches the final stages of the cosmic evolution. It is beyond the scope of this book to explain in detail this Cosmic Cycle, but it is sufficient to say that as human beings, we are the most consciously evolved beings, although it may sometimes appear otherwise. It is essential that humans assume full responsibility for their unique talents and abilities and utilize them for the advancement of all beings with which we co- inhabit the planet.

Yogic philosophy states that the creation is the result of the crudification of invisible, unqualified consciousness by the creative principles inherent within itself.

These creative principles can be divided into three categories according to their degree of influence over the consciousness. They are sometimes referred to simply as “the forces of nature” because they exist at all times in all things and in all beings. They are:

Sattvic (sentient) principle: This binding quality is the most subtle. It is associated with awareness, purity, , sensitivity and lightness.

Rajasic (mutative) principle: This binding quality is less subtle than the first. It is associated with change, growth, movement, restlessness and activity.

Tamasic (static) principle: This binding quality is the crudest of the three. It is associated with decay, degeneration, ignorance, death and inertia.

A few examples will help us understand the interplay of these constantly interacting forces. Did you ever observe a ? Its beauty, luster and shine are evidence of the dominance of the sentient force. Its growth and development from the are evidence of the mutative force. When it begins to decay, shed its petals and whither, this is the manifestation of the static force.

What about yourself? When you wake up in the morning, you fight hard to conquer the static waves that dominate your body and mind—you would just rather sleep more! During the height of the day, you don’t seem to be able to slow down—the mutative force is very

14 manifest in you at that time. But when you retire to view a beautiful sunset or take a walk in the nature, you feel uplifted by the sentient force that dominates your mind at that time.

15 3. Uplifting the Mind through Diet

“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” Albert Einstein

These three principles in the Universe exist everywhere, all the time. Someone attempting to live more consciously takes the help of the subtle (sattvic) energy to elevate their consciousness and behavior.

Food also is dominated by one of these three principles. Because the trillions of cells in our body are composed of the food which we eat, it is logical that we should select food items which will have an elevating effect on our thinking as well as a beneficial effect on our health. That is why we have the familiar saying, “You are what you eat”.

Our bodies are composed of over 73 trillion (a trillion is equal to one thousand billion) cells in a constant state of birth, growth and death. Some cells have a life span of four hours, others one year. Generally cells are replaced every 21 days. One billion cells become old every day and are ready to be replaced by new cells that are formed from the ingredients of the food that we consume. Two hundred billion red blood cells are released in our circulation every day. These red cells carry oxygen to every cell of our body including brain, heart, liver, kidney, etc.

Cells can be compared to tiny bio-chemical laboratories. They mix and combine different chemicals—that is atoms and molecules—that we get from food to make other chemical compounds so that different activities can be done in the body.

The earliest Yogic tradition, known as Tantra is over 7000 years old. The word Tantra is composed of the syllables “tan” meaning “ignorance” or “crudeness”, and “tra” meaning “to liberate from’. The Yogis of the ancient past had ample time to experiment and test the effect of different foods on their body and mind. Not concerned with jet travel, hand phone text messages, traffic jams or office deadlines, these contemplative could carefully observe the effects of food, thought and behavior on their consciousness. Due to their long years of research and development in their own bio-psychological laboratories we have the three categories of food based primarily on their effects on the mind and secondarily on their effects on the body.

P.R. Sarkar, a modern day Tantra Yoga master, uses the Latin word “pabulum” to describe “an object of enjoyment”. Pabulum can be both physical and psychic. Hence physical pabulum may be the type of food we eat and psychic pabulum may be the type of thoughts or ideas which we entertain or assimilate (“eat”). Food, air, sunlight and water are physical components that have their effect on the production of cells in the which ultimately affects our mind.

16 Dr. Gabriel Cousens, author of Conscious Eating, defines a nutrient as that which we absorb into our overall body-mind-spirit entity from different density levels. Material food is the densest. Sunlight is the least dense on the material , and pure cosmic energy is the most subtle nutrient. He says that the material-mechanistic theory proposes that food is material only, composed of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and other material factors. Current nutritional research and discoveries highlighting the of this or that food bear out this contention. But this material view does not acknowledge that our physical food has an energy field associated with the living plant, very similar to the intrinsic triple energy principle of Tantra Yoga.1 That is why a few food items which may have impressive micro-nutrients that aid in physical health are discounted from a diet for higher consciousness due to their negative effects on the mind.

Food and diet are not one and the same thing. When the food that is chosen supplies all the essential nutrients for the physical well-being of a person and at the same time enhances the mental and spiritual well-being, it becomes a truly balanced diet. Hence the Yogic method of determining a food type is based on its performance in the body and mind as opposed to its nutrient component.

Sattvic (Sentient) Food Sentient food is good for the mind and also good for the health. Consumption of sattvic food develops in us a love for higher mental pursuits, such as meditation, subtle art and music. It brings peace and calmness to the mind. It reduces feelings of anger, passion and greed. It causes us to become more sensitive, gentle and aware of the needs of others. The consumption of sattvic food will lead to greater self-control, balance and mental equilibrium.

Some examples of sattvic food are: fruits and vegetables; grains such as , and corn; legumes such as beans, pulses and dal; nuts; products such as milk, butter and ; mild ; natural sweeteners such as , unrefined sugar and molasses; herbal and herbal .

Rajasic (Mutative) Food Mutative food may or may not be good for the mind and body. Mutative food will create restlessness in the nervous system and brain. It stimulates the nerves and organs to activity. Sometimes these foods are used to lengthen our work time or pull us out of sadness due to the chemical effects on our brain.

Some examples of mutative food are: , , , carbonated drinks and certain spices.

Tamasic (Static) Food Static food is not good for the mind, although it may or may not be good for the body. Static food produces a feeling of heaviness and slowness in the mind. It increases our materialistic desires. In some cases, the heat generated by such food excites our lower instincts. The consumption of static food will not be conducive to developing our higher consciousness.

17 Some examples of static food include: meat, fish, , onions, garlic and mushrooms, stale, rotting or malodorous food.

Certain Qualifications on Food Categories There are certain qualifications to the above mentioned food categories, such as:

Time: Some foods acquire static properties if consumed in the night. Lentils are a case in point. and cucumbers which have a cooling effect on the body are recommended to be avoided in the night time when the sun goes down and the temperature decreases.

Climate: In cold climates, the categories of food move up one level. For example, food which would normally be considered mutative, become sentient in cold climates (where there is ice or snowfall).

Quantity: Even the most subtle foods can become static if we over-eat them! Moderation is one of the keys to a long and healthy life.

Preparation: It is always desirable to cook our own food. It is also advisable that we remain in a calm and cheerful mood while preparing our since our mental vibrations will leave their subtle imprint on the food preparations. Hence we have the saying, “Mother’s food is the best food.” Food made in restaurants and fast food outlets, where the cooks are under constant pressure and long hours, will be of a lower energetic quality than food that is happily prepared by a loved one.

That reminds me of the effect of thought on the food we prepare. When I was a new monk I was invited by an Indian family to teach the husband meditation and to join them for a . I duly explained to them my “complicated” diet but the husband said, “Dadaji, please come. We are longing to bring you into our home.” We sat for several hours as I taught him the details of meditation and Yoga. His devoted wife who loves to cook, straight away got to work. Whether planned or not, I cannot say but when we had completed our consultation a sumptuous feast of the finest Indian dishes was laid out before me. Where to start? No sooner the thought had entered my mind, then the wife began serving me generous portions of each aromatic dish. Ambrosial heaven! After dinner we strolled in the nearby park and returned home again where I shared with the simple family my spiritual experiences in India. The newly initiated brother awoke me at 4 o’clock the next morning and we spent three hours in deep meditation. The food of the previous night, prepared with so much love and care had been pleasantly assimilated and nurtured my mind with peace, serenity and deep concentration.

Sentient Diet and Conventional Vegetarianism Although there are many different kinds of vegetarians today, the lacto-vegetarian diet is the most common one around the world. A lacto-vegetarian diet includes milk products, but not eggs. The sentient diet is very similar to conventional vegetarianism with the exception of onions, garlic and mushrooms which are not considered conducive to developing higher consciousness through the practice of meditation (see chapter 6).

18 The Mental and Spiritual Effect of Food

It is difficult to quantify the mental and spiritual effects of food, since the results cannot be measured empirically. There is a general perception that the vegetarian diet induces more peace and balance in the mind. A study conducted by Arizona State University psychology professors Richard Stein and Carol Nemeroff reported that people generally rated salad eaters more moral, virtuous and considerate than steak eaters."2

When the diet is composed of sentient food, the cells of the body radiate their own effulgence and lightness. It is for this reason that images of elevated spiritual teachers have been depicted with a halo around their bodies. By contrast someone who is from a debilitating disease emanates very little light from their body. Some of the greatest moral, intellectual and spiritual teachers were known to have followed a vegetarian diet such as Albert Einstein, Buddha, , , , Sir Isaac Newton, Franklin and Albert Schweitzer.

The sentient diet is considered the diet most suitable for developing higher consciousness because the overall effect of sentient foods increases our desire to perform meditation which in Ananda Marga is a psycho-. They help create an appreciation for subtle music, subtle art, subtle dance and spiritual discussion. Over time the effect of sentient food combined with other Yogic practices (see Chapter 14) gradually elevates our consciousness to a higher level. That level is indicated by such qualities as compassionate thinking, selflessness, love for all beings, humility, tolerance for others’ points of view and moral courage to fight injustice.

19 4. The Different Kinds of Vegetarians

“With all this crap they put in meat, like hormones for fast growing, antibiotics, etc... we will all go down, there’s only the vegetarians that will survive – so let me give you a good piece of advice: if you want to eat some healthy meat, eat a vegetarian!” Jean Luc LeMoine, French humorist

The word “vegetarian” was popularized in 1847 by the of the .1 Vegetarian diets are typically defined as the exclusion of meat and other flesh foods. Some would say vegetarians are those who don’t eat anything with a face. While cannibalism is not included in the different types of vegetarians, let us list a few of the more common categories today:

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: is one who eats dairy products and eggs.

Lacto-Vegetarian: is one who eats dairy products but no eggs. Vegan: is one who consumes no eggs or dairy products. Their diet consists mainly of grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables.

Fruitarian: is one who only consumes fruits and no other food categories.

Flexitarian (semi-vegetarian): is one who follows a plant-based diet but occasionally eats small amounts of meat, poultry or fish.

Raw Foodist: is one whose diet closely resembles the vegan diet with the variation that all of the food is eaten in its raw, uncooked state.

Vegetarianism Goes Mainstream

Vegetarianism is gradually becoming a mainstream diet. More and more people are making the shift to the vegetarian diet. It is estimated that in the USA, 19,000 people make the switch to a meat-free diet every week.2 The latest Harris Poll revealed that 3% of adults in the USA, or 6-8 million people were vegetarians.3 Nearly 25% of U.S. adolescents polled by Teenage Research Unlimited said vegetarianism was "cool." Dr. Benjamin Spock, whose book, “Baby and Child Care” is the second biggest selling book in history after the Bible, and who himself became a vegan in 1991, said, “Children who grow up getting their from plant foods rather than have a tremendous health advantage”4

R.K. Pachauri, chairman of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, suggested that the most useful step ordinary citizens could take to help combat climate change would be to stop eating meat. The city of Ghent, Belgium has designated every Thursday as "Veggiedag" – Veggie Day – calling for meat-free meals to be served in schools and public buildings, and encouraging vegetarianism among citizens by promoting

20 vegetarian eateries and offering advice on how to follow a herbivorous diet.5 The German federal environment agency went further advising people to eat meat only on special occasions as in pre-war times. Meat-free menus are now promoted in all British hospitals as part of a strategy to cut global warming emissions across the British National Health Service.6

Reasons Why People Go Vegetarian

A Yankelovich Partners Study in 1992 revealed the following reasons why people go vegetarian:

Health 46% 15% Influence of Family or Friends 12% Ethical Reasons 5% Environmental Concerns 4% Other 9% 7

“If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat… vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, , cruelty.” Sir Paul McCartney

“The cannibal goes out and hunts, pursues and kills another man and proceeds to cook and eat him precisely as he would any other game. There is not a single argument or a single fact that can be offered in favor of flesh eating that cannot be offered, with equal strength, in favor of cannibalism.” Dr. Herbert Shelton, American Naturopathic physician 8

21 5. What’s Wrong with Onions, Garlic and Mushrooms?

You may rightly ask why the Yogic vegetarian diet excludes these three vegetables. Many vegetarians and vegans cannot imagine how bland their diets would be without the use of onions and garlic. Oriental vegetarians would find the omission of mushrooms like removing the main part of their meal. In the Chinese diet, mushrooms are considered a high source of protein. In Chinese medicine, some mushrooms are used to cure insomnia. Mushrooms are also useful for vegans who use it as a primary source of .

On the other hand several spiritual paths, Yogic disciplines and do not consume onions and garlic, such as the Jains, Hare , Taoists and some Buddhists among others. In Japanese shukubos (Buddhist temples), they serve “devotional ” (shojin- ryori), which is essentially sentient, to “purify the mind and spirit”.

The Medicinal Effects of Onions and Garlic

Many doctors prescribe garlic to thin the cholesterol in the blood and to strengthen the heart. It is useful in rheumatism cases. Garlic is said to reduce the levels of cholesterol especially the LDL or “bad” cholesterol. Onions are considered useful to protect from various forms of cancer. The oils within and garlic (and all the other members of the allium family such as , and shallots) penetrate into the cell membrane and help to bring out hidden in the body. However since garlic cannot be digested by the body it comes out through the skin while perspiring.

The Heating Effect of Onions and Garlic

The final effect of onions and garlic is that their heat excite the lower glands and organs of the body and hence they are harmful for higher spiritual pursuits. The lower glands are constantly engaged in energy production and expenditure. The sex glands, especially the testes, are very sensitive to overheating. They develop inside the abdomen but descend to the scrotum just before or just after birth to avoid the relatively higher temperatures in the abdominal cavity. Many Yogic practices aim to keep this sensitive area cool, clean and protected. The experience of the deep peace of higher consciousness is more probable when we meditate with a calm nervous system and cool brain cells. Hence the Yogic diet recommends onions and garlic as a medicine but not as a food item.

The hundreds of inter-related chemical reactions performed by the body throughout the day are dependent on body temperature. Higher temperatures accelerate the reactions and lower temperatures decelerate them. At the time of meditation, we want to minimize all bodily reactions and divert the energy to subtler mental pursuits. So our selection of food should be such that the body, nerves and brain remain cool and calm.

The oil in the onion is an extremely strong irritant. To test this out, try rubbing a small amount of onion oil on your skin. You will shortly experience a very strong burning

22 sensation. Similar is the case when we peel onions. The strong fumes from the onion cause the eye to tear in order to protect us from the poisonous effect of the oil.¹

We all know how a bad smell emanates from the body of someone who consumes generous amounts of garlic. A general rule of thumb is that foods with a bad odor such as garlic carry a static energy.²

The Taoists realized thousands of years ago that plants of the alliaceous family were detrimental to humans in their healthy state. Specifically, onions are harmful to the lungs, garlic to the heart, leeks to the spleen, chives to the liver and spring onions to the kidneys.

Garlic as a Toxin

Back in the 1980's, in his research on function, Dr. Robert [Bob] C. Beck, DSc. found that garlic has a detrimental effect on the brain. He found that garlic is toxic to humans because its sulphone hydroxyl ions penetrate the blood-brain barrier and are poisonous to brain cells.

Dr. Beck explained that as far back as the 1950’s it was known that garlic reduced reaction time by two to three times when consumed by pilots taking flight tests. This is because the toxic effects of garlic desynchronize brain waves. "The flight surgeon would come around every month and remind all of us: "Don’t you dare touch any garlic 72 hours before you fly one of our airplanes, because it’ll double or triple your reaction time. You’re three times slower than you would be if you’d [not] had a few drops of garlic."3

The Negative Qualities of Mushrooms

Mushrooms extract their nutrients from negative sources, i.e. decomposing horse manure, concrete, etc. It is a fungal parasite. Some species (toadstools) are poisonous and should not be eaten at all. Some experts consider the effect of mushrooms similar to that of meat; they are especially detrimental for intellectuals and those who are developing their intellect.4 Mental dullness, drowsiness and physical lethargy are some of the effects from eating mushrooms. Unlike other vegetables, mushrooms due to the absence of chlorophyll, do not undergo the process of photosynthesis which converts the sun’s energy into a useable bio- chemical product. As will be explained later, chlorophyll in plants is highly beneficial for meditation practice since it acts as a catalyst to convert lymph in the body. Yogis prefer, as far as possible, to get their energy from sources that are full of life and light.

The poisonous effect of mushrooms is unpredictable. One person may eat a particular species without any ill side effects, but the same will cause poisoning in another.5 Mushrooms decay very rapidly through the action of moulds and , producing highly toxic ptomaine alkaloids. Some edible field mushrooms picked on a warm day may rot even before they reach the kitchen.

23 Vegetarian and Pure Vegetarian

In India which has the largest percentage of vegetarians anywhere in the world, (50%) a distinction is made between a vegetarian and a “pure” vegetarian meal.

Pure vegetarian refers to food which does not include onions and garlic in the menu, whereas vegetarian food also includes onions and garlic. For centuries it has been known in India that the consumption of onions and garlic is detrimental to developing higher consciousness.

When I was working in Argentina I stayed with a fellow Yogic monk from India who had been a pure vegetarian from his birth. He had never eaten meat, fish, eggs, onions, garlic or mushroom. We had just rented a new center in the southern city of Neuquen and we were checking out all of the fixtures and appliances. My colleague opened the kitchen cupboards that contained the clean pots and pans neatly stacked on the shelves. He retched with disgust. He could not stand even the smell of the pots and pans that had been used to cook onions, garlic and meat. We decided to buy new pots so at least I could share my food with him every day!

The Yogic approach is not dogmatic. It is better if you experiment with these categories yourself and come up with the diet most suitable to your progressive spiritual growth. Maybe try abstaining from these foods for a few months and then try eating a bunch of onions and garlic and observe the results. At the beginning of your meditation practice, your body may not be subtle enough to experience the effects of different foods. For many people the adaptation to the Yogic diet is a gradual process in pace with their ongoing personal development.

24 6. Alkaline and Acidic Food

There are so many ways in which to classify foods. More recent nutrition and food theories advance their own “special” effects.

The categories of the Yogic diet are based on the goal of developing higher consciousness. They are part of a complete package which includes meditation, yogic postures, ethical observances and fasting. When considered in this way, the yogic food categories make complete sense.

Another way in which a food can be classified is according to the resultant effect it has on the blood level. The chemical mix in our blood is measured by its pH (potential Hydrogen) content. The average pH level of a normally healthy person is slightly alkaline at around 7.4.

The Process of Digestion

After ingesting delicious morsels of food, it is the job of trillions of micro-organisms and friendly bacteria in the gastro-intestinal tract along with digestive fluids, to break down those huge chunks into tiny bio-chemicals. When broken down food can be absorbed into the bloodstream and carried to our cells where they are combined with oxygen to produce the energy our body needs.

The end result of the long digestive process will affect our blood pH level. If the food which we eat, utilizes large amounts of acid digesting chemicals their residue, or ash cause the blood to become acidic. Acidic foods are therefore defined as those foods which increase the acid content of the blood. When the blood pH level goes below 7.35 it may be considered that we have acidic blood (acidosis). Blood is the most important constituent in the body since it supplies nutrients to each and every cell.

Our food is digested in two parts of the GI tract. Firstly, it goes to the stomach where hydrochloric acid from the stomach lining does the major work if the food is primarily of an acidic nature.1 From there the food passes into the duodenum in the upper portion of the small intestine. Here alkaline secretions from the liver, pancreas and spleen complete the digestion process and help to neutralize whatever acidic fluids came from the stomach. Food which is predominantly digested in the stomach is called acidic, while food predominantly digested in the duodenum is called alkaline. Most foods require partly acidic and partly alkaline digestion.

Acidity is a contributing factor of many common illnesses today such as rheumatism, arthritis, gout, gall bladder stones, kidney stones, colic (shooting pain), ulcers, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and heartburn. Acidity causes the blood- purifying organs (liver, spleen and kidney) to become weak. A sick patient can make a quick recovery from their illnesses if the majority of their food is alkaline (80:20 ratio).

25 Generally the tongue wants acidic or tasty food, whereas the stomach/intestinal organs prefer alkaline food. It should be remembered that acidic and alkaline categories are not based on the “taste” of the food on our tongue. For example, lemon water has an acidic taste in our mouth but its end result after digestion is alkaline for it requires no acidic stomach to break it down.

Some Examples of very Alkaline Foods would be:

• Water • Lemon water • water • tea • Honey • Juices • juices • Fruits • Non-starchy vegetables (leafy green vegetables, yellow vegetables, vegetable soups) • Tender flesh of young coconut, desiccated coconut • Root vegetables: , , beet,

Some Examples of very Acidic Foods would be:

• Eggs • Meat • Fish, seafood • Poultry • Deep fried foods • Refined grains (white rice, white , white noodles) • Not difficult to digest, but very acid-forming: refined sugar, tea, coffee, carbonated drinks • Processed, refined food • Stale food

26 7. The Culture of Eating (Good Eating Habits)

A Zen monk was undergoing austere training in a in the countryside of Japan. One of the rules was that he wasn’t allowed to talk, but after a year he would be given the opportunity to say three words; words that should convey something of the deeper realizations he’d had during that time. So as the end of the year approached everyone was eagerly awaiting the special day. The townsfolk were talking about the upcoming event and his teachers were anticipating what he would say. On the day, all the people from the surrounding area gathered for the occasion. He was brought out in front of everybody, his head teacher gave him the go-ahead to speak, and he said these three words: “Not – enough – food.”1

It is obvious that food is really important for us! Not only the type of food but also the manner in which it is consumed. We may eat all the sentient food in the world, containing all of the potent phytochemicals and antioxidants there are, but if our manner of eating is defective, those foods will not contribute to our overall health nor develop our higher consciousness.

Just as there is a culture for growing food (agriculture, ) fruits (horticulture) or worms (sericulture), there is also a more refined manner of eating that will enhance these special times of the day. Eating is as fundamental a human activity as sleeping, bathing or playing. Mealtimes are events that bring out our social natures and are universally associated with fun, relaxation and sharing. While we may not have the luxury of enjoying drawn-out meals as in Roman times, certain basic guidelines in the culture of eating will ensure that the food which enters our bio-psychological machine will have an optimal effect physically, mentally and spiritually.

1. Have a brief wash before meals. Yogic practice encourages the habit of half bath before meals. Half Bath consists of washing the arms, legs, face, neck and stomach area with normal tap water (no soap). The effect of half bath is to make us serene and relaxed prior to eating our meal. Complete details of half bath are explained in Chapter 14: Yoga’s Healthy Lifestyle. 2. Sit comfortably. Eating while standing or walking will impede the natural digestive process and may lead to indigestion or acidity. Different cultures sit comfortably in different ways: on the floor, on low stools, on pillows or cushions, on chairs, etc. 3. Eat with company. A happy meal with friends or family will ensure a proper assimilation of the nutrients of our food. 4. Eat in a peaceful frame of mind. If one eats while angry, upset or depressed that food will have a harmful effect on the body and mind. Anger leads to heightened tension in the sympathetic nerves and consequently an inappropriate acid secretion in the stomach to digest the food. 5. Eat slowly and chew the food thoroughly. The benefit derived from food depends less on the quantity eaten and more on how thoroughly it is masticated and digested.

27 It is said that the process of digestion begins in the mouth. That’s because the saliva secreted in the mouth breaks down the starches which greatly facilitates action in the stomach and small intestine during digestion. Careful chewing also reduces the likelihood of overeating; the satisfaction of the taste is an important part of the meal. The desire for dessert often disappears when a meal is thoroughly chewed and enjoyed. That’s why some people say, “ your food and eat your drink”. I remember one time I was travelling on an Indian train. The sights, sounds, colors and smells keep one delighted by the exuberance and resilience of the human spirit. Local vendors ply the narrow passages of the coaches with their colourful assortment of fruits, vegetables, vegetarian samoosas, pakoras (a or other vegetable enclosed within deep fried garbanzo flour), trinkets or anything else that the thousands of Indian travellers may wish to purchase from the two-legged, mobile supermarkets. Suddenly one roasted seller glides by with his slow rising, raspy voice coming to a tumultuous climax, “T-i-i-i-i-i-im-e P-a-a-a-a-a-a-s-s-s-s!” Not recognizing those syllables either from my own English or his mother tongue Hindi, I enquired from my travelling companion what the vendor was saying. “Time Pass”, he said. “We like to eat slowly to help pass the time of the long train journeys”. “Ingenious”, I mused. “What better way to enjoy the panoramic tapestry of humanity and nature flashing past the windows than slowly savouring the taste of nutritious peanuts as the train galloped along the lush Indian sub-continent”. 6. Eat When Hungry. Although it may sound too obvious to mention, many people eat out of regular habit even when they are not hungry. Indigestion, acidity, ulcer, constipation, and heartburn accompanies the habit of eating even when we are not hungry. 7. Eat moderately. “” and not “live to eat”. A good rule of thumb followed by Yogis is filling the stomach half full with food, quarter full with liquid food (soup, sauce) and one-quarter with air (space!) Continuous overeating will also bring on the above-mentioned illnesses. A good way to control our greediness for food is by sharing it with others. What we like most, we may consciously decide to eat less of that item. Taking many items of different varieties (more than one type of , more than one type of bean, fruits, vegetable dish, soup, milk) at the same meal will create an acidic reaction in the stomach and blood. The Yogis contend that the tongue is the most important organ to control. Because it is with the tongue that we eat food and we talk. So if we eat too much or talk too much we will get ourselves into lots of trouble! I read somewhere that the reason why the Creator gave us one mouth and two ears, was that He wanted us to listen more and speak less! 8. Rest After Meals. After eating it is always advisable to rest instead of rushing off to another appointment or immediately starting work. Hurried meals and the accompanying nervous tension are an invitation to indigestion. Sitting around and

28 chatting for at least 10-15 minutes after the meal will greatly facilitate the digestion process and avoid stomach aches, cramps or other unpleasant side effects of rushing after meals. 9. Go for a Walk. After the evening meal a short walk in fresh air will invigorate the digestive organs and ensure a peaceful night’s rest. The evening walk provides another opportunity for leisure and relaxation and a reasonable time gap before we sleep. A familiar health saying is: “After lunch, rest a while, after dinner walk a mile”. 10. Eating at Regular Hours. While eating when we are not hungry is not healthy, skipping meals and then overeating at the next one is equally harmful. Also keeping different times for eating every day will cause health problems. If we are not hungry at lunchtime we may take a light meal, but we should eat something just to maintain the regular habit. Regularity brings rhythm to the digestive secretions. Similarly eating too late at night just before sleep, will cause the digestive fluids and gases to rise up into the brain and results in nightmares or bad dreams. Try to eat your dinner two-and-a-half to three hours before sleeping. 11. Allow Plenty of Time Between Meals. Digestion is a complex process, and as each type of food digests most easily in a particular chemical environment, the addition of undigested food of the wrong kind to a partially digested meal can upset or interrupt the digestive process. Try waiting five or six hours between meals. The stomach empties all foods in four hours and the digestive process in the intestines is completed in six hours. 12. Eat Foods at a Normal Temperature. Our digestive organs function within a comfortable temperature range. If our food is too cold or too hot, the body must bring it to a normal temperature before the digestion process can begin. Cold food can lead to coughs, sore throats, sinus trouble, cramps, indigestion and obesity. 13. Do not drink water during meals. The gastric juices that are responsible for digesting our food will be diluted if we drink water at meal times. It is recommended to wait at least thirty minutes before and thirty minutes after a meal before we drink water.

Selection of Food

Our food should be selected according to the follow criteria:

Sentient Nutritious Alkaline Balanced Timely Properly prepared

29 Natural (i.e. unprocessed as possible) Seasonal Fresh Alive (nutritional value decreases with increased heat contact) Organic (if affordable)

30 8. The Health Advantages of a Vegetarian Diet

“There’s no question that largely vegetarian diets are as healthy as you can get. The evidence is so strong and overwhelming and produced over such a long period of time that it’s no longer debatable.”1 Marion Nestle, former Chair of the Nutrition Department, New York University

The scientific studies and reports that support the superior benefits of a vegetarian diet would be too numerous to list in this book. Yet most consumers still remain in the dark about the real advantages of a plant-based diet. For instance, studies show that only 23% of American women are aware that they can take dietary steps to lower their chances of developing breast cancer.2

Hence the near epidemic rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes (diabetes mellitus), cardiovascular diseases and cancer all over the globe in spite of the abundance of simpler, healthier and cheaper food alternatives. The position paper of American Dietetic Association (the largest group of nutrition experts in the world) says that both vegetarian and vegan diets could meet our nutritional needs at every stage of the life cycle.3 The American Heart Association reports that vegetarians “have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus and some forms of cancer.”4

It is now estimated that the number of people (1.2 billion) exceeds the number of malnourished human beings (852 million)! Whom should we pity more? The victims of psychic exploitation (mass media advertising that equates “the good life” with “the bad habits”—eating meat, consuming and smoking cigarettes) or the victims of physical exploitation (poor, ignorant people whose negligible purchasing power severely restricts their ability to buy food)?

The Report, the most comprehensive health survey in world medical history, studied the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease. The report examined the health effects of the changes in the Chinese diet since the economic reforms of 1978. The report’s director, Dr. Colin T. Campbell observed, “We found a highly significant association between the consumption of even small amounts of animal-based foods and the increasing prevalence of heart disease, cancer and similar diseases”. 5

The report concluded that the recent increases in China in breast cancer, colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease and obesity are closely related to increased meat consumption which is only a fraction of that in the typical American and European diets. 6

As far back as 1990, the World Health Organization (WHO) report, Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases stated: “The population intakes recommended in this report translate into a diet that is low in fat and especially , and high in complex starchy carbohydrates. Such a diet is characterized by the frequent consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole and legumes and contrasts sharply with current diets

31 drawing substantial amounts of energy from whole-milk dairy products, fatty meats and refined ”. 7

In order to dispel the confusion and myths surrounding the best foods for human consumption, in 1999 five of the top American health organizations joined forces to endorse one of dietary guidelines. The key message: choose most of what you eat from plant sources. More specifically the group recommended that people choose a diet rich in grain products, vegetables and fruits and one that is low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol and moderate in sugar, salt and alcohol, if used. 8

Let us look at some contemporary common diseases and see how the vegetarian diet stands up against a non-vegetarian one. Below is a brief discussion of four contemporary diseases: heart disease, cancer, obesity, and diabetes. The fact that these degenerative diseases have increased enormously in the last fifty years indicates that they are caused not by genetic factors but due to lifestyle changes.

Heart Disease

By now most people know that heart disease results from blockages in the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. Fat and cholesterol circulating in the blood collect on the inner walls of the arteries. Over the years as more fat and cholesterol are deposited, the passage through the arteries narrows. When one or more of the arteries becomes severely narrowed or blocked by a blood clot, a heart attack is the result.

Today heart disease is the most common cause of death in the , killing about one person every 45 seconds! The CDC’s (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention reports that 870,000 Americans died in 2008 - 2,400 each day - from heart disease. 9

Thirty six percent of all deaths in the U.S. are attributed to heart disease. The average American adult has a cholesterol level of 210 mg/dl. At this rate it is estimated that an American adult male has better than a 50% chance of dying of heart disease. Death rates from heart disease amongst vegetarian men are less than half those of the general population. 10

Data from the Nurses’ Health Study involving over 120,000 people found that those who ate the most vegetables and fruits reduced their risk of coronary heart disease by 20% compared to those with the lowest intakes. 11

In the largest study ever done in the U.K., involving 76,000 participants the results showed that death from heart disease was 31% lower among vegetarian men compared to non- vegetarian men and 20% lower in vegetarian women compared to non-vegetarian women. 12

32 New Medical Approaches to Reversing Heart Disease

“ need not exist, and if it does, need not progress.” Dr. 13

In his revolutionary approach to reversing heart disease, Dr. Esselstyn has saved the lives of thousands of heart patients by his simple, non-invasive natural health approach. His plant- based, low-fat diets keep cholesterol levels below 150 mg/dl, the level at which nobody has ever suffered a heart attack. Dr. Esselstyn that modern-day medicine has failed patients by focusing only on the symptoms of the disease instead of the underlying cause.

Dr. president and director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, is another pioneer in reversing heart disease without . His program consists of five points:

a. A very low-fat, whole foods, vegetarian diet b. Half an hour a day of walking or other exercise c. Half an hour a day of stretching, meditation, relaxation, stress reduction, etc. d. Psychological and emotional support groups e. No smoking 14

Nearly 80% of patients with severely clogged arteries who followed the Ornish program for a year or more were able to avoid bypass or angioplasty. 15 Overweight people who followed the low-fat, vegetarian diet lost an average of 24 pounds in the first year and kept off that weight 5 years later. 16

When asked to comment about his ‘radical’ approach to healing Dr. Ornish replied: "I don’t understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it is medically conservative to cut people open and put them on cholesterol-lowering drugs for the rest of their lives."17

Dr. John McDougall calls his treatment “Lifestyle Medicine” reflecting a pattern amongst certain medical practitioners to apply diet, exercise and alteration of certain lifestyle practices to create an enabling environment in the body-mind complex for Nature to affect a cure. This approach is less invasive, more gentle, less costly and in line with Hippocrates’ assertion that only nature can cure the body, the physician is merely nature’s helper.

Cancer

In 1971 when the U.S. President Nixon announced “a war on cancer” huge funds were mobilized in an attempt to find a cure for one of the greatest killers of modern times. Looking back 38 years later we find cancer rates still staggeringly high. USA Cancer

33 statistics for 2005 reported 570,260 deaths and 1,372,910 new cases. Linus Pauling, the pioneer of Vitamin C research, commented: “The war on cancer has been largely a fraud”. We have short-sightedly disregarded the tremendous role that our food choices have in prolonging the march of cancer that threatens to spread globally. 18

Worldwide, cancer claims 6.3 million lives annually. The WHO has warned that cancer cases are expected to double globally during the next twenty-five years.

There are many potential causes for cancer to manifest in our bodies. Simply stated cancer occurs when a normal cell in the body, no longer performs its original function but rather begins to divide in an uncontrolled way. As cancer cells overgrow into other surrounding tissues they decrease the number of normally functioning cells and decrease the amount of nutrients available to healthy, normally functioning cells. In a healthy body cancer cells are quickly identified as foreign bodies and scavenged up by the immune system. Many doctors contend that a strong immune system is the best way to prevent cancer.

As far back as 1931, Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his discovery that cancer cells thrive in anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions. A lack of oxygen in the cell causes it to convert glucose through the process of . This process produces lactic acid, reduces the pH balance in the cell and destroys the ability of DNA and RNA to control cell division. Chlorophyll found abundantly in green vegetables and fruits carry sufficient amounts of oxygen and help support aerobic bacteria, thereby preventing the formation of potentially hazardous cancer cells. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level.

Dietary Components that Promote Cancer

Tobacco, alcohol, saturated fat, animal fat, meat, cholesterol, grilled and barbecued meats, smoked and cured meat, trans-fatty acids, sugar, , refined grains, deep fried foods and dairy products.

Dietary Components that Protect Against Cancer

Fruits, vegetables, fresh vegetable juices, fresh fruit juices, fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals and whole grains.

Even after adjusting for smoking, socio-economic status, and body mass index, cancer rates for vegetarians are 25-50% lower than for those of the general population. 19 According to the World Cancer Research Fund, we cut our risk of cancer by at least 20% if we eat five servings or more of a variety of vegetables and fruits per day.

34 Dr. Colin T. Campbell made it clear that "The vast majority, perhaps 80 percent to 90 percent, of all , cardiovascular diseases, and other forms of degenerative illness can be prevented, at least until very old age, simply by adopting a plant-based diet.” 20 He believes that the carcinogens found in meat are largely responsible for the onset of the disease. The World Cancer Research Fund, the American Cancer Society, and the Royal Cancer Society in Britain agree that as many cases of cancer are caused by diet as are caused by smoking.

The American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Research Fund for Cancer recently published a 660-page report entitled, Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective as a result of a four-year study. They conclude that we can slash cancer rates simply by changing what we eat and how much we exercise. 21 The number one recommendation from the American Cancer Society for preventing cancer through diet: eat more plant-based foods. The number two recommendation: eat fewer animal-based foods. 22

The death rate from breast cancer for American women is more than 350 percent than the rate of Japanese women, and nearly 500 percent more than the rate of Chinese women. It’s no coincidence that Japanese and Chinese people eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer animal products. Their traditional diets are plant-based especially soyabeans.23 Only 5-10% of all cancers are caused by inherited genetic mutations while 70-80% have been linked to diet and smoking. 24

Countries with the highest consumption of fat have the highest rates of , while those countries that consume the lowest amount of fat have the lowest rates. 25 Prostate cancer is the highest cause of death amongst males in the USA. A recent study of 29,000 U.S. men between the ages of 55-74 who were followed for four years, indicated that men who reported eating cauliflower more than once per week were 52 percent less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than men who reported eating cauliflower less than once a month. Men who reported eating more than once per week were 45 percent less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than men who reported eating broccoli less than once a month. What’s so special about cruciferous vegetables (also includes , brussels sprouts, greens and mustard greens)? They’re rich in compounds that may help protect cells from DNA damage, say researchers. Statistics reveal that men who consume meat, fish, eggs and dairy products are 3.6 times more likely to develop prostate cancer than men who eat these items sparingly or not at all.

The Journal of the American Medical Association found in a 2005 study that those who ate the most processed meats had twice the risk of colon cancer as those who ate the least, and those who ate the most red meat in general had a 40% chance of rectal cancer. 26

35 Obesity

"Obesity is arguably the gravest public health threat in the United States today." Dr. L. Katz, the director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine. 27

Obesity is now only second to smoking as the contributing cause of mortality in the U.S. An estimated 44 million Americans are obese 28 and 55% of them are overweight.29 The CDC estimates that about 280,000 Americans die every year as a result of diseases associated with being overweight. The annual costs stemming from obesity comes to $240 billion with another $33 billion being spent by Americans on weight loss programs and diet products.

Obesity is a major contributing factor in all the modern ailments including heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Being obese effectively ages us twenty years in terms of health risks. An overweight thirty year old is at as much risk of all diseases as a normal 50 year old.

Sugar is the main cause of obesity, with fat coming in second.30

Too much fat in our bloodstream means that arteries won’t open properly and that our muscles won’t get enough oxygen, leaving us quickly tired or exhausted. When fat enters the blood stream through the intestinal wall, it coats the blood cells and causes them to clump together. This makes it difficult for these blood cells to get through the tiny capillaries, which decreases the oxygen supply to the tissues and leads to fatigue and disease.

The Weight Loss Industry

The weight loss industry is a booming global business. Weight loss books dominate best sellers lists! But according to Dr. Deborah Wilson, MD,: “A government review of all studies on weight loss found that two-thirds of dieters gain all the weight back within a year, and 97% gain it all back in five years …” 31 She concludes, “Since vegetarian diets are the only diets that work for long-term weight loss, it’s no surprise that population studies show that meat-eaters have three times the obesity rate of vegetarians and nine times the obesity rate of vegans.” 32

Why do most weight loss programs fail? Their focus is misdirected. Dieters sincerely believe that by “starving” themselves of certain foods, they will be able to shed pounds. It is a one- directional approach so symptomatic of our mono-cultured, specialized approach to

36 agriculture, industry and education. Without cultivating other aspects of the weight issue (e.g. self-acceptance, increasing will power, developing our mental and spiritual natures), the mind is temporarily repressed for a short-term gain. Once the unnatural force is released, our old habits reinforce themselves and we gain all of the weight back! The solution is to readjust our focus from the short-term to the long-term. So instead of trying to lose weight by any means possible, we should rather focus on achieving a holistic state of well-being wherein the weight issue and all other health problems takes care of themselves in a gradual and complete way.

Table 8 in the Appendix is the body-mass index for all ages and weight groups. It is one way that you can check out whether you are of average weight, overweight or obese.

Diabetes

The average North American consumes 53 teaspoons of sugar every day!!33 Our daily requirement is just 8 teaspoons (40 g) according to official U.S. guidelines. 34

More than any other modern ailment diabetes highlights the lifestyle changes that have occurred over the past 50 years that are largely responsible for our current global health crisis. From New York to Nairobi, increasing affluence has brought with it sedentary office jobs, automated food production, elevators, escalators, pedestrian conveyor belts, automated bank tellers, microwave ovens, etc. that have drastically reduced the demand for physical exercise. Diabetes is essentially a disease of those who do reduced physical labor yet consume overly rich and fatty food. 35 Fat tissue, especially around the abdomen, decreases the body’s sensitivity to insulin. Unable to use insulin efficiently, the body demands more than the pancreas can easily produce. The pancreas gets exhausted and can’t keep up. Without enough insulin to regulate blood sugar, glucose builds up in the bloodstream. Type 2 diabetes describes the body’s resistance to insulin secretion.

It is estimated that nearly half of the U.S. adult population suffers from , a condition in which blood glucose levels are above normal. Most people develop full-blown diabetes within 10 years of being told they have the precursor to it.37 Worldwide the incidence of diabetes has increased from 20 million cases twenty years ago to 230 million cases today.38

The Role of Sweetened Beverages

One of the main causes of obesity has been the increased consumption of sweetened beverages. 39 Soft drink consumption has increased 300% since 1950.40 The largest single source of sugar in the diet comes from soft drinks. An average of 6 glasses per day of soft

37 drinks or sweetened beverages can add up to 800 calories, or 38% of our daily requirement. One small soda of 350 ml contains about 40 g of sugar—that’s 9 teaspoons.41 Sugared beverages cause the stomach to secrete excessive acid increasing the risk of gastrointestinal ulcers.

Mexico is a case in point. Over one in every seven Mexicans now suffer from type 2 diabetes largely attributed to the dietary changes that have resulted in the increasing affluence of the middle class.42

Sugar: “White Poison”

Sugar comes packaged in countless processed foods that dominate supermarket shelves everywhere: soft drinks, biscuits, crackers, candies, sweets, chocolate bars, chewing gum, bread, baked , sweetened yoghurt, ready-to-eat cereals—the list is endless. Pure white sugar or sucrose hides behind a lot of different names on food labels such as dextrose, sucrose, corn syrup, etc. It contributes no nutrition but only adds calories to our diet. That’s why sugar’s nickname is “white poison”.

I was walking in a supermarket the other day (it could be anywhere in the world, since most supermarkets today have taken on a global face) and roughly estimated that 80% of the food was processed. In some supermarkets in the Third World a fresh food section of fruits and vegetables doesn’t even exist! Did you ever go to a supermarket and find the aisle? But you will surely find a soda aisle, a potato chip aisle and a biscuits-sweets- aisle! We have become so hooked on unhealthy, processed, devitalized food it is little wonder that diabetes is now ranked as the fourth leading cause of death by disease. 36

Sugar contains no protein and no fat but is 100% simple . Unlike complex carbohydrates which break down slowly and provide slow, steady fuel to the body, the rapid burning of the simple sugar molecule provides a temporary energy surge but shortly leaves us tired thereby heightening our need for another “dose” to maintain our energy levels. When sugar cane is processed, high amounts of iron, calcium and other nutrients and minerals are removed. In order for the body to utilize white sugar it must use up some of its innate stores of these nutrients. 43 Sugar stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin to neutralize blood sugar levels. A high intake of sugar “wears out” the pancreas. When it can no longer handle the excessive sugar intake, diabetes results as we explained earlier.

The Glycemic Index (GI)

The glycemic index that measures the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels uses glucose as the reference food, giving it a glycemic index value of 100 by definition. Therefore, it is little wonder that of sugar also leads to a high Glycemic Index (GI) and its attendant side effects of depression, lethargy, mood swings, food cravings, nervousness and irritability. This is medically known as “” and is characterized by low blood sugar levels caused by the secretion of insulin from the pancreas to neutralize the sugar rush that comes from consuming high amounts of sugary, refined foods.

38 Sugars locked up naturally in whole grains and fruits are the complex and best forms in which they may be consumed and assimilated pleasantly. The liver burns their stored glucose gradually to provide sufficient energy for daily activity.

Carbohydrates that have a low glycemic index, being buffered by natural vegetable and fruit fibers, contribute to reducing the risk of diabetes. GI carbohydrates that slowly trickle glucose into our blood stream keep our energy levels balanced and make us feel fuller for longer between meals.

An example of a low GI diet would be:

• cereals based on , and bran • with whole grains, stone-ground flour, sour dough • Fruit and vegetables • Basmati or • , noodles, (especially whole grain) • Plenty of salad vegetables with a vinaigrette dressing • Reduced potato consumption (it is best to consume with the skin) 44

"The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you’re hungry again." George Miller45

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported a study in which 20 diabetics, all of whom needed insulin, were put on a high-fiber, low-fat diet. After only 16 days, 45% of these patients were able to discontinue with the insulin injections. 46

“Man digs his own grave with his knife and fork.” , Natural Foods Advocate

Summary

The lifestyle diseases of the 21st century have resulted in the paradox that more people are overweight than underweight; in spite of the remarkable advances of medical science, huge numbers of people die of preventable diseases; our affluence has reduced our physical activity and accelerated our mental activity with a resulting physio-psychic imbalance; psychic diseases and stress-related disorders have increased dramatically. The solution is to try and simplify our lives. More freedom comes from less need. In regards to food that means eating the way Mother Nature intended it to be. Increased consumption of whole foods like fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains would drastically reduce the twin scourges of obesity and malnutrition. It is in line with all of the latest available data on foods that are most appropriate to our current global lifestyle habits which have undergone massive changes in the past 50 years. Food which is in its most natural, fresh, and whole state as possible provides us with all the nutrients our bodies and minds need to live long, healthy and productive lives.

39 9. The Health Benefits of Sattvic Food

As stated in Chapter 3 the sattvic food category is considered the best food for the body and the mind. Most scientific research supports this ancient teaching of Yoga. The main categories of sattvic food are grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts and seeds. Let’s take a closer look at the main categories of sattvic food and see why they are for us.

Grains

Grains are the main food of the vegetarian diet. About 70-85% of the calories in grains come from carbohydrates, making grains the most important source of . They include rice, wheat, corn, barley, oats, , quinoa, , sorghum and products made from them such as bread, pasta, noodles and tortillas.

Whole grains in which the germ and the bran have not been removed are considered the best form in which to consume the grain. This is because whole grains retain the B-vitamins, minerals, important phytochemicals, antioxidants, fiber, plant sterols and .

Vitamins

Grains are rich in B-vitamins such as thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, biotin and folate. B-vitamins work together to convert carbohydrates, protein and fat to energy. Like Vitamin C, the B-vitamins are water-soluble. That means that they are not stored in the body but are excreted through the urine. They must be replenished through our diet.

Minerals

Minerals enable the body to quickly and accurately perform its activities. Minerals are needed for proper composition of body fluids, the formation of blood and bone and the maintenance of a healthy nerve function. There are two kinds of minerals: (i) the micro or trace minerals, such as , zinc, copper, , etc.; and the (ii) macro minerals, such as iron, potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium.

Minerals originally came from mother earth in the form of rocks. Over millions of years, Nature gradually erodes rocks into tiny particles. As plants grow, nutrients—including minerals—are taken up through their and deposited in the plant’s cellular structure. When the plant is digested by humans or animals, the minerals are easily absorbed into the body. Only a tiny amount of minerals are needed to maintain health.

Chromium

Chromium is often low in highly-processed diets. Chromium is essential for the of sugar (glucose). Eating six servings of whole grains per day provides us with 50-100% of our daily chromium needs.

40 Copper

Copper plays a role in energy production, connective tissue formation, iron metabolism as well as brain and nervous system function. Six servings of whole grains per day provide us with about half of our daily copper needs.

Zinc

Zinc is essential in growth, the immune response, neurological function and reproduction. Six servings of whole grains contribute 30-45% of our daily zinc needs.

Manganese

Manganese serves as an antioxidant to the mitochondria of cells, components highly susceptible to oxidative damage. 1 Six servings of whole grains per day provide us with our entire daily need.

Iron

Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional problem in the world. 2 The deficiency is more so in those consuming a meat-based diet than in those on a plant-based diet. Iron is necessary for oxygen transport and storage, energy metabolism and DNA synthesis. Six servings per day provide us with 20-40% of our daily iron needs.3 Believe it or not, spinach has 14 times the amount of iron than a serving of steak! Iron absorption is greatly facilitated with ample supplies of Vitamin C. 4

Fiber

Whole grains are one of the best sources of fiber. Fiber is bulky and helps us to reduce total food intake, as it gives us the feeling of fullness after a meal. The WHO recommends that we consume 30-50 grams of fiber daily. Our ancestors, the Australopithecus, consumed 150 g/day. I doubt if they ever suffered from constipation or piles!

There are two types of fiber: (i) insoluble fiber; and (ii) soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve or become gluey when mixed with water, like soluble fiber does. Insoluble fiber absorbs the water. By adding bulk to our stools it acts as a natural laxative that promotes healthy elimination and helps prevent constipation and hemorrhoids. Insoluble fiber helps to keep things moving through the bowel. All whole plant foods are good sources of insoluble fiber, especially wheat bran, bran, okra, psyllium, chia seeds and flaxseeds.

If you had to wipe your kitchen sink, would you use a sheet of paper or a moist sponge? Soluble fiber acts like a sponge inside the colon. It can absorb many times more than its own volume. Soluble fiber controls blood pressure, blood sugar and levels. It coats the gut lining and slows stomach emptying. Examples of soluble fiber are fruits, dried fruits, berries, legumes (beans), and potatoes.

41 The bowels pass out the toxins in our system which are the dead cells the body excretes along with other wastes. Through the bowels we eliminate 30-50 kg. of dead cells every year. If the bowels are clogged we excrete the waste in the form of mucus through the nose, eyes, ears, throat and through our sweat. It’s like throwing our garbage out of the window instead of the door!

I met an American mid-wife, Christine, working with IDEP, while I was doing relief work following the tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia in 2005. She told me that every week in Aceh she found women suffering from internal bleeding in the course of their pregnancies and deliveries. She found out that the diet of the Acehnese women whom she treated was primarily white rice, white flour, white sugar, fish and a few vegetables. Compare this to the diet of the tribal people in the mountains near Baguio, Philippines where Christine had previously worked, which excluded all refined foods and consisted mostly of tubers (yam, ), whole grain rice, fruits and vegetables. Christine said that she never came across a single case of miscarriage or internal bleeding during the entire 14 years that she worked with the tribal women there.

Dr. Denis P. Burkitt, British surgeon, studied Ugandan villagers of East Africa for many years, found that problems like obesity, diabetes, hernia and colon cancer did not exist there. Dr. Burkitt discovered that the diet of these people was high in fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains with no white sugar, white flour and refined carbohydrates. He found that the bowel transit time for a rural East African villager was twice as fast as that of the average Englishman. But as soon as the villagers moved to the cities and adopted the urban diet, they quickly developed the diseases commonly found in modern society.

Plant Sterols

Plant sterols found in whole grains appear to compete with dietary cholesterol, reducing its absorption from the stomach. Studies suggest that sterols can reduce our blood cholesterol levels and improve blood sugar control. 5

Processed Foods and Whole Grains

The Health Professionals’ Study involving 44,000 men revealed that those eating the highest amount of fiber had a 41% lower chance of heart attack compared to those eating the lowest amount of fiber. Those eating the most whole grains cut their risk of contracting cancer of the upper digestive tract by 70-80%, and by 50% for cancer of the stomach, colon and gall bladder compared to those eating the fewest whole grains. The same study found that there was a 42% lower chance of contracting Type 2 diabetes in men eating the highest amount of whole grains as compared to those eating the least amount. 6 The Nurses’ Health Study concluded that for every 5 g increase in whole grain consumption, the risk of heart disease dropped by 37%. 7

42 Today’s processing methods of grains remove the bran and the germ of the whole grain, two of the most nutritious parts. In order for the grains to remain longer on supermarket shelves, the best parts are removed. It is estimated that 95% of the phytochemicals, 80% of the fiber and 70% of the vitamins and minerals are removed by the processing of whole grains. This is why all nutrition experts recommend whole grains over refined grains (e.g. whole wheat bread over white bread, brown rice over white rice) in an effort to provide optimal health and avoid modern day illnesses.

“Refined” means that in the milling process the outer bran layer containing fiber and the B- vitamins and the germ containing vitamin E are removed. Back in the early part of the last century when refined foods became popular, the U.S. government declared that the food was depleted of nutrients. They ordered that the lost minerals and vitamins be re-added to the food, although the lost bran and germ are not. This food is then called, “enriched”. But “enriched” actually means adding back a small amount of the valuable nutrients that were lost in the first place.

Put in another way, it is like someone breaking your legs and then giving you a pair of crutches and saying, “I helped you walk”. 8

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are the other components of a healthy vegetarian diet and make up the bulk of the vegan diet. Most fruits and vegetables are very low in fat. All are cholesterol free. They are also outstanding sources of several vitamins and minerals as well as phytochemicals. Other important properties of fruits and vegetables are their high water composition, pH property and high nutrient density.

Positive Hydration Effect

Fruits and vegetables are 80% water. This closely resembles the percentage of water in our bodies, unlike meat which is about 15% water. Thus fruits and vegetables help in flushing out the digestive system to prevent constipation which, according to nature cure experts, is the starting point for many diseases. If we eat dry food, the body must use its store of liquid to prepare that food for assimilation and elimination. Hence drier foods have a “de- hydrating” effect on the body, whereas fruits and vegetables have a “re-hydrating” or water sparing effect.

Alkaline Ash

The alkaline ash (residue of the digestion process) of fruits and vegetables helps the body to maintain a balance of certain important minerals. On the contrary acid ash foods such as

43 meat and animal products results in the elimination of calcium through the urine thereby increasing the daily need for calcium and increasing the risk of osteoporosis. 9

Vegetables and Nutrient Density

Vegetables are the most nutrient dense foods in the diet. We can eat a large portion of nutrient dense food without a lot of calories. Vegetables provide more nutrients per 100 calories than most other foods. People can be healthy without eating rice or bread, but they cannot remain healthy if they go without vegetables. Unprocessed vegetables and fruits have remarkably high nutrient densities. Dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV) such as broccoli, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, spinach, kale and their locally available varieties are the most nutrient dense of all. No wonder Asians have much lower rates of heart disease and cancer. Have you ever walked through an Asian wet market? Greens of every kind that you could possibly imagine decorate the colorful bamboo baskets of the women hawkers. See Appendix, Table 3 at the end of the book for the nutrient density of common foods.

Phytochemicals

During the last few decades, scientists have discovered a whole new category of protective compounds loaded in each vegetable and fruit, collectively called “phytochemicals” (“phyto” means “plant”). Phytochemicals regulate growth and defend against attacks by or fungi. Many are antioxidants which help to neutralize destructive free radicals. Others have an anti-carcinogenic action which helps to rid our bodies of carcinogens (cancer-causing agents). They work to protect us from heart disease by reducing cholesterol production, blood pressure and damage to blood vessel walls. Well-known phytochemicals include soy isoflavones, carotenoids and bio-flavanoids. A -rich diet is available by taking a wide variety of whole plant foods.

Free Radicals and Anti-oxidants

Free radicals are molecules that have at least one unpaired electron. When an electron becomes unpaired, it becomes unstable. To regain its balance it must link up with another molecule. Free radicals normally bond with oxygen atoms in the cell membrane. This results in the malfunction or death of the cell. This phenomenon happens in the normal course of the body’s biochemical processes and the body is normally able to keep them under control.

A problem is created when too many free radicals are present in the body for too long a time. 10 Scientists say that free radicals are a cause for premature aging and contribute to several forms of cancer. Today’s modern lifestyle has exposed us to more free radicals than

44 ever before through air pollution, added chemicals in our food and water, stress, deep fried foods, smoking, etc.

Foods containing dark pigments, such as beets, tomatoes, papaya, mango, dark green leafy vegetables, and berries, have been shown to contain a high concentration of antioxidants, which are free radical scavengers. Antioxidants absorb the damage of the free radicals, thereby protecting our cellular membranes and our bodies from damage and destruction. Antioxidants are linked to a reduced risk of cataracts, heart disease, various forms of cancer and even wrinkles.

So the more our diet contains a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, unprocessed foods and whole grains, the more antioxidants our body will have to wipe out the free radicals. 11

Key Vitamins in Vegetables and Fruits

Vegetables and fruits contain almost every vitamin we need, except for B12 and D.

Vitamin A: The “vision vitamin”

Vitamin A helps us to see in dim light, prevents night blindness and other eye problems. Brightly colored orange, yellow and green fruits and vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and dark greens are the richest sources of pro-vitamin A carotenoids which are important antioxidants. A single provides enough pro-vitamin A carotenoids to meet our daily minimum vitamin A needs.

Vitamin C

We need Vitamin C in order to produce collagen, an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments and bones. Vitamin C helps to fight infection and is an effective antioxidant. Adequate Vitamin C intake is necessary to fully utilize the iron content found in plant foods. Our richest sources of Vitamin C include citrus fruits and other tropical fruits.

Vitamin D

People who are adequately exposed to sunlight do not need Vitamin D from foods or supplements. A cholesterol compound naturally present in our skin makes Vitamin D from ultra-violet rays. People with dark skin require substantially more sunlight for Vitamin D production.

45 Folate (Folic Acid)

Folate supports enzymes that are necessary for building cells and genetic material and for the metabolism of amino acids. Folate is especially important for women planning a pregnancy and in early pregnancy up to 3 months. A deficiency interferes with our neurological development and leads to neural tube defects such as spina bifida in babies. Derived from the word “foliage”, it is not surprising that the best sources of folates are dark green leafy vegetables (DLGV). Other important sources are citrus fruits, fruit juices, legumes and other vegetables. 12

There is evidence that homocysteine, an in the blood is related to a higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. It may have an effect on by damaging the inner lining of arteries and promoting blood clots. Plasma homocysteine levels are strongly influenced by diet, as well as by genetic factors. Inadequate folic acid intake allows homocysteine to prosper and contribute to carotid artery thickening. According to a recent survey, 40 per cent of the population does not consume enough folate to keep homocysteine levels low and this may well account for a fair proportion of heart disease in them. The major sources of folate are all plant-based, so most vegetarians have considerably higher intakes than meat eaters. Some studies show that only vegetarians and vegans achieve the recommended intake of this vitamin.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is needed for normal blood clotting. It may also play a role in bone health by making the proteins needed for bone metabolism. Greens are among our best bone builders due to the presence of Vitamin K.

Key Minerals

Potassium

Potassium works with sodium to keep the right amounts of fluids inside and outside of cells in balance and also to pass nerve impulses along to the nerve fibers. Bananas are one of the best sources of potassium. 13

Magnesium

Magnesium is necessary for strong bones and teeth (50-60% of the magnesium in the body is in the bones) and helps to convert food to usable energy. Our primary source is DGLV because the center of the chlorophyll molecule contains magnesium. Other good sources are vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

46 Legumes: Beans, Peas, Lentils and Soy Foods

Legumes have been cultivated for over 9000 years! There are 15,000 species in the family although we may be familiar with only a few.14 They are an important component of many ethnic dishes. Legumes are plants whose seeds are arranged in pods. When removed, they are our well-known beans such as soy, mung, red, white, garbanzo, kidney and lima.15 The percentage of calories from protein in , kidney beans, chick peas and is in the same general range as that from ground beef, cheddar cheese, cow’s milk and eggs.

Split peas and most beans are extremely low in fat though high in protein, fiber, iron and zinc.16 They are ideal for preventing chronic diseases and maintaining health. For diabetics and heart patients, legumes have been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and improve the control of blood sugar.

Beans and brown rice are the staple component of the macrobiotic diets from Japan and China.

The has been used for centuries in the Indian ayurvedic healing tradition for detoxifying the blood, neutralizing acidity and normalizing blood pressure while giving nutritional strength. 17

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are excellent sources of dietary fat. Seventy-five percent of the calories in nuts are provided by fat. But instead of saturated fats, much of this fat is healthy monounsaturated fat. Nuts contain fiber and protective phytochemicals, all of which protect us from heart disease. They are free from trans-fatty acids and cholesterol.

Nuts and seeds are also rich in Vitamin E, which is an excellent antioxidant. Nuts are rich sources of trace minerals such as selenium, copper, zinc and chromium. For example, a single Brazil provides us with our daily requirement of selenium! and seeds provide calcium. Cashews and pumpkin seeds are rich in zinc. are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Peanuts contain phytochemicals. Nuts are best consumed whole, unsalted and natural. Seeds are one of the most plentiful sources of essential fatty acids. 18

47 10. The Dangers of Fast Food

There’s the story about a Buddhist Monk who walks up to a New York City hot dog vendor and says "make me one with everything". The Monk hands the vendor a $20 bill. The vendor puts the bill into his pocket and the Monk inquires about his change. The vendor says, “change must come from within”.

Though fast food vendors are not so blatantly dishonest, the recent global expansion of the fast food industry is partly responsible for the massive upswing of modern diseases although their CEO’s would not like us to link the two.

The terms fast food and are interchangeable and synonymous. Junk food is defined as any food which is high in calories and low in nutrition. Most processed foods on supermarket and convenience store shelves such as snacks, biscuits, candies, pastries, soft drinks, etc. can be classified as junk food because they contain high degrees of harmful fats, sugar and refined ingredients. It is estimated that the processed foods industry is a $500 billion-a-year enterprise. By and large fast food menu selections fall into the same category.

Obesity is increasingly linked to the junk food diet gaining popularity everywhere. Since junk food has a low nutritional value we tend to eat more of it to satisfy our nutritional needs. Studies in the U.S. reveal that the rural poor who have limited access to supermarkets and have to buy more from convenience stores who carry limited varieties of food show higher rates of obesity than the general population. In addition, people on food stamps are more likely to be obese compared with higher income individuals. Whole unprocessed food in many countries tends to be more costly than cheaply produced junk food. Most junk food is derived from corn products which is the most heavily subsidized crop in the U.S.A. Refined corn is the chief source of carbohydrates and calories in most processed foods, particularly snack foods. 1

Sodium

Another cause of high blood pressure, osteoporosis and obesity comes from the overconsumption of sodium in most diets. Sodium is naturally present in most foods and water; our daily requirement (500 mg) is very low. Yet most North Americans consume five to ten times that amount! Seventy-five percent of all sodium in our diet comes from junk food and fast food. Another disadvantage of sodium is that its excess causes the body to lose calcium. Scientists estimate that every extra 1000 mg of sodium in the diet of adult women produces a bone loss of 1% every year. 2

Back in the good old days we used to say, “Nothing tastes better than Mom’s home cooked food”. But our post-modern society of speed, consumption and throw-aways has wiped out some of the simpler yet more wholesome pastimes such as eating in the home with family and friends. It reminds me of the joke I heard about American home : Mrs. Smith had cooked a halfway decent meal one night, and the old Mr. Smith had been goin’ at it

48 with gusto. He was about halfway finished his meal when he took a good long look at the potato. He looked over at Mrs. Smith and said, "This potato is bad." Mrs. Smith picked it up, smacked it, and put it back on his plate... then said, "If that potato causes any more trouble, you just let me know."

Perhaps one of the greatest examples of the decay of our life quality comes in the type of food which can be found in major cities of the world with the increasing predominance of the monoculture of fast food inexorably replacing locally produced, ethnic food.

Obesity Rates and Fast Food Consumption

Statistics reveal an increasing link with the rates of heart disease, obesity and diabetes and the popularity of fast food outlets that serve flavorful, denatured food at rock-bottom prices. The food service industry with its links to the meat, poultry and dairy industries are contributing to three evils of modern society: alarming rates of obesity, degradation of our natural resources and heartless . Hiding behind cleverly manipulated advertising images that promote care of animals, antiseptically pure foods and healthy consumers, the purveyors of “fast” food have pulled off a massive deception of the general public in the name of increasing profits for their shareholders.

The link between obesity rates and the emergence of the fast food corporations is clear and unmistakable. Between 1983 and 1994 in Great Britain, the number of fast food restaurants doubled—and so did the obesity rate amongst adults. 3 Since 1980 obesity rates have doubled in adults and tripled in children in the U.S.A. Americans spend more money every year on fast foods than they do on college, new cars or computers! 4 The British now eat more fast food than any other nation in Europe. They also have the highest obesity rate. 5

In their 1997 report Food, Nutrition and Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective the American Institute for Cancer Research said that, “60-70% of all cancers can be prevented by staying physically active, not smoking and choosing predominantly, plant-based diets rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits, legumes and minimally processed starchy staple foods.” 6 Yet if we survey the menu in any fast food outlet we hardly notice the presence of any fresh vegetables (let alone fruits) amidst the myriad choices of hamburgers, French fries, soft drinks, McNuggets or other assorted fattening foods. How pervasive are fast food items in our diet? Twenty-five percent of all vegetables consumed in the United States are fried potatoes (read French fries)! 7

Super Size Me Film

Morgan Spurlock’s 2004 real-time documentary Super Size Me graphically illustrated the effects of fast foods on our health and well-being.8 Spurlock decided to undergo a 30-day McDonald’s “fast”, in which he vowed to eat only McDonald’s products three times a day, including super-size hamburgers if prompted by the teller at the serving counter. We see how all of Spurlock’s vital health signs creep towards the danger zone in a progressively worsening health crisis: blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, liver dysfunction, depression, impotency and weight. His intake during that period was double the

49 recommended USDA level and supervising physicians compared his high-fat diet to a severe binge of alcoholism. Though he was of above-average health when he started his “fast” it took him 14 months to regain his normal weight! 9

The McLibel Case

Dr. Devi Shetty, a renowned heart specialist from Bangalore, India concluded: “Eating junk food confuses the secretion of the body’s digestive enzymes thereby contributing to heart disease”. It was one of the main points that two British eco-activists--Helen Steel and David Morris operating out of their cramped one-roomed London flat-- attempted to bring home to the British public with their 6-page leaflet, “What’s Wrong With McDonald’s” which they began distributing outside a McDonald’s restaurant in 1996. The battle in which the two unemployed activists were sued for libel by the global giant, made for a David and Goliath story that was fully exploited by the British press. After two and a half years of haggling and court battles, in what became the longest trial in English legal history, Judge Bell in the McLibel suit case ruled in favor of one of the leaflet’s assertions that McDonald’s food endangers the health of customers who eat there several times a week. On March 31, 1999 Court of Appeal upheld that decision. 10 Ms. Steel and Mr. Morris then took their case to the European Court of Human Rights, claiming that they were denied legal aid. The Court upheld the claims that their right to a fair hearing and their freedom of expression were violated and awarded them 82,311.17 Euros in compensation. 11

Dr. Neal Barnard, President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine offers us another view of the effects of fast foods: “The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this [20th] century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of ‘real food for real people,’ you’d better live real close to a real good hospital.” 12

50 11. The Milk Question

As stated earlier, the is lacto-vegetarian; that is it includes milk and milk products. Recent research has indicated several negative results from consuming too much dairy. On the other hand, including dairy products in the diet ensures an adequate supply of Vitamin B12 and other essential fatty acids, which sometimes may be lacking in a vegan diet. Let’s look at the pros and cons of cow’s milk in the vegetarian diet.

Osteoporosis

The overconsumption of milk products in the predominantly Western diet, which also includes meat, fish and eggs, is one of the reasons for the high incidence of osteoporosis (bone fractures) in middle-aged women. In a seven-year study of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, more than 1,000 women ages 65-80 years were grouped into three categories: high ratio of animal to vegetable protein; middle range; and low range. The women in the high ratio range had three times the rate of bone loss and nearly four times the rate of hip fractures as the women in the low group. 1

The countries with the highest consumption of dairy products, namely Finland, , USA and the UK, are also the countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis. 2

Most Chinese consume no dairy products and instead get all their calcium from vegetables. Although the Chinese consume only half the calcium Westerners do, osteoporosis is uncommon in China. Moreover you do not have to eat the recommended daily allowance of calcium to have healthy bones. Although recommended daily intakes of calcium vary according to age, it has been considered very difficult to ascertain how much calcium we need since there are many factors that interact together. Acceptable daily intakes of calcium for adults in the USA and is 1000 mg. The WHO finds that most on calcium levels as low as 400 mg per day have no calcium deficiencies.3

Dairy fat contains 65% saturated fat; it is a moderate source of cholesterol.

Fortunately not all countries follow the USA’s lead in converting cows into cash factories. The treatment of cows in Europe is much more humane. The Dutch food safety program bans the use of hormones as growth stimulants and limits the speed of production lines. Sweden outlawed factory farming practices in 1987. Most American beef cannot be exported to the European Union, which also bans the use of the recombinant bovine (rBGH). 4 The EC declared eleven of America’s meat packers ineligible to export their products to Europe. 5 Line speeds in European factory farms are three to six times slower than in American ones. A former German minister of agriculture, Renate Kuenast as part of his country’s target to be 20% organic by 2010, stated, “Our cows should get only water, grass and grain”. 6 Almost all of the in Argentina are grass-fed.7 No factory farms exist in India, the world’s largest consumer of dairy products. Cows are treated as part of the family and sometimes even more!

51 Calcium Absorption Rates

Although we used to consider cow’s milk as a valuable source of calcium, certain plant foods have higher calcium availability than cow’s milk does. That’s because it is not only the amount of calcium present in a food which is important. In order for our body to utilize calcium the food must have a good calcium-to- ratio. For example, foods whose calcium are least available because the calcium/phosphorus ratio is so low are: liver, chicken, beef, and fish. When there isn’t enough calcium in the bloodstream, our bodies will leach it from existing bone. The metabolic result is that our skeletons will become porous and lose strength over time setting the stage for osteoporosis later in life.

Below are the calcium absorption rates for certain foods.

Brusell Sprouts 63.8% Mustard Greens 57.8% Broccoli 52.6% Turnip Greens 51.6% Kale 50% Cow’s milk 32% 8

There are two other factors that contribute to bone strength apart from calcium: regular exercise and normal (not excessive) quantities of protein. 9 As Dr. Linn Goldberg aptly puts it: “If the effects of exercise could be bottled, it would be the most widely prescribed medication”. 10 Dr. John McDougall says, “The many studies performed in the past 55 years consistently show that the most important dietary change that we can make if we want to create a positive calcium balance that will keep our bones solid is to decrease the amount of proteins we eat each day”.11Protein in the body is broken down into amino acids. Excess protein results in an overly acidic condition that has to be neutralized. So the body dissolves bone to produce calcium phosphate, an alkaline.

Lactose Intolerance

Milk contains a milk sugar called lactose, which has to be broken down into glucose and galactose before milk can be digested. It is estimated that about half the world’s adult population are lactose-intolerant including 90% of the Mongolian race. For such people drinking milk leads to nausea, cramps, bloating, gas and diarrhea. Even in New Zealand a milk-consuming nation, now affects in every five persons as industrial agricultural practices take hold there. Of all only humans continue to drink milk beyond their infant years.

Summary

So the consumption of milk is a very open question today as our chapter title indicates. Milk is part of many of the ills attributed to an animal-based diet. However statistics support the overall health benefits of a lacto-vegetarian diet as compared to an animal-based diet. In some parts of the world, milk consumption is more risky than in other parts. In many

52 countries milk is produced by small-scale or peasant farmers whose methods of raising and caring for cows are much more humane and conducive to healthy milk than the methods practiced in developed countries. Gradually adequate replacements for cow’s milk are being introduced into our global dietary choices. When included in the lifestyle advocated in the Tantra Yoga system (see Chapter 14), dairy products have a proper role in providing food that is good for the body and good for the mind.

53 12. Not All Fats Are Bad

“If we eat wrongly, no doctor can cure us; if we eat rightly, no doctor is needed.” Dr. Victor G. Rocine 1

In an obese world, we tend to believe that all foods containing fats are bad, while those without fat are good. Not so. Experts now say it is more important the type of fats that we consume instead of the amount of fat. There are some fats that are “good” which are a necessary part of a well-balanced diet. Let’s look at the spectrum of foods containing fat and see how they measure up.

Essential fatty acids are acids that we must obtain from outside sources. Of the three types of fats: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, it is the polyunsaturated fats that contain the two essential fatty acids that we must obtain from outside sources. Generally the saturated fats are the “bad” fats and the mono- and poly-unsaturated are the “good” fats. The two other most damaging types of fats when eaten in excess are trans-fatty acids and cholesterol.

Saturated Fat

Studies indicate that excessive intake of saturated fat increases our risk for heart diseases, several cancers, gallstones and kidney disease. Primary sources are animal fat and dairy. Saturated fat is hard at room temperature. Many governments recommend that saturated fat should not exceed 10% of our daily calorie intake.

What about coconut oil and palm oil? It appears that the trouble with saturated fat comes from animal sources and not plant sources. Studies suggest that moderate amounts of coconut or tropical oils as part of a high-fiber, plant-based diet, does not increase heart attack risk. Coconut oil is a wonderful anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-pathogenic food which contains lauric acid usually only found in mother’s milk.

Trans-Fatty Acids

Trans-fatty acids raise total cholesterol, while lowering HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). They also raise damaging Lp(a) which is a particularly harmful form of LDL cholesterol or “bad” cholesterol. Bad cholesterol (LDL) is produced by the liver to deactivate acidic waste caused by fats and animal protein.

Trans-fatty acids produce cell membranes that are defective—they have pin holes in them making them easy targets for viruses to gain entry.2

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, trans-fatty acids double the risk of heart attack.3 Eating trans-fatty acids in margarine, vegetable shortening, and partially

54 hydrogenated vegetable oils probably increases cancer risks, promotes inflammation, and accelerates aging and degenerative changes in tissues. Ninety percent of trans-fatty acids come from hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. These fats are widely used in processed foods such as crackers, chips, snack foods, pies, cakes, pastries, cookies and other baked goods. Hydrogenated oils are widely used in the fast food industry and in all deep fried foods.

WHO/FAO Diet and Diseases suggests that daily intakes of trans-fatty acids should be less than 1% of calories, e.g. for a 2,000 calorie diet it means 2.0 g of trans-fatty acids. See a list of common trans-fatty foods in the Appendix, Table 5.

Cholesterol

The body makes about 800-1,000 mg. of cholesterol daily so we don’t need any additional cholesterol from food. Too much cholesterol causes blood cholesterol levels to rise, increasing the risk of blood clots, heart attack and stroke. The WHO recommends that we limit daily cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg. High cholesterol sources include eggs, meat, and moderate levels in dairy. All plant foods are cholesterol free. One has 273 mg. of cholesterol.

Monounsaturated Fats

Monounsaturated fat has been shown to have neutral or slightly beneficial effects on health with minimal effects on blood cholesterol levels. Oils rich in monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature but become cloudy when refrigerated. The richest sources of monounsaturated fats are olives, , canola oil, , most nuts, high-oleic unrefined sunflower oil and high-oleic unrefined safflower oil. These are the best oils for cooking.

Polyunsaturated Fats

Within these fats are the essential fatty acids (EFAs) that are not made by the body but which we must obtain from outside sources. These fats are necessary for healthy cell membranes; they lower cancer risk, reduce cardiovascular risk factors and help reduce fat production in the body. They are critical to the development and functioning of the brain and nervous system.

There are two distinct families of polyunsaturated fats: i. the omega-6 family; and ii. the omega-3 family. Within each is one essential fatty acid. In the omega-6 it is the linoleic acid (LA) and in the omega-3 it is the alpha-linoleic acid (ALA).

55 LA sources are: seeds and seed oils (sunflower, safflower, sesame, pumpkin); nuts and nut oils (walnuts); grains and grain oils (corn, wheat germ); and soybeans and oil.

ALA sources are: seeds and seed oils (, canola, ); nuts and nut oils ( and butternuts); dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV-broccoli, etc); seaweeds, pumpkin seeds, soybeans, soybean oil and cold water fish.

If we eat 2,000 calories per day we need 12-18 g of omega-6 fatty acids and 3-6 g of omega-3 fatty acids.

One teaspoon of flaxseed oil or one and a half tablespoon of ground flaxseed, plus your usual intake of vegetables and other foods provides plenty of omega-3.

A study by Oxford University’s Department of Physiology published in the U.S. journal Pediatrics found that the reading and spelling abilities of underachieving British children’s were dramatically improved when their diets were supplemented with foods containing omega-3 fatty acids — essential for brain development but missing from modern processed foods. 4

Because of their sensitivity EFAs need to be cold-pressed, stored and used with care. Oils and fats degenerate and turn rancid quickly releasing a high amount of free radicals when exposed to high temperature and light.

Cold-Pressed Oils

Most commercial vegetable oils are heated to high temperatures during processing and mixed with various chemicals to force the oil quickly out of the seeds. The chemicals are not good for us and the heat destroys the nutritional goodness.

Cold-pressed means that the oil was pressed out of the seeds using only pressure. Since high heat was not used to extract the oil, most of the vitamins and goodness in the oils are preserved. Most cold-pressed oils are sold in darkened bottles to reduce exposure to light.

Why not just eat fish since it is full of fatty acids? Fish is our most concentrated source of two types of contaminants: heavy metals (lead, mercury, etc) and industrial pollutants (DDT, dioxin, etc.). Additionally 70% of our global fish populations are overexploited or depleted. 5

56 High Fat and Healthful

The “good” fats are naturally present in fresh nuts, seeds, soybeans, avocadoes, olives and other plant foods. They are far superior to the chemically altered fats in margarine, shortening, hydrogenated vegetable oils or the saturated fats in animal products.

Six Simple Steps for Controlling Fat Intake

1. Aim for 15-20% of calories from fat. (Today in the typical American diet, 37% of calories come from fat)6 2. Minimize intake of trans-fatty acids. 3. Limit foods rich in saturated fats. 4. Moderate intake of omega-6 fatty acids. 5. Select reliable sources of omega-3 fatty acids each day. 6. Rely on whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables for the bulk of your diet.

What’s Better: Butter or Margarine?

1. Butter has 8 gm of saturated fat as compared to 5 gm for margarine. 2. Butter has many natural nutritional benefits whereas margarine has only a few which are added. 3. Margarine is composed of vegetable oils. Some of these oils may be polyunsaturated, i.e. corn, soy or safflower. But the process of hydrogenation that converts these oils into margarine produces saturated fats. That’s why margarine goes hard when placed in the refrigerator. The more saturated a fat, the higher the temperature at which it will liquefy. 4. The heat and chemicals required to change vegetable oils into margarine convert their fatty acids into trans-fatty acids. 5. Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53%, compared to eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study. 6. Bottom line: choose butter over margarine.

As one consumer put it: “I trust cows more than scientists!”

57 13. FAQ About the Sattvic Vegetarian Diet

1. Is it possible to get enough protein on a vegetarian diet?

Absolutely. It’s actually difficult to become protein deficient unless you quit eating altogether! In fact every food except fruit, fat and sugar contains protein. Just about all unrefined foods contain significant amounts of protein. Potatoes are 11% protein, oranges 8%, beans 26% and tofu 34%. In fact, people have been known to grow at astounding rates (doubling their body size in only six months) on a diet of only 5% protein! These people are infants and they do it during the first 6 months of life, fueled by , which contains just 5% protein! Compare this with a meat-eating diet which contains about 30% of calories from protein. 1

2. How much protein do I need, anyway?

The rule of thumb used by the National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board is 0.57 grams of protein for every kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight. That is 1 gram for every 4 pounds or 41 grams for a 160 pound man. Athletes may require more protein (0.8 to 1.0 grams per kilogram of bodyweight), an amount easily obtainable from a vegetarian diet.

We tend to think that “more is better”. But this is not so in the case of protein. Excess protein consumption can cause a variety of problems including bone mineral loss, kidney damage, gall bladder stones, kidney stones, rheumatism, arthritis and dehydration. Your body can only use so much protein. The excess is either broken down through oxidization, placing an enormous strain on the kidneys, or it is stored as body fat.2 Too much protein can have a negative effect on calcium balance. Excess protein is an important factor in the epidemic of osteoporosis among affluent North Americans.3

High protein diets for weight loss, disease prevention, and enhanced athletic performance have been greatly publicized over recent years. However, these diets are supported by little scientific research. Studies show that the healthiest diet is one that is high-carbohydrate, low-fat, and moderate in protein.4

Latest research is linking the drop in the puberty age of girls in the USA from 17 to 12 years and the late onset of menopause (4 years later) with the hormones found in milk and beef as well as obesity. 5

3. What’s the difference between complete and incomplete proteins?

Animal protein contains all nine of the essential amino acids, so it has been referred to as a "complete" protein. The nine essential amino acids can also be found in plant proteins, however no single plant source contains all nine of them with the exception of the soyabean. Therefore, plant protein has been referred to as "incomplete."

58 It was once widely believed that vegetarians had to carefully combine plant protein sources in each meal in order to obtain all nine essential amino acids. However, scientific studies have shown that the human body can store essential amino acids and combine them as necessary. So, while combining beans and rice, or peanut butter and bread produces a complete protein, it’s not necessary to consciously do this at every meal. If you eat a varied diet and adequate calories, combining proteins is not an issue. 6

4. Are vegetarian diets always healthy?

Not always. If a vegetarian replaces the meat with high fat and oil, they’re not helping matters much. It’s also important to remember that there’s no meat in ice , potato chips, and fudge brownies. It’s certainly possible to be a vegetarian and still consume large quantities of high-fat empty calories. Vegetarian or not, a is low in cholesterol and saturated fat and is based around fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Eliminating the meat doesn’t automatically make for a healthy diet.

5. What about the availability of Vitamin B12 in the vegetarian diet?

The RDA for Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) is miniscule: 2.4 micrograms. One microgram (mcg) is equal to 1 millionth of a gram!

Vitamin B12 is constantly being produced throughout the environment by bacteria. 7 When cattle graze they ingest plants or drink water that are carrying the microorganisms that produce the Vitamin. Vitamin B12 is found in animal products so if one were a lacto- vegetarian there is no problem. Surveys have not found deficiencies in traditionally vegetarian communities. For the vegan, reliable Vitamin B12 sources are fortified non-dairy beverages (fortified soya milk) and some .

Some experts believe that the consumption of organic food with its presence of many trace minerals may also provide our RDA of Vitamin B12.

More research is needed to determine whether the B12 requirements of vegetarians are the same as for non-vegetarians.

6. Is a vegetarian diet safe for children and teenagers?

According to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarian diets satisfy the needs of infants, children, and adolescents and promote normal growth. Emphasis should be placed on foods rich in calcium, iron, and zinc. They also stress that growing children need frequent meals and snacks, and that it’s okay for children to have some refined foods and foods that are higher in fat in order to meet their energy demands.

59 7. Aren’t vegetarians frail and weak?

No, that is a myth. Former champion bodybuilder, Bill Pearl is a vegetarian. So is the legendary 6’8, 320 pound wrestler, Killer Kowalski; fitness , Jack LaLanne; Olympic gold medalists, Carl Lewis and Edwin ; and 6-time Ironman Triathlon winner, Dave Scott, just to name a few. Strong vegetarians from the animal kingdom include bulls, elephants, rhinos, horses, and gorillas. It is estimated that gorillas have 17 times the strength of humans! It is interesting to note that the gentle animals such as cow, deer, buffalo and monkey are herbivores, while the cunning and cruel animals such as tiger, fox, jackal and sharks are carnivores. All animals working for human welfare are vegetarians: cow, elephant, buffalo, horse, donkey, camel, etc. They can work for long hours and are friendly towards human beings unless mistreated. The carnivorous dog and dolphin are two notable exceptions! On the other hand all cats big or small are pure meat eaters. They sleep a lot and cannot do any work for us, besides catching mice (sorry cat lovers)!

“I found that a person does not need protein from meat to be a successful athlete. In fact, my best year of track competition was the first year I ate a vegan diet.” Carl Lewis, Nine time Olympic gold medalist

Some people who make the abrupt change from a meat-based diet to a vegetarian diet, may feel weak. This is because our cells take time to adjust to the new nutrient supply. One way to prevent this feeling, is to gradually wean ourselves off of meat. It means to go from eating red meat to poultry, then from poultry to seafood, and so on until our diet is completely vegetarian.

8. Aren’t animals meant to be eaten? Haven’t humans been since the earliest of times?

In prehistoric times, man was a hunter and killed his prey to survive. He was also a berry picker and a leaf eater. Over the course of evolution humans have evolved more rationality, more sensitivity and higher awareness. Our instincts cannot tolerate the sights or sounds of animals being killed. We keep animals as our , as their love and affection uplifts our spirits. In the same way, animals which are slaughtered for our food have feelings, emotions and love. It degrades human intellect to continue to eat meat when hundreds of healthier and cheaper alternatives are readily available. Just as our lives are valuable to us, so animals’ lives are valuable to them. Nobody wants to leave this world willingly—all want to preserve their existence for as long as they can.

9. Aren’t humans natural carnivores?

Actually, a vegetarian diet suits the human body better than a diet that includes meat. Carnivorous animals have claws, short digestive tracts, and long, curved fangs. Humans have flat, flexible nails, and our so-called “canine” teeth are minuscule compared to those of carnivores and even compared to vegetarian like gorillas and orangutans. Our tiny canine teeth are better suited to biting into fruits than tearing through tough hides. We have flat molars and long digestive tracts that are suited to diets of vegetables, fruits, and grains.

60 While dogs can eat a half a kilo of butter and show no signs of arterial plaque, when humans eat too much saturated fat from animal sources, thickening of the artery walls is a natural result.

“You put a baby in a crib with an and a rabbit. If it eats the rabbit and plays with the apple, I’ll buy you a new car”. Harvey Diamond () Let’s take another example. Instead of inviting your friends over for an afternoon barbeque if you were to suggest to them that they share a side carcass of cow, do you think they would find that very appetizing? While in our long evolutionary advancement we may have consumed meat out of necessity it is not necessary or compatible today with the ongoing development of human consciousness.

10. How can I enjoy life without eating meat and sea foods?

After her 21-day body cleanse in which she abstained from coffee, alcohol and animal products, Oprah Winfrey’s apprehension, (“What is left?”) became a comprehension, (“I never realized meatless meals could be so satisfying.”)8

Did you ever stop to think where the “taste” comes from in the meat? It is from all of the spices we use! In other words the taste is in the plants that up our meat. Unseasoned meat is hardly palatable! If we can make decaying flesh taste delicious, imagine how more delightful it would be to savor the rich varieties of plant foods! It is a matter of adjustment of the taste buds which is not as difficult as one might think.

Nowadays the proliferation of imitation “meats” in the form of soya meat, and their numerous varieties enables one to make the transition more smoothly.

11. I am trying to be a vegetarian but the pressure to conform to the majority is strong. What do I do?

Be firm in your convictions about why you are making the shift either for reasons of health, ethics, animal welfare, environment or a combination of all the above. Be well-informed about the superior advantages of a plant-based diet.

Network and socialize with other vegetarians through online forums, local vegetarians groups, local vegetarian cafes and vegetarian events.

Learn some simple recipes that taste delicious and are nutritious. There are numerous vegetarian available with lots of easy-to-prepare, wholesome dishes.

Compare how you feel while consuming a meat meal and a vegetarian meal. Analyze how you feel after eating those two types of meals. Share your personal experiences with others since that is genuine.

Be kind and compassionate in your discussions on vegetarianism with those who are not. Your own good example is 50% of the battle already. While you should respect everyone’s

61 right to their own opinions, state yours clearly and objectively without sounding self- righteous.

12. How can you justify drinking milk when cows are treated so cruelly in factory farms?

Fortunately not all cows live in factory farms like in the USA. Certainly there are substantial and convincing ethical and health reasons not to consume milk that is produced in factory farms.

But the lacto-vegetarian diet advocated here is the most acceptable diet for our current global situation. India has a long tradition of treating cows with utmost care (the term “sacred cow” comes from the Indian sub-continent) and milk has formed a substantial part of their vegetarian diet for thousands of years. They consider milk to be the perfect food.

The fat naturally present in cow’s milk is utilized by the Yoga practitioner in higher meditation practices. The loving and gentle nature of a cow in its natural habitat means that its milk is highly sentient for spiritual practitioners.

A cow in its natural habitat provides enough milk for its calf and still has spare for human consumption so nobody is inconvenienced.

Nevertheless with the advances in science and the increasing availability of alternative milk sources (soya, rice, ) the value of cow’s milk will slowly diminish.

In developed countries, conscious consumers may prefer to obtain their milk from free range cows or trusted local sources.

13. Onions and garlic add a tremendous flavor to vegetarian dishes. How can I cook vegetarian meals without them?

Actually there are numerous spices in a vegetarian cook’s pantry which will provide all of the flavors that we get from onions and garlic. Though you may not be familiar with them, spices such as , , , , green chilies, lemon grass, leaves, curry leaves, black mustard seeds and are some of the more common spices used in the sattvic vegetarian diet.

For a daily practitioner of Tantra meditation and Yoga postures the elimination of onions, garlic and mushrooms from the diet takes its own natural course as one becomes more habituated in the practice. For a non-meditator why not experiment and see for yourself the result of omitting these three food items from your vegetarian diet?

62 14. Yoga’s Healthy Lifestyle

“Change of diet will not help a man who does not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he will no longer desire impure food.” 1 James Allen

The role of food in achieving and maintaining good health is very important. Yet it is one component of several others which together will ensure not only excellent physical health but also a sharp mind and a compassionate spirit. That’s because good health can only be achieved when we keep a balance between the different aspects of our body-mind-spirit complex.

We will touch upon some of the other essential Yogic practices that will ensure we obtain an optimum level of health and happiness.

In the Ananda Marga Yoga lifestyle, the entire practices have been codified into 16 Points. These practical techniques have a positive impact on our body, mind and spirit. A few of these points are mentioned here.

Daily Bath

For cleanliness of body and mind a daily bath is essential. Although some parts of the world may be too cold or too dry for this practice, the effect of water on our body and mind is well known.

A daily bath imparts vigor and coolness to the body. Higher mental practices (meditation) should be performed with a cool and clean body. If we are hot and sweaty it will be difficult to gather our mental energies and perform good meditation. A bath purifies our skin and the subtle effect of water prepares us psychologically for the practice of meditation. That is why the Yogic tradition in India (whose climate is generally warm) always recommended a daily bath prior to higher mental pursuits.

So as not to put excess strain on the heart at the time of taking bath and to adjust the body to the temperature of the water, it is recommended to first pour the water from the navel downwards. Since the navel area is the hub of energy production and metabolic activity it needs to be cooled first. Thereafter pour another mug full of water from the lower back (directly opposite the navel) downwards. A third mug will pour water from the top of the head, trickling down the spinal column so as to cool all of the energy centres (cakras) in the spine. Thereafter one is ready for a complete bath.

63 It is recommended to use normal tap water for taking a bath. However in the case of cold climates, lukewarm water is recommended. In some cold countries, people who take very cold baths have been known to remain free from coughs and colds since the immune system develops a very strong resistance to bacteria. A hot water bath is not recommended since the heat tends to weaken the nerves and circulatory system and leaves us feeling lethargic.

Half Bath

Sometimes it is not always convenient to take a full bath. In those cases, it is recommended to take a “half bath” without soap. The effect of half bath is similar to the full bath in that it cools our nerves and brain thus leaving us more relaxed and alert. Half bath is recommended before meals, sleep and the practice of meditation.

The method for taking half bath is:

Wet the navel area or pour water down the navel area.

Pour water on the lower legs from the knees downwards.

Pour water on the lower arms from the elbows downwards.

Wash the face, neck and ears.

Hold water in the mouth and splash the open eyes 12 times. This action induces the diving reflex which causes the slowing of the heart and redistribution of the blood flow away from the fingers and toes towards the heart and brain. This occurs when the face is immersed in cold water, and is a remnant of our aquatic mammalian ancestry.

Hold water in the palm and tilt the head backward while ingesting the water through the nostrils. While uncomfortable at first, this practice (known as nostril cleansing or “nasapan”) will help to eliminate colds and sinus troubles as we clear the excess mucus from the nasal and upper respiratory passage.

The half bath cools about 45% of the total body surface redistributing the blood flow in these parts of the body. Cooler blood from the skin is sent to the deeper organs and the warmer blood from the deeper organs is pumped out to the skin for cooling. The advantage of half bath is that it is quick, simple and effective in cooling us down before doing any type of mental work. Half bath before sleep cools the rear neck and lower head portion thus helping to prevent nightmares and providing us with a deep, restful sleep. The half bath is somewhat similar to the Islamic practice of washing the limbs before .

64 Asanas (Yoga Postures)

Although nowadays the craze is to do “Yoga”, what most people know as Yoga is actually called “asana” in the classical Yoga tradition. Asana means “posture comfortably held”. That’s important to remember when you are trying to imitate your teacher in that pretzel like contortion that is supposed to help you to lose pounds! The practice of asana should bring comfort to the body and composure to the mind. Otherwise it is no different from dozens of other sports that emphasize physical fitness, firm muscles and cardio-vascular strength.

But in the classical system of Astaunga Yoga, first propounded by the sage Patanjali, asanas were the 3rd of 8 limbs (astaunga means eight limbs) culminating in the realization of Yoga or Oneness. That is because when asanas are properly done they will endow the practitioner with subtle awareness, calm centeredness, peaceful disposition and an introversive nature— all useful prerequisites for attaining a higher mental state.

In the Ananda Marga system of Yoga asanas, it is recommended for one to strive to become a vegetarian since a plant-based diet is an ideal complement to the subtle effects that asanas produce in the body. The two go hand-in-hand in a gradual transformation of one’s thoughts, awareness and outlook. The gentleness of Yoga poses synchronizes with the compassion for all life that a vegetarian diet symbolizes. The ancient Yogis in their pursuit of higher consciousness, ate from the berries, fruits and roots of their forest habitats. They evolved some of the Yoga asanas (cobra, hare, tortoise, peacock) by observing the psychic specialties that Nature had bestowed upon certain animals and tried to imbibe those characteristics by imitating their mannerisms or physical features.

Asanas and Hormonal Secretions

Perhaps the greatest benefit of asanas lies in their regulation of the secretion of hormones from the endocrine glands. Latest research indicates that the endocrine glands are the main factors that provide the body with its homeostasis, or ability to regulate itself naturally against disease and bacteria. Our endocrine glands (pineal, pituitary, thyroid, thymus, adrenals, pancreas, ovaries and testes) secrete various hormones that regulate physical functions and maintain mental well-being. For example, when you feel threatened by an unknown danger as you walk in a dark forest or lonely place, the over-secretion of adrenalin prepares you mentally to face the danger: the breathing is constricted, our sense of hearing becomes more acute, blood rushes from the stomach to the heart, the hands tremble. This is known as the “fight or flight” response. The body’s ancient method of dealing with danger was either to confront the danger head on, or to escape from it.

65 It is the contribution of Yoga to medical science that it has identified approximately 50 major mental propensities that humans experience. These propensities (love, deep thinking, welfare, hatred, jealousy, etc.) are expressed through the secretion of hormones from the endocrine glands. It for this reason that a mother’s propensity of nurturing is most pronounced at the time of nourishing her baby, or a father’s sense of responsibility is re- enforced when his child is born.

By their gentle pressure on one or more of these glands, asanas help to regulate the secretion of hormones from the endocrine glands. Hence Yoga poses are held for a certain length of time and are combined with breathing to exert subtle pressure on the gland to secrete the requisite hormones that will bring the propensity back into balance. That is why Yoga asanas are referred to as “innercizes” for their effects are as much mental as they are physical, unlike other exercises.

A regular practice of Yoga asanas will keep our body fit and free from disease. They are a type of preventive medicine that provides a general boost to our immune system and other bodily systems. The deep breathing and deep relaxation that accompanies an asanas practice connects the practitioner to the immense reservoirs of vital energy that underlie and reside within air. The creative visualizations that are performed along with the asana poses imbue our mind with positive energy and leave us relaxed yet enthusiastic to face the challenges of daily life.

As human consciousness evolves the subtler benefits of asanas will be recognized more by medical science and the real meaning of the Yoga practice will become known and embraced. Already it has been found that Yoga practice improves depression, anxiety and concentration. Today’s Yoga movement will give way to a new lifestyle that not only encourages physical health but also mental expansion and spiritual kindness underpinned by a universal social outlook.

Meditation

While the effects of asanas are mainly physio-psychic, the effects of meditation are mainly psycho-spiritual. By spiritual we do not mean ghosts and spirits! Spiritual is another word for “higher mental”. While we solve math problems, design a car engine or navigate the Web, these may be considered mental activities related to the physical world. But higher mental activities engage our mental faculties in subtler pursuits.

Meditation is one such activity that directs our mental energies to the spiritual world. A spiritual person is one who exhibits higher mental qualities: love, kindness, compassion, courage, rationality, empathy, benevolence, humility. “It is the weak who are cruel,

66 gentleness can only be expected from the strong.”2 A spiritual person is not a weakling. They employ their higher mental faculties in the pursuit of truth and justice and their actions reflect coherence to that goal.

Meditation practice is based on the common psychological that: “as you think, so you become”. The meditation as taught in Ananda Marga is to focus the mind on a word (mantra) having a spiritual meaning: Universal Love or Universal Peace. The constant practice of meditating on one idea embodied in the word will slowly and gradually transform the practitioner’s thoughts and behavior towards subtleness and higher awareness.

One evening an old African chief told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside everyone. He said, "My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is . It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Chief simply replied, "The one you feed."

Just as eating certain kinds of food will create sentient body cells, by ideating upon certain types of ideas, we reformat our mental cells (called ectoplasmic cells). Over a period of time, our body-mind complex begins to function on a new level of consciousness altogether, which is subtle, clear and serene. Lower expressions of an animal-type nature (lust, anger, dominance, arrogance) give way to a more human level of expression.

The Results of Scientific Studies on Meditation and Yoga

Though Yoga practices have been around for thousands of years, there have been very few serious scientific studies of the effects of meditation on the mind or the effect of Yoga poses on various health conditions. But we list a few of the latest results below.

In recent research at the University of Wisconsin, Tibetan Buddhist monks showed a dramatic increase of high frequency brain activity, called gamma waves during meditation. The novice meditators showed a slight increase in gamma activity, but most senior monks showed extremely large increases of a sort that has never been reported before in the neuroscience literature. Thought to be the signature of neuronal activity that knits together

67 far-flung brain circuits, gamma waves underlie higher mental activity such as consciousness.3 Many people practice Yoga for the reputed health gains in terms of energy levels, weight loss, control of stress and similar benefits. Associate Professor at the University of Virginia Health Systems, Kim Innes uncovered 70 solid, albeit small, Indian- based studies on the positive impact of Yoga on the disorders of metabolic syndrome. The American Heart Association estimates that 50 million Americans suffer from this syndrome which is any three of the following maladies: abdominal obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high , and . Innes published her findings in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.4

Universal Ethics

The practice of meditation must start from a base. The classical Astaunga Yoga system provided the base through the universal principles of life. These 10 principles form the first and second limb of the classical Yoga lifestyle. Because without a firm moral base, the Yogis thought that the development of higher mental faculties may lead to downfall or corruption if one misutilized the powers gained from such practices.

If the goal of Yoga is to achieve the mystical state of Oneness then there has to be coherence in our thoughts, words and deeds. This coherence was provided by the 10 universal principles, broken down into two sections.

The first five principles known in Sanskrit as “Yama” guide us in our dealings with the society. Yama literally means “self-control”. One of the most important ingredients in a healthy lifestyle is self-control: neither to eat too much or too little, work too much or too little, talk too much or too little. The five are:

Ahimsa: non-injury to others by thought, word or action. Not consciously harming any being.

Satya: benevolent truthfulness. To guide all of our expressions by the spirit of benevolence.

Asteya: non-stealing. Not to deprive others of what is their due. Asteya also means not to take bribes or engage in any type of corruption.

Brahmacarya: to treat all beings as different expressions of the One Universal Consciousness (God).

Aparigraha: non-greediness. Not to accumulate more material objects that are unnecessary for the maintenance of our life.

68 The second section is called Niyamas. The five Niyamas are positive observances. They guide us in our personal development and well-being. They are:

Shaoca: cleanliness. To keep the cleanliness of the body, clothes, house and dress. But more importantly, the cleanliness of the mind. To be jealous of another’s progress, to harbor ill- will towards others we consider inferior to us, are examples of the impurity of mind. An impure mind creates acidity in the blood and so whatever food we eat, it will get converted into toxic material that leads to sickness.

Santosa: mental contentment. To be satisfied with the income earned from a normal day’s labor. Cheerfulness and a positive attitude towards all things in life are part of the observance of Santosa.

Tapah: to do selfless service to others without desire for reward. When we do a good deed towards someone else without any desire for a personal gain we open up our heart centre that induces higher feelings of welfare, love and compassion. Many doctors advise their heart patients to visit an old folk’s home once a month and do some selfless service as a means to healing their own illness!

Svadhyaya: to read spiritual literature and to understand its inner spirit. Reading inspirational books or stories relating to our higher selves will keep our minds inspired to live in an ethical and conscious way.

Iishvara Pranidhana: to accept the Supreme Consciousness as the final goal of life and to make specific efforts to move towards that goal. This in practical terms is the practice of meditation.

A plant-based diet is a reflection of the inner spirit of the 10 Universal Principles. We eat lower on the food chain out of a respect for all of life. We remain away from the violent acts of killing that form part of a meat-based diet. We express non-greediness by reducing our consumption of valuable earth resources since producing vegetarian food requires one- twentieth of the energy and one-twelfth of the water when compared to animal-based food. Vegetarian food endows our minds with an inner contentment and liberates our bodies of unwanted toxins caused by the rapid putrefaction of animal flesh. Sentient food creates sentient cells that inspire in us the urge for higher mental pursuits.

Fasting

The final pillar in the holistic lifestyle of Tantra Yoga is the regular observance of fasting. This is such an important aspect of good health that we have devoted an entire chapter (17)

69 to it. But it is sufficient to say here that there is no better way to cleanse our body of toxins, lose weight, control addictions, or inspire us towards higher consciousness than through a scientific fasting system.

70 15. Chlorophyll and Lymph

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” Albert Einstein

Food, once eaten, is broken down by digestion into nutrients. These nutrients pass through the intestinal walls into the bloodstream and are transported to the organs and tissues in the body where they are needed.

The ancient healing system of (which translates as: “knowledge of life”) as practiced for millennia in India identifies seven elements that food becomes in a descending order of refinement: chyle (bio-chemical “soup” in the intestines), blood, flesh, fat, bone, bone marrow and shukra. The last element, shukra is further sub-divided into 3 component parts namely: lymph, seminal fluid and spermatozoa (male) or ova (female).

While in contemporary Western medicine lymph is considered an essential component of the immune system, its role is largely recognized as being physiological in nature. The immune cells in the lymphatic glands produce lymphocytes (T cells) that identify and attack virus, bacteria and other foreign substances. The extensive defense system in the whole body effectively enables it to defend against any untoward bio-enemies.

According to a modern Yogic Master, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, the role of lymph is bio- psychological as well. An adequate supply of lymph imparts vigor, youthfulness and glamour to the body, gleam in the teeth, shine to the skin and sparkle in the eyes.

Lymph provides the raw material for the production of hormones that are secreted from the endocrine glands. When lymph is utilized by activated glands in the chest area of a lactating female, it is converted into milk. When lymph is taken up by activated glands in the reproductive area, it is converted into seminal fluid in the male and ova in the female.

When the lymph is utilized by the glands in the head its material is used to manufacture subtle particles known as ectoplasm which help us in all thinking and creative processes. That’s why it is known as “food for the brain” in Yoga science.

Toxic substances such as alcohol and tobacco tend to erode our supply of lymph. Toxic substances place a strain on the body’s immune system causing the lymphatic glands to produce more antibodies, thereby using up available stocks.

71 Sources of Lymph in Food

The greatest source of lymph from food comes from green vegetables and the tips of stems of creeper plants (sweet potato, pumpkin, yam, etc.). This is because the chlorophyll in the green vegetables acts as a catalyst in the production of lymph. Animal protein produces a smaller amount of lymph since it does not have any chlorophyll. Moreover the heat generated in the production of lymph from animal protein quickly converts it into semen.

Granivorous animals also have an adequate supply of lymph and are able to build their strength and muscle from green vegetation. Cows and other ruminants convert much of their lymph into milk. Tigers, dogs and cats on the other hand, being carnivores produce very little milk. Monkeys and deer have large stores of lymph. But in their case it is used in jumping and running and not for mental development.

The Role of Chlorophyll in Photosynthesis

Only plants have the ability to synthesize sunlight through the chlorophyll molecule. Chlorophyll converts sun energy into usable chemical energy (carbohydrates or starches) in the process known as photosynthesis. The chlorophyll molecule most closely resembles the human blood molecule hemoglobin. The only difference is that at its center is magnesium while the center of the human blood molecule is iron. This biological similarity proves the essential value of greens for our all-round well being. Think of plants as having green blood instead of the red blood that runs the human body. The green color in plants (grasses, leaves, many vegetables) is due to the presence of the chlorophyll molecule. As the chlorophyll in leaves decays in the autumn, the green color fades and is replaced by the oranges and reds of carotenoids. Latest research indicates that the protein found in green plants is the easiest type of protein for the body to break down and use. Professor Colin Campbell (of ) asserted: “There is a mountain of compelling evidence that so called ‘low quality’ plant protein which allows for slow but steady synthesis of new proteins is the healthiest type of protein”. The simple structure of protein in plants is easier for the body to utilize than the complex protein found in animal foods with its more developed biological structure.

The wonder food, wheat grass, contains 70% chlorophyll, 92 of the possible 102 minerals and all 19 essential amino acids!

Do Eating Vegetables Make You Smarter?

Does it mean that vegetarians are “smarter” than meat eaters? From research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association and elsewhere, the average I.Q. of U.S.

72 children is 99, while the average IQ of vegetarian U.S. children is 116. 1 A Southampton University team in the U.K. found those who were vegetarian by 30 had recorded five IQ points more on average than at the age of 10. Twenty years after the IQ tests were carried out in 1970, 366 of the participants said they were vegetarian. Men who were vegetarian had an IQ score of 106, compared with 101 for non-vegetarians; while female vegetarians averaged 104, compared with 99 for non-vegetarians. Researchers said the findings were partly related to better education and higher occupational social class, but it remained statistically significant after adjusting for these factors. The study of 8,179 was reported in the British Medical Journal. 2 If it is so, it may be due to the higher quantities of lymph generated by their food supply, which when properly utilized can enhance their mental capacity.

A 2006 study at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center revealed that eating two or more servings of vegetables a day may slow a person’s mental decline by about 40 percent compared with a person who consumes few vegetables. The research involved nearly 2000 people age 65 and older who filled out questionnaires about their eating habits. They also had mental function tests three times over about six years. Green leafy vegetables (DGLV) including spinach, kale and collards appeared to be the most beneficial.3

According to one’s mental orientation lymph is either utilized in physical activity, mental activity or spiritual activity. It may be noted that manual laborers produce many children, whereas scientists have few offspring. In so called “developed” countries the birth rate is falling as our work becomes more associated with mental activity and leisure time affords people a chance to develop other mental pursuits.

Summary

Tantra Yoga practice encourages the conservation and utilization of lymph for higher mental development, through meditation as opposed to using it in instinctual pleasures. The energy available from the store of lymph is converted into psychic and spiritual development rather than physical activity. The bio-chemical constituents in sentient foods make them predisposed to producing much higher quantities of lymph when metabolized in the body than static foods. It may be one reason why many schools of meditation encourage vegetarianism.

73 16. Why Raw Foods Are Good for You

"Think of the fierce energy concentrated in an acorn! You bury it in the ground, and it explodes into an oak! Bury a sheep, and nothing happens but decay."

In our highly industrialized societies, where we eat food with high saturated fats, inhale low quality air, and drink water which has been largely cleansed of its mineral content, the body tends to accumulate toxins that lead to premature aging, stress and disease.

Many health experts consider the consumption of raw foods as an extremely important shift in our dietary regime to counteract the toxins that come from a modern lifestyle. The raw food movement which began in the late ‘60’s has mushroomed over the past ten years to the extent that annual raw food festivals in the USA draw 500,000 people!

A raw foodist is quite enthusiastic about his/her diet almost to an evangelical level! Many have undergone miraculous cures from the adoption of a raw food diet. They claim that our human digestive tract over the millions of years of evolution is best suited to raw foods than other type of food. As proof they cite the chimpanzees our closest neighbor on the evolutionary scale, who eat from 117 different green plants every year! They point out that human beings are the only creatures that consume cooked food. Domesticated animals eat cooked and processed foods, but these food items are served to them by humans. Wild animals do not eat any cooked food. The sun is the source of all life and raw plant foods represent the purest form of transformed sun energy.

The Life Force in Food

As stated earlier, there are two types of energy provided by food. One, the so-called caloric value is the amount of physical energy resulting from the digestive process, measured in calories [cal] or kilojule [KJ]. This kind of energy is needed in order to perform physical work and to maintain the body temperature and other vital functions. For thinking or other mental work a different type of energy is needed. Also some other processes require it for example the immune system and the endocrine system. Generally called Chi or Qui by the Chinese and by the Indians the English term is “life-force” or “vital energy”. Life- force can only be obtained from live food. Hence the less a food is processed, cooked, frozen or in any way altered from its natural state the more vital energy it possesses. Dr. Bircher used the term “sunlight food” to describe the healing power of plants which store the electro-magnetic energy of sunlight in their cells and are the hidden components which nourish us and not their externally measured caloric value.1

While we are not advocating an exclusively raw food diet here, let us look at some of the advantages of raw foods.

Fruits and vegetables make up a substantial portion of a vegetarian (even more so a vegan) diet. For the practitioner of Yoga and meditation, if the climate is suitable, a fruit and vegetable diet proves to be very beneficial for higher mental pursuits. From the energetic

74 point of view, fruits are the lightest, sweetest, most cleansing and mentally pleasing foods available. For the most part, fruits are best consumed in their raw state. Many vegetables can also be consumed raw in the form of a salad topped with any variety of delicious salad dressings or sauces.

The roughage provided by the consumption of raw fruits and vegetables aids in problems of constipation and obesity. The vitamins, minerals and protective phyto-chemicals in fruits and vegetables are largely conserved in their raw state.

Enzymes

Fruits and vegetables contain valuable enzymes which remain alive when the food is uncooked. Cooked food will be depleted of all enzymes. While the body can manufacture its own supply of enzymes, they can also be produced from our food. Enzymes perform hundreds of important daily functions in the body. For example, they break down food particles for storage in the liver and muscles. They utilize the assimilated food to construct new muscle tissue, bone, skin, glandular tissue or nerve cells. They aid in the elimination of toxins from the colon, kidneys, lungs and skin. Enzymes are found in all living plant and animal matter. Scientists are not yet able to manufacture enzymes synthetically.

Sprouts (mung bean, , wheat berries, , etc) are the highest sources of enzymes. Sprouts also contain the highest quantity of vital energy. brings to life the dormant potential of a seed which eventually grows into a healthy plant or a tall tree! The process of sprouting not only produces vitamin C; it changes the composition of the grain in numerous ways that make it more beneficial as a food. For example, sprouting increases the content of vitamin B2, B5 and B6. Carotene, which is converted to vitamin A, increases dramatically -- sometimes eight-fold. Even more important in today’s climate of indigestion, is that , which is a known mineral blocker, is broken down in the sprouting process.

A healthy body produces nearly 5 million units of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and its partner catalase, daily. SOD removes the most common free radical, superoxide. SOD naturally occurs in most green plants, broccoli, cabbage and wheat grass. Other rich sources of enzymes are unripe papaya, pineapple, avocado, and bananas.

How much of our diet should be raw foods? That depends on so many factors: climate, season, our body constitution (thin, fat, normal), our state of health and what we are used to. Some diets such as the macrobiotic minimize the use of raw fruits and vegetables. Traditional largely lacks raw food. India’s millenial healing system, Ayurveda notes that a raw food diet in today’s society is difficult due to the deficient digestive capacity brought on by years of wrong food consumption. The weak digestive powers of some people make the raw food diet a dim possibility. Cold climates do not afford much opportunity to consume raw foods which tend to have a cooling effect on the body. But raw foods are indicated as one of the nine secrets of long life (see Chapter 19), so the more raw foods we are able to consume the better for us.

75 Obviously, we must have strong jaws to be able to chew raw food! The enzyme ptylin in our saliva is the starting point of digestion. The more we chew the more we secrete the salivary juices that will facilitate the digestion process. Raw foodists take the help of juicers to drink the fruits and vegetables in their liquid form which is more easily assimilated into the bloodstream. The vital nutrients tied up in a plant cell can only be obtained once its cell wall is ruptured. If our digestive system is weak, it is better to spend more time chewing our food and occasionally resorting to juicing the foods.

76 17. Fasting for Health

Our bodies are bio-psychological machines. They require high quality fuel in order to function efficiently. They also require occasional periods of rest so as to carry out routine cleaning, maintenance and repair. Sometimes we don’t realize how hard our bodies work to keep us alive! Every day our lungs inhale and exhale 24,000 times! In one year our heart beats 42 million times and pumps enough blood to fill several Olympic-sized swimming pools. In one year our kidneys produce 700 liters of urine; even our eyes shed 65 liters of tears during our lifetime!

Though we are constantly reminding ourselves about the need for healthy food sometimes we all like to indulge on our favorite snacks or goodies no matter how bad they are for us, right?

Did you ever notice what your dog does when he is feeling unwell? He chews some grass, drinks a lot of water and then leaves food until he is feeling better! It is only us “civilized” humans who cannot respond to Nature’s way of detoxifying ourselves so accustomed are we to 3 meals a day!

It is for this reason that fasting is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. So important that it is considered one of the secrets of long life in Ananda Marga practices (see chapter 19, The Secrets of Long Life).

Examples of Long Fasts

Many people equate fasting with starving. Far from it! As we said earlier our bodies obtain energy not only from food but also from water, air, sunlight and hidden cosmic energies. That is why throughout the ages, highly evolved souls have sustained their physical bodies through “non-nutritive” sources. Moses fasted without water for eighty days and nights on Mt. Sinai. Jesus accomplished the same feat over 40 days and nights in the desert. The Christian mystic and stigmatist Therese Neumann of Konnersreuth, Germany lived for 39 years consuming only one small consecrated wafer daily! Ananda Marga’s founder, P.R. Sarkar undertook a fast of over five years, drinking one cup of liquid a day to his poisoning by the Indian government.

77 Fasting and Detox

While we may not have the spiritual heights to compare to these monumental feats of living without food, we will find the regular habit of fasting one of the most important activities we could ever undertake for our over-all well-being.

It is natural that in the course of our daily lives the body ingests poisons from the food, air and water which we consume. Fasting gives the body a chance to naturally rid itself of these toxins. It gives all of our organs a much needed rest.

The energy that is freed up by the body through fasting can be utilized for the “house cleaning” that accompanies a fast. During fasting the body switches its activity from assimilation of food to elimination of toxins. When the body is ridding itself of morbid matter we may feel its effects due to the creation of internal gases: dizziness, headache, tiredness, bad breath, white coating on the tongue, weakness or fatigue. That is why it is recommended to allow periods of rest on fasting days so that the internal cleansing can proceed uninhibited. Once we are habituated to fasting on a regular basis we do not feel the uncomfortable effects of the fasting as in the initial attempts.

The main theory behind fasting is that once the body is rid of its toxins (detoxified) then the healing process can begin. So a qualified nature care specialist will be able to determine the best time to break the fast and gradually return to a normal resumption of healthy food. A period of fasting is normally followed by another period of rejuvenation that may involve the use of certain or probiotics (friendly-bacteria foods or supplements) and foods that build up our strength and vitality.

Benefits of Fasting noted by physicians

1. Gives your entire system a chance to rest and regain strength so that it can work more efficiently after the fast.

2. Causes the breakdown and excretion of poisonous wastes clinging to body tissues.

3. Rejuvenates the entire system and restores vitality to all cells, tissues and blood vessels. It slows down the ageing process and increases longevity.

4. Burns up excess fat and reduces excess weight. Alternatively, for under-weight people, it enables the digestive system to become efficient so that food energy can be better converted into needed body weight.

78 5. Clears the mind, sharpens the senses and improves the memory. An empty stomach no longer draws extra blood for digestion, allowing the brain access to more energy. Many famous personalities who make public speeches have a rule: “fast before an important speech and eat later”.

6. Gives a radiant and more youthful complexion. The pores are no longer clogged with waste.

7. Reduces our addiction to tobacco, alcohol or any other intoxicant.

8. Can remove unnatural growths in the body. Naturopaths regularly use fasting as their most effective system for curing tumors, diseased tissues, sores, skin trouble, etc.

9. Can also help cure insomnia as it relaxes the nervous system and eases anxieties.

10. Helps the glands and organs maintain normal secretion.

11. One of the best forms of preventive health care.

12. Conserves energy and allows it to be re-channeled for higher mental and spiritual pursuits, such as deep meditation.

13. A study of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints () in Utah who fast once a month revealed that they were 40% less likely to have clogged arteries than those who did not fast. The study also took into consideration other factors such as non-smoking, age and other health conditions.1

Different Types of Fasting

There are different types of fasting methods that can be used depending on our state of health, our goal of fasting, our current diet and climatic conditions. Perhaps the greatest hurdle to undergoing a fast is the psychological one---“I can’t do it”. In order to overcome this block we may decide to use a graduated fasting system. For example our first fast may consist of eating only raw vegetables and fruits that day. The next time we fast we may decide to do an all-day fruit fast, i.e. only fruits that day. The next fasting day may be a day of only thin vegetable broth or . The next time we may be ready for a juice fast or a water fast, and so on.

For someone who is fasting to alleviate a chronic illness they may have to go on an extended fast under medical supervision. That may entail a 3-day up to a 30-day fast

79 depending on the severity of the disease. The fast may also vary at different stages following something similar to the gradation list mentioned above.

The One-Day Fast

We may not always have the opportunity to undergo long fasts under medical supervision. Tantra Yoga practice recommends a one-day fast at regular intervals. A one-day fast does not overburden our system. After a few times of practice, it can be done without any interruption to our normal routine.

Fasting and the Moon

Since ancient times, the Yogis have understood the close link between the lunar cycles and the water in our bodies. Our bodies are 75% water. On certain days of the month, the gravitational effect of the moon causes the liquid and gaseous elements in the body to rise up into the brain leading to discomfort and uneasiness. To counteract this effect, Yogis recommended the observance of a one day “dry” fast (no food and no water) so that the brain can function at a normal level.

The days noted for this effect of the moon on our bodies are the full and new moon days and the eleventh day after the and the eleventh day after the new moon.

Recent research has supported this ancient contention of Yoga. Increases in serious crimes occur during the full moon, as do patient admissions to emergency wards and mental institutions. Also bleeding occurs during around the time of full and new moon. Bleeding ulcer attacks go up at a significant rate at these times. 2

Dr. Arnold Lieber, MD in his book, The Lunar Effect, Biological Tides and Human Evolution, found a link between the lunar phases and violence based on homicide records in Miami, Florida and Cleveland, Ohio over a 15 and 13-year period respectively. In addition, Dr. Lieber discovered a similar correlation between the lunar phases and psychiatric Emergency Room visits and fatal traffic accidents. 3

A one-day dry fast commences at 6 a.m. on the day of the fast and ends at 6 a.m. of the following day. It is not recommended to eat just prior to the fast so in effect the fast would be about 36 hours duration since the last solid food would be the dinner on the evening before the fasting day. It is however good to drink substantially just before starting the dry fast, that is, drink nicely before 6 a.m. of the fasting day.

80 It is recommended on the fasting day to devote more time for higher mental pursuits (meditation) so as to re-direct our conserved physical energy to subtler mental levels. That is why it was known as “Upavasa” in ancient times, meaning “remaining close to the Supreme”.

A dry fast of one-day is an excellent way to clean the digestive tract, much in the same way we would clean our kitchen floor. It is better to first sweep the floor when it is dry. Thereafter we can go over it with a mop for a thorough cleanse. After the short one-day dry fast, we again irrigate our bodies with cleansing lemon water. Once the floor is swept and mopped we can again walk on it, or eat a light meal. A one-day dry fast invokes the detoxification process much sooner than a liquid fast.

How to Break the Fast

Special care must be taken to break the fast properly so as to obtain the maximum benefits. To assist in the purging of toxins from the gastro-intestinal tract, it is recommended to drink ample amounts of lemon water with salt. The amount would vary from person to person but a minimum of one to two liters is recommended. When we break our fast, we want to get a good purge of the toxins which have been loosened from impacted areas, but have not yet exited the body. If we break the fast incorrectly, those loosened toxins may be re-absorbed into the body. So for the of purging, the salt should be of an intensity which is greater than that of the blood, so that the blood rejects it and the salty lemon water directly enters the large intestine, and causes a flushing of the system. The amount of salt may vary from person to person. The average is a bit more than a half tablespoon per liter, though for some people either less or more is better. Another way to ensure a full flush is warming the lemon water before drinking it.

It is recommended that the first solid food to be consumed after the fast are small pieces of very ripe which may be swallowed whole as the first item of a light breakfast. The ripe banana gently coats the stomach lining and serves to pass out any remaining toxins still inside the GI tract. Thereafter any easily digestible breakfast can be eaten such as fruits and yoghurt. In India and the East a favorite dish is “kitcharee” which is a consisting of rice, split peas and vegetables. By lunch time a normal diet can be resumed.

Who Can Fast?

Everyone of normal strength and energy level should fast. Dry fasting is not recommended for pregnant or nursing mothers, sick, very old or weak persons and persons suffering from kidney stones or gall bladder stones. It is also not recommended for diabetes patients on

81 medication or ulcer patients. For such people, to achieve some degree of cleansing, it can be good to at least fast twice monthly on fruits or fruits and salad or veggie soup without oil.

Fasting and the Production of Lymph

As we mentioned earlier, lymph is produced as a final result of the metabolism of food. In order to check the excess formation of lymph, it is recommended for single persons to observe fasting four times in the month. If there is no excess formation of semen from lymph there remains no physical need to eliminate it. That is why Ananda Marga monks and nuns, fast four times a month while fasting is recommended twice a month for a family person.

AM Wellness Center

Nowhere is the fasting method employed with such effectiveness than in the Ananda Marga Wellness Center situated on the tropical island of Cebu in the Philippines, touted as the most affordable nature cure center in Southeast Asia. 4 In my recent visit there I met with three people all of whom were cured of their chronic diabetes through a standard 21-day regimen at the Center. The program included graduated fasting, Yoga postures, meditation, various types of treatments using sun/mud/water, invigorating exercise, wholesome vegetarian food and . The Director of the Center, Dada Dharmavedananda refers to his inpatients as “students” for he wants them to take the responsibility for health into their own hands. The Center’s natural methods for returning the body to wellness have helped hundreds of people since its doors opened in 2005. The Center has already cured such diseases as cancer, high blood pressure, hyperacidity, severe skin problems, obesity, arthritis, blocked arteries, sinusitis and insomnia.

Take the example of Dave Tanner a 52 year old accountant from Brisbane, employed by the Australian government as an Internal Audit Director. He entered the AM Wellness clinic with Type 2 diabetes which he had contracted 3 years ago. After 3 weeks there and a series of graduated fasts and juice fasts he left with a loss of 10 kg and no signs of diabetes. His diabetes level dropped to 5.7 which is in the normal range by Australian medical standards. Surprisingly he could eat all kinds of fruits during his stay. He is determined to continue with his new-found lifestyle when he gets back home. 5

Or the case of Jerena Oh, a 41 year old insurance saleslady from Singapore who came to the Wellness Center with a series of health issues. She was injecting insulin for the past four years. She was suffering from hypertension and heart trouble. She was a walking medicine chest, ingesting 10 different types of pills every day! Her detoxification started shortly after she arrived in the Center and by the 6th day she was able to be free from all insulin

82 injections. From being a sedentary office worker she was able to exercise 30 minutes daily on the treadmill. She managed to increase her water drinking from a paltry 1.5 liters up to 5 liters per day (in the tropical heat of Southeast Asia it is necessary to be able to drink more water to prevent dehydration)! She learned some simple home cooked recipes that she plans to introduce when she goes home so she can carry her lunch with her to work every day. Her high blood pressure dropped from 140/90 to a normal 110/80 and she lost 5 kg. If not for her work obligations she wanted to stay longer and continue with the healing process that she never believed could be so simple and effective. She left the clinic with all of her unused insulin bottles tucked under her arm, determined never to have to resort to them again. 6

My First Fasting Experience

I started learning my first Yoga lesson with Ananda Marga Yoga Centre in Singapore sometime back in December, 2005. It was during one of the intermediate Yoga lessons that I was introduced to the idea of fasting by my teacher, Didi.

I had been longing to fast through juicing for sometime but did not do it as I was advised to have proper guidance before doing so. So on 10th March 2006 I decided to give the Ananda Marga fasting method a go though it was a far cry from what I had intended to do. You know I have to go without food and water for 36 hours! The thought of it seemed quite impossible, but I thought with my positive thinking and will power I can do it.

On the 9th March I had salad for my dinner and I had it slightly late because I had an appointment till late evening. Throughout the day I had very light meals so that I could gradually move to the fasting mood.

I planned to have a free and easy day during the fasting day. However, I was kept so busy all day that I got no chance to think about my hunger! The funny thing was that I didn’t feel thirsty at all and my lips were still moist till night. I was wondering how this could be possible.

After tucking my children to sleep at about 10.15 p.m., I was feeling a little hunger but bearable. There was no way that I was going to give up. I slept throughout the night and got up at 6.30 a.m. the next morning. I felt a little giddy and sweaty the next morning. I was too weak to meditate and couldn’t wait to drink the lemon water. I finished up the two liters of lemon water with salt and ate a ripe banana for breakfast. After half an hour I cleared my bowels and gave myself a good shower.

83 When my friend Sandy saw me in the Centre, she commented that my eyes sparkled and my complexion brightened. Even if those are the by-products of fasting it is definitely worthwhile doing it for spiritual, health and beauty reasons. So far I have done it three times and it gets easier each time; and each time I felt better and better. I would encourage those who have not done it to try it, as besides gaining the benefits of fasting you will discover more about yourself too.

Claire Yu, Singapore Student of Ananda Marga Yoga

84 18. The Food Pyramid

As an eating guide to consumers the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) publishes a “Food Pyramid” every five years incorporating the latest about appropriate foods. The USDA pyramid is supposed to reflect the changes in dietary guidelines that are also issued every 5 years.

Not everyone agrees with the USDA’s conclusions. One skeptic, Dr. Walter C. Willet, in his book Eat, Drink and Be Healthy claims that some of the USDA Food Pyramid assertions (all fats are bad, all protein sources offer the same nutrition and advises women to drink milk to strengthen their bones) are fundamentally flawed. Dr. Willet with 20 years of research done at the Harvard School of Public Health has come up with his own pyramid. Dr. Willet questions whether the pyramid can ever be revised due to the pressure of the meat and dairy lobbies. He believes that the greatest mistake consumers make in their food choices is eliminating all fats from their diet. In fact some fats, especially monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in nuts, avocadoes, olives and most oils help to reduce “bad” cholesterol levels without affecting “good” cholesterol levels.1

The Seventh Day Adventist Pyramid

An alternative vegetarian food pyramid has been published by the Seventh Day Adventist Church for the past 30 years. Seventh Day Adventists are known for their remarkable levels of longevity (see Chapter 19 on “The Secrets of Long Life”).

85 How Much is a Serving?

Grains: 1 serving= half cup of cooked rice, 1 slice of bread Vegetables: 1 serving= 1 cup raw and half a cup cooked vegetables Fruits: 1 serving= 1 medium piece of fruit, 4 ounces fruit juice Legumes: 1 serving= half cup cooked beans, 250 ml. soymilk Nuts: 1 serving= 15-20 cashew nuts 2

Inconsistency Between Word and Deed

Some experts see an inconsistency with what the USDA recommends in the American diet and where it spends its money. For example, while the USDA dietary guidelines suggest that one-third of daily intake should consist of fruits and vegetables, it spends only 5% of its budget on support to the fruit and vegetable industries. The bulk of its budget goes to subsidize farmers who grow corn, soy and other grains most of which is fed to cattle for the meat industry. As we mentioned earlier the cheap by-products of corn such as high fructose corn syrup is used to mass produce tasty but non-nutritious snack foods.3 Dr. Carlos Camargo of the Harvard Medical School and a member of the dietary guidelines committee said he was "disappointed" that the experts’ unanimous recommendation to limit trans-fats to 1 percent of calories was completely omitted from the final document. Instead, we are told to simply "limit intake" of trans-fats. 4

86 19. The Secrets of Long Life

“The average age () of a meat eater is 63. I am on the verge of 85 and still work as hard as ever. I have lived quite long enough and I am trying to die; but I simply cannot do it. A single beef steak would finish me; but I cannot bring myself to swallow it. I am oppressed with a dread of living forever. That is the only disadvantage of vegetarianism.” George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

According to Shrii Shrii Anandamurti a great spiritualist of the 20th century, human life is not meant for physical enjoyment only. Our lives become valuable when we have a balance in the three major spheres of human life: physical well-being, mental strength and spiritual peace. Hence the goal of life should not necessarily be to live 100 years so much as it should be to contribute something useful and lasting to our family, friends, fellow humans or fellow creatures.

“Tulsi when you came into this world it smiled and you wept. Continue your noble deeds so that when you die, you will smile and the world will weep.”1 Tulsidas

The physical body is the medium through which we live and experience life. If we neglect this basic aspect, none of life’s higher treasures or values can be experienced or shared. So longevity depends on a balance of harmonious physical, mental and spiritual activities.

A recent ABC/USA Today study in the USA observed that 64% of Americans would observe moderation, exercising regularly, eating properly, avoiding alcohol and stress in order to live to 100 years. 2

The Longest-Living Communities

Residents of Okinawa, Japan, have the longest life expectancy of any Japanese and likely the longest life expectancy of anyone in the world, according to a 30-year study of more than 600 Okinawan centenarians. Their secret: a low-calorie diet of unrefined complex carbohydrates, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, and soy.3

In his book, entitled, The Secrets of Living Longer, Mr. Dan Butner identified three communities whose members lived long lives. He identified certain common qualities which seemed to have contributed to this phenomenon: plant-based diet (especially legumes or beans) and an emphasis on family and community.

87 Butner found that the Okinawans’ passion to a life of purpose is what helped to extend their life span. He found the longest living men to be in Sardinia. Sardinians were very family- focused -- even their elders remain within the family fold. Butner’s third community, the Seventh Day Adventists, residing in Loma Linda, California would always take off one day of the week and focus exclusively on their God. A California Alameida County study found that those attending religious services regularly extend their life expectancy by 8 years. 4

Other researchers have found that the most healthy people live in high mountain valleys of Afghanistan (the Hunza tribes) and in the Villacamba valley in the Andes in Peru. Both populations use a mixed diet, though meat is rare (Sundays and festivals only). They live up to 140 years. Due to the long winters they run regularly out of food before spring and are thus fasting by force of circumstances for about one month every year. Their life is generally very hard. They have neither shortage of physical work nor can they afford habitual overeating.

On the other hand Eskimos have traditionally lived on an exclusive animal diet. They seldom reach the age of thirty and there is no word for grandmother or grandfather in the Eskimo language. Nowadays many Eskimos supplement their diet with vegetable and fruit and promptly live much longer.

In its study of people who live longest National Geographic concluded its report with two words: “Go Vegetarian”. 5

The 9 Secrets of Long Life given by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti couldn’t be simpler:

1. Proper physical labor. 2. Eating on the urge of appetite. 3. Going to bed as soon as sleep comes on. 4. Regularity in spiritual practices (meditation, consciousness-centered action, etc.) 5. Fasting at intervals. 6. Half bath before sleep, meals and spiritual practices. 7. Consumption of yoghurt and raw foods. 8. Waking up between 4- 6 a.m. 9. Observance of the 16 Points*6

(*Footnote: The entire physio-psycho-spiritual practices of Ananda Marga are codified in the 16 Points. They form the basis for the spiritually oriented lifestyle of a member of Ananda Marga).

88 Section II: Healthy Planet

In 1992, 1600 senior scientists from 71 countries including over half of all living Nobel Prize winners released a document, “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity”: “Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course…. A great change in our for the Earth and the life on it is required, if vast human misery is to be avoided, and our human home is not to be irretrievably mutilated”.1

Up to now we have discussed the advantages of a vegetarian diet from the perspective of our all-round health. Now we will look at the effect of our food choices on our Earthly home. We may not realize it, but what we eat for dinner profoundly impacts the well-being of millions of creatures who live together with us. In the interconnected global village where we all live, each of our actions has an impact. The changes in how our food is grown, processed and manufactured have been so profound over the past fifty years that it is taking its toll not only on our personal health but also on the health of the Earth. In this section we will look at the effects of our dietary choices on the long-term survival of all living beings from the invisible microbes that lie under the Earth’s surface to the mighty herds who graze on its verdant pastures.

89 20. Organic Food and Healthy Soils

The food which we eat comes from plants, either directly as in the vegetarian diet or indirectly as in a non-vegetarian diet. Plants derive their energy from the sun, water, air and soils in which they grow. The energetic quality and nutritional value of a plant is directly proportional to the minerals found in the soil in which it grows.

Prior to the Second World War, all American crops were grown without the use of and chemical . At that time the organic material in the soil was estimated to be around 60%. The gradual rise of bio-tech firms and the conversion of small family farms into agri-businesses, has immensely reduced the quality of the soil. Today it is estimated that the organic material in US soils stands at about 2% which is the borderline between living and dead soil.

The Shift From Family Farms to Industrialized Agriculture:

It was believed that in order to feed a growing , farming practices had to “modernize” in such a way that quantity took precedence over quality. As the assembly line had so effectively churned out thousands of cars, household appliances and other products of the consumer age, the same production methodology replaced the decentralized, family- based approach to growing food. Hence mono culture supported by massive inputs of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and heavy farm machinery was seen as the only way to mass produce food compared to traditional, locally-based integrated farming practices that accommodated a variety of crops and animals in a smaller area.

Since 1945, the number of farms in the U.S.A. has dropped by 68%: from 6.8 million to 2.16 million in 2002. Chemical use has increased five-fold since 1950. Unable to compete anymore with the powerful conglomerates that control prices and production, suicide rate amongst farmers and ranchers in the USA is now 3 times the national average.2 Less than 1% of the U.S. population works on the land. In India home to 700 million farmers the independent Human Rights Law Network, believes that more than 10,000 farmers have committed suicide over the last five years. 3 In the U.S. and Europe, governments pay subsidies to farmers to prevent their agriculture from collapsing due to tremendous competition that lowers .

Organic farming was looked down upon as an inefficient means to meet the needs of a growing population. Yet as far back as 1979, a USDA Task Force of scientists and economists came to positive conclusions on the importance of organic farming and its potential contributions to agriculture and society. 4 In spite of this encouraging news buttressed by the heavy influence from the pharmaceutical and meat lobbies won out over organic agriculture. By 2005 industrial agriculture was receiving $25 billion in U.S. government subsidies where organic agriculture received none. 5 That is why organic food is so much more costly than conventionally grown food in the USA.

90 Crop Yields of Organic and Conventional Farming

In comparisons on the results of crop yields of organic farming and non-organic practices the former kept pace with, if not outperformed, the latter. In 1995, the Rodale Institute who compared corn yields using organic and chemical farming methods concluded, “from the first 14 years comparable yields can be obtained without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers”. In fact, the organic fields did better than the chemical fields during the drought years.6 An added advantage of the organic method documented that organic soils capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and convert it into soil material, that is organic farming techniques create carbon “sinks”.

The most complete research ever undertaken on the feasibility of organic agriculture was conducted by the Center for the Study of Biological Systems at Washington University in St. Louis, USA. Its conclusions: “A five year average shows that the organic farms yielded in dollars per acre, the same value as the chemical farms. In terms of yield the organic farms were down by 10%”. 7

Although 10% may seem to be a high amount, we should remember that most of the agricultural produce in the USA is fed to for the production of meat, fish, eggs and poultry. A slight shift in traditional diets would not only meet more than the needs of the USA population but would also be supplying higher quality food from healthier soils.

Useful Components of the Organic Method

Another advantage of the organic method is that proper crop rotation methods ensure over time that less and less inputs are needed thereby reducing costs, whereas with chemical fertilizers we need to add more chemicals to obtain the same output on land that gradually loses all vital life.

Wendell Berry once wrote that when we took animals off farms and put them onto feedlots, we had, in effect, taken an old solution-- the one where crops feed animals and animals’ waste feeds crops-- and neatly divided it into two new problems: a fertility problem on the farm, and a pollution problem on the feedlot! Many experts decry the short term model of the agro-industrial complex. Mono cropping, chemical use, and intensive natural use and contamination, produce food and profits while generating costs passed on to the next generation. The high-yield models promoted by transnational seed, biotech, and agricultural trading companies decrease the ability of the soil to produce the food we need in the future. 8 Much of the fertility, range and resistance of farmland depends on its biological complexity and lack of uniformity. Attempting to standardize farming in monocultures endangers fertility.

Integrated Pest Management techniques that include crop rotation, mixed cropping, predatory insects, resistant plants and insect traps can solve many of the problems of insects that insecticides failed to do. In fact, U.S. farmers could cut insecticide use by as much as 50-75% with no effect on crop production simply by adopting better pest management techniques. 9 The experience of Indian farmers tells a similar tale. "About two

91 decades back the government’s scientists started propagating the idea that the ‘twelve-grain’ (barahanaja) traditional inter-cropping system grown on higher land is backward and should be given up in favour of soyabean… Inter-cropping is a remarkable, risk minimizing system that makes available a rich diversity of and legumes which are high in nutrition. In hindsight it would have been suicidal for us to sacrifice this for soyabean monocrop,’’ Vijay Jardhari a key co-ordinator of India’s Save the Seeds Movement said.

Whereas chemical fertilizer feeds the plants, organic fertilizer (compost, worm castings, decomposed cow manure, decomposed green vegetation) feeds the soil that grows the plants. Can we live on chemicals and additives alone? Neither can plants. Today’s chemical fertilizers rob the soils of vital energy leaving them lifeless, like dry cement. That’s because chemicals lack vital enzymes which contribute to the unique quality of soil. Soil enzymes can convert one chemical into another, e.g. magnesium from calcium or potassium from sodium. Commercial farmers are concerned with the rate of growth of their products and pay attention to those minerals that promote growth of their crops. Other minerals necessary for are not included in artificial fertilizers.

That said there is still a place for chemical fertilizers. If chemical fertilizers can be manufactured that do not decrease soil fertility that would be acceptable. Ideally research should be undertaken by independent scientists free from the greedy interests of industrial agriculture. Science is not the enemy of humanity. The use of science by selfish interests is the enemy of humanity.

A Comparison of the Mineral Content of Organic Foods and Conventional Foods

We may not realize the immense value of the countless micro-organisms that make up healthy soil. There are more micro-organisms in a teaspoon of soil than there are human beings alive today on the Earth! 10 In fact the combined weight of all microbial cells in the earth is 25 times heavier than all animal life! Every acre of well cultivated land contains ½ ton of thriving micro-organisms and one ton of earthworms who can excrete daily one ton of humic castings.

Conventional agriculture is missing many vital trace minerals that organic matter has. Below are the amounts of minerals (higher) in organic food as compared to conventional food:

Calcium: 63% higher Chromium: 78% Iodine: 73% Iron: 59% Magnesium: 138% Potassium: 125% Selenium: 390% Zinc: 60%

92 A new study suggests fruits and vegetables grown organically show significantly higher levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants than conventionally grown foods. "Flavonoids are phenolic compounds that have potent antioxidant activity. If an aphid is nibbling on a leaf, the plant produces phenolics to defend itself," says Alyson Mitchell, Ph.D., a food scientist at the University of California, Davis, and lead author of the study. The need for these natural safeguards decreases with the use of herbicides and pesticides in conventional agriculture. This decrease is reflected in the total amount of antioxidants the plants produce.

The levels of antioxidants in sustainably grown corn were 58.5 percent higher than conventionally grown corn. Organically and sustainably grown marionberries had approximately 50 percent more antioxidants than conventionally grown berries. The findings appeared in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. 12

The vitality in organic food really hit me when I was managing a livelihood recovery project for subsistence farmers who lost their cattle and crops following the tsunami that struck Aceh, Indonesia in 2004. The 120 farmers grouped into cooperatives, cleared a 3 acre plot from their forest reserves about 2 kilometers from the main road. The black soil was rich in organic matter making our job of introducing organic techniques so much easier. My training partner Barrie, said the soil was even better than Holland Marsh the famous site outside of Toronto which provides that metropolis with 50% of its vegetables. In a few months time the farmers were growing an assortment of “palawija”, secondary crops like corn, green beans, chilies and yams to supplement the main , rice. They proudly offered me some of their large cucumbers on the first day of harvest. Well those were the mother of all cucumbers—solid, firm, smooth and delicious! No water or flaccid appearance, these cucumbers filled me with an energy, coolness and strength that lasted the whole day in the hot tropical climate of Sumatra island.

Family Farms Making a Comeback

In a backlash to the domination of the food supply by the agro-industrial complex the small- sized farmers and the industry are making a comeback. When people walk down the supermarket aisle full of hundreds of products they want to know where the food comes from and how it was produced. There is a rising desire to buy food that protects the land and animals and supports farm families and farm workers. These growing markets demand food products that independent family farmers can, by their very nature, best provide. The rationale for the ‘eating local’ movement is based on the fact that the food tastes fresher, it is healthier, there is less processing, less additives, and less chance of contamination between farm and plate. Shopping at local farmers markets, food coops, health food stores, starting buyers clubs or joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program are growing trends that indicate people’s desire for “food democracy” that ensures local control of their food supply and re-connecting with the people who produce their food . Food in the U.S. travels an average of 3000 kilometers before it reaches one’s plate. 13

As a sign of the times, the First Lady Michelle Obama marked the first day of spring by breaking ground on the new White House kitchen garden on March 19. The 1,100-square-

93 foot garden includes 55 kinds of vegetables, like peppers, spinach and arugula. It is meant to promote eating local, healthy food.

An example of how a family-managed farm can provide the needs for a local community is the Hermansdorff farm south of Munich, Germany. The farm’s few hundred acres of wheat, rye, barley, and hay and twelve acres of fruits and vegetables are all grown organically. Manure is processed by a bio-digester to provide 20% of the operation’s heat and electricity and to fertilize the fields. A remodeled barn serves as a bakery for fresh- ground whole grain bread and a cheese production facility that churns out 5 types of cheese all made from the local organic dairy. The farm produces enough food for about 10,000 people within a 20 kilometer radius. 14

In Thailand the reform Buddhist movement, Santi Asoke runs about 7 organic farms throughout the country. The farms provide free food for local people and offer training courses on how to grow food organically. Each farm has a community of 100-200 members who engage themselves in making various products from the harvested crops. In their food shops, Santi Asoke sell organic herbs, herbal shampoos and soaps all from their farms.

The 25 hectare Future Vision Ecological Park in Tatui, Brazil is a holistic model for rural development that provides the basic necessities of life (food, clothing, shelter, medicine and education) for its 22 community members and nearby villages through cooperatively- managed employment. Four surface ponds trap and utilize rain water. “Managed wetlands” catch nutrients in waste water and return them to the soil. Organic waste is recycled by composting for the organic gardens which provide the community’s food needs and herbs for its various low cost natural therapies. Solar and wind energy is used for irrigation, hot water heaters and lighting.15

Organic Valley is a LaFarge, Wisconsin-based cooperative that is owned by 900 independent farmers, most with small to mid-sized family farms. The Organic Valley label provides a powerful seal that guarantees social justice and environmental care.

Summary

Organic food like its neighbor vegetarianism is seeing a gradual swing in popularity as disease statistics rise, summers get hotter and violent tropical storms become more commonplace. The sale of organic products in natural food stores is the highest growth niche in the food industry, according to Nutrition Business Journal, and it grew 22 percent in 1999 to $4 billion. Both vegetarianism, organic food and its allied partners in the family farm and local food movements represent a more rational use of dwindling earthly resources, a more environmentally sound way of meeting our basic needs, a re- establishment of our connection with the people who grow the food we eat, and a more friendly, natural way for humans to with the Creator which sustains them.

94 21. The Evils of Factory Farming

When a woman on a plane was served the vegetarian meal she had ordered, she noticed that the man sitting next to her had also ordered one. Turning to him she asked, “Pardon me, but are you a vegetarian too?” “No” he replied, “I am a meat inspector”. 1

Up to now we have discussed the health advantages of a vegetarian diet over an animal- based diet. But there are several other important reasons why eating meat is part of a practice which seems almost archaic in the 21st century. It has to do with how the animals that eventually end up on our dinner plate got there. It is a horrifying tale of cruelty, greed and exploitation that would give any sensible person pause to think.

Many people keep pets as part of their family. The love and care a dog lavishes on his owner is one of the rare examples of unconditional love that makes keeping dogs so popular. Cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, canaries, parakeets and other assorted animals often share our domestic comfort and bring us abundant joy.

Some companies rent out pets to offices to help reduce absenteeism, stress, sickness and low office morale. Even dogs are used to teach English to non-native English speakers in Hong Kong!2 There are numerous ways in which animals have proven their usefulness to human beings especially in uplifting our spirits and invoking our sense of compassion.

Just as we value our lives, so too do animals value their lives. All of us want to pass our days happily here on the earth for that is the nature of living beings. Though from the same animal species, factory farm animals are denied this basic right to live and are killed prematurely just to satiate the culinary greed of human beings.

It makes one wonder if there is a karmic link between how animals are treated by the meat industry and the occasional outbreaks of life-threatening diseases that originate from the animal kingdom: Mad Cow disease, flu and swine flu—a form of revenge on cruel humans who consciously or unconsciously support the extreme exploitation of animals.

According to The Meat Handbook there are over seventy known animal diseases that can be transmitted to humans.3

Factory farms are the names given to the buildings in which animals destined to be slaughtered spend their last days or in some cases, their whole lives. In the U.S. pigs and are almost all housed and fed in factory farms. Cattle typically graze on rangeland for the first 6-8 months of their lives and then are moved to feedlots, where they gorge on grains and soybeans. The conditions in which these animals live and die are examples of the most despicable acts of cruelty and deprivation known today.

95 The Poisons in Meat

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that food-borne illnesses of all kinds account for 76 million illnesses a year, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths in the United States. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), foods rich in animal protein such as meat, poultry, fish and seafood are frequently involved in food-borne illness outbreaks. More than one-fourth of Americans suffer from food poisoning per year, but most of the cases go unreported to authorities or are never diagnosed.

A U.S. government health official compared the sanitary conditions in modern feedlots to those in a crowded city in Europe in the Middle Ages where people threw their chamber pots out their windows, raw sewage ran in the street and epidemics raged. 4 According to former USDA microbiologist Gerald Kuester, there are about fifty points during the processing of chickens where cross-contamination can occur. “At the end of the line, the are no cleaner than if they had been dipped into a toilet."5 When an animal is slaughtered the normal cleansing functions of the body are terminated and the animal remains saturated in its own waste products. The putrefaction process along with the existing diseases within the animal at the time of the slaughter remain in its blood, muscles and tissues. One such waste is uric acid whose excess contributes to gout, rheumatism, headache and hardening of the arteries.

Slaughter also initiates the rapid process of decomposition. Meat putrefies more quickly than any other food and decays immediately unless refrigerated. Hot dogs, hamburgers and ground meat are particularly susceptible to putrefaction that proves a hospitable ground for bacteria. To preserve sandwich and luncheon meats from putrefaction, sodium nitrite is added by meat packers. That is why the meat looks a “healthy” pink. Yet sodium nitrite has been found to combine with chemicals in the human body to produce cancer causing agents known as nitrosamines. Another additive, sodium sulfite, which masks the odor of decayed meat, is known to destroy Vitamin B. Enzymes are administered to accelerate the “ageing” process of meat while another anesthetic is injected just prior to slaughter to enable the meat to retain its red color.

Livestock breeders often rush diseased animals to the slaughterhouse before they die of their sicknesses. Since no blood studies or other laboratory analyses are required before slaughter, diseases not advanced enough to appear outwardly go undetected. 6

Other poisons are administered to cows to increase their milk production such as promazine. From 1940 to 2002, average per cow milk production from 2.3 tons to 9.3 tons per year. 7 High milk production often causes udder breakdown leading to early slaughter.8 Hence cows are usually killed at 5-6 years of age while their normal life spans exceed 20 years. 9

The percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin has risen from 13 in 1960 to 91 in 1988. Staphylococcal toxins are a common source of food poisoning. Public-health experts have been warning the profligate use of these antibiotics - in many cases the very

96 same ones we depend on when we’re sick - would lead to the evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria. One very antibiotic-resistant strain of Staphylococcus bacteria known as MSRA, is now killing more Americans each year than AIDS - 100,000 infections leading to 19,000 deaths in 2005, according to estimates in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention published a study showing that a strain of “MRSA from an animal reservoir has recently entered the human population and is now responsible for [more than] 20 percent of all MRSA in the .” The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that at least 70 percent of the antibiotics used in America are fed to animals living on factory farms.10 “For sheer over prescription, no doctor can touch the American farmer,” reported Newsweek.

By of eating at the top of the food chain, we consume the accumulated pesticides and chemicals used on the crops that become animal . According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), consumers of meat and dairy products are taking in 22 times the acceptable level of dioxins in their food. Ninety-five percent of dioxin exposure comes from consuming meat, eggs, and dairy products. 11

Chicken Farms

More chickens are processed annually in the U.S. than there are people in the world: 7.6 billion!12 Globally the number of fowl being raised for human dinner tables has nearly quadrupled since 1961, from 4.2 billion to 15.7 billion. In a typical chicken farm four hens are squeezed into what are called battery cages, 12 inches by 18 inches. With no room to scratch the ground, build a nest, rest their bodies, dust bathe, stretch their wings or even move about, the chicken’s every instinct is thwarted. Lights are kept on 18 hours a day to encourage the hens to lay constantly. When chickens are crowded together this tightly, their innate sense of pecking order is obliterated. As a result they become violent and sometimes peck each other to death. “De-beaking” a routine practice in all chicken farms, consists of cutting off one-third of each bird’s beak so that they won’t kill each other.13

Men’s Health magazine ranked chicken as the number one food to be avoided because of its high rate of bacterial contamination. About 5000 people in the USA become ill with Campylobacter poisoning every day, whose source is contaminated chicken flesh which affects 70% of American chickens.14 According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest “Eggs remain at the top of the list of foods that are causing food-borne outbreaks”.15 The speed at which chickens are forced to produce eggs comes at a deadly price. Fragile egg shells are perfect hosts for , a bacteria that is the leading cause of food poisoning. There was an increase of 600% in salmonella poisoning from raw or undercooked eggs from 1976-1986.16

Cows

Each one of us are homes to billions and billions of micro-organisms. Most microorganisms are not harmful and many play vital roles in human life functions. But a few can make us sick or even cause death. They enter our bodies through the food we eat. One such microbe is called e.coli 0157:H7. E.coli is most often found in ground beef. A single animal infected

97 with E.coli can contaminate 32,000 pounds of ground beef since the grinding process spreads it throughout the meat. 17

“A report by the USDA estimates that 89% of U.S. beef ground into patties contains traces of the deadly E.coli strain”.18 E. coli has also been indicated in 85% of the cases of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome which is the leading cause of kidney failure amongst children in the USA and Canada.19 In a USDA study 78.6% of the ground beef inspected contained microbes that are spread primarily by fecal material.

Cattle are regularly injected with growth-enhancing hormones including arsenic compounds. The most controversial growth hormone, called the recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) was developed by Monsanto and approved by the FDA in 1994. It increases milk production in cows by 10-25%. Milk from cows treated with rBGH contains elevated levels of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), a powerful growth hormone. Recent studies have found a 7-fold increase in the risk of breast cancer in women with the highest IGF-1 levels and a 4-fold increase in prostate cancer in men with the highest levels. The European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have banned the use of rBGH.20 Antibiotics are also mixed in cattle feed since breeders have found that antibiotics improves the weight gain of the animals. They also contend that keeping animals on low, sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics is cheaper than maintaining a certain level of sanitation in the environment! Eighty different antibiotics are allowed in U.S. cow’s milk today.

The Veal Industry

Unwanted male calves are shipped off to the veal industry, where their short lives are a nightmare of cruelty. Chained by their necks in tiny stalls that reek of ammonia from the accumulated waste, they are eventually killed when four months old while their meat still remains soft and tender. Veal calves are removed from their mothers at the time of birth and are purposely fed an iron deficient diet so that their skin color remains white until the time of their slaughter.

Pigs

Did you know that a pig is more intelligent than a dog and a 3 year old child? Pigs form complex social networks and have excellent memories. Yet these sensitive animals have hunks of flesh cut from their ears, bits of teeth cut off with wire cutters, and their tails chopped off—all without pain killers in factory farms. They spend their lives in crates so small that they cannot even turn around! Sometimes the stalls they are confined to are stacked so the excrement from above falls on those below. Because of improper stunning methods many pigs drown or are scalded to death when they are put, still alive, in scalding hot water tanks that are intended to remove their hair and soften their skin. The combination of filth, feces and urine in the sheds results in 75% of pigs having pneumonia before they are slaughtered. 21

98 “If any kid ever realized what was involved in factory farming, they would never touch meat again. I was so moved by the intelligence, sense of fun and personalities of the animals I worked with on Babe that by the end of the film I was a vegetarian”. James Cromwell, Actor

Eating Their Own Kind

The practice of feeding pigs and chickens the bones, brains, meat scraps, feathers and feces of their own species remains legal and widespread in the U.S.22 Cattle blood is still given to American cattle.23 According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 10 million animals that were dying or diseased when slaughtered were “rendered” (processed into a protein-rich meal) in 1995 for addition to pig, poultry and pet food. The Tyson feed mill in Buzzard Bluff, Arkansas, processes about 10 million pounds of chicken parts every week to be fed back to their poultry! 24

According to Steven P. Bjerklie, former Editor of “Meat and Poultry” trade journal: “Cattle are ruminants. They’re designed to eat grass and maybe grains. They have four stomachs so as to be able to eat foods with high cellulose content. They are not designed to eat other animals”.25

Under the horrifying circumstances in the factory farms of pigs and chickens cannibalism is frequent. 26

Aren’t There Laws That Protect Farm Animals?

The abuses of farm animals would be illegal if the same tactics were applied to dogs and cats. But in the U.S. there is not a single national law that protects animals in factory farms. In fact, the majority of state anti-cruelty laws specifically exempt farm animals from basic humane protection. While a recent Gallup survey showed that 96% of Americans believe that animals deserve legal protection the powerful meat, poultry and dairy lobbies manage to successfully prevent the enactment of any laws.

Inspection Methods Don’t Ensure Public Safety

Inspections of meat processing plants continue to yield horror stories of unsanitary conditions and corrupt and grossly inadequate inspection practices. In 1973 the New York Times obtained a copy of the USDA’s Inspector General’s Report on a survey of meat plants which found that “conditions could endanger consumer health in 43% of the meat and poultry plants checked.”

“Line speeds are up to 140-160 carcasses per minute. It’s not humanly possible for meat inspectors to do what they’re required to do, which is to protect the consumer”. Delmer Jones, President of the U.S. Meat Inspection Union. 27

Laws governing the inspection of meat are extremely slack and favor the meat packers over the inspectors. For example, the USDA allows the meat packing executives to decide when

99 to recall tainted ground beef and how much. Once a company has voluntarily decided to recall tainted meat it is under no legal obligation to inform the public or even state health officials that a recall is taking place. 28

In February, 2008 the biggest recall of tainted beef in U.S. history was undertaken by the Hallmark Meat Packing slaughterhouse in Chino, California. More than 143 million pounds of beef were recalled—much of it supplying public schools nationwide over the past two years. The recall came nearly three weeks after the release of an undercover video of the Humane Society documenting sick cows being sent to slaughter. The video shows cows that are too sick or crippled to stand up being shoved, dragged and rolled across cement-floored pens. Thousands upon thousands of children and poor people have been put at risk in a way that may take years to assess. Dick Raymond, the USDA’s undersecretary of agriculture for food safety, told reporters, “We do not know how much of this product is out there at this time.” Cows too sick to stand, “downers,” are officially banned from use as human or animal food because of the risk of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). 29 It cannot be cooked out of tainted meat, and its symptoms may take years to surface. Worn out dairy cattle make up one-quarter of the U.S.’s beef supply which invariably goes into making hamburger patties.30

According to the Consumers Union, between August 1997 and March 2004, 52 companies recalled products for violating federal rules protecting animal feed from infectious "prions," the proteins believed to cause mad cow disease. Despite the recalls, the FDA has failed to institute stricter rules.

Up to today, there is no law in the USA which empowers inspectors to issue meat recalls and to fine the meatpackers. The inability of the USDA to seek monetary damages from the meatpacking industry is highly unusual, given the U.S. government’s power to use fines as a means of regulatory enforcement in the airline, automobile, mining, steel, and toy industries.31 Today, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service are demoralized and understaffed. In 1978, before the first known outbreak of e.coli there were 12,000 USDA health inspectors. Now there are 7,500. 32

The Exploitation of Workers

It is not only the innocent animals that endure extreme suffering at the hands of the meat industry. The employees in the meat packing firms are amongst the most exploited anywhere in the world.

The unrelenting pressure to keep up the speed of the line has encouraged widespread amphetamine use amongst meatpackers. Some meat packing plants slaughter 400 cattle per hour or 6 every minute.33 Pig slaughter lines in the U.S. move at a rate of 1,100 animals per hour. A University of Iowa study showed that 70% of factory farm workers are afflicted with acute bronchitis.

Slaughterhouses have the highest rates of injury, the highest turnover rate, the highest repeat-injury rate and the highest rate of accidental death of any other industry in the USA.

100 “With nearly thirty-six injuries or illnesses for every one hundred workers, meat packing is the most dangerous industry in the United States. In fact, a worker’s chances of suffering an injury or an illness in a meat plant are six times greater than if that same person worked in a coal mine”. 34

The conditions in fast food restaurants are similar. Roughly 90% of food workers are paid an hourly wage, receive no benefits and work only as needed. By employing them for less than 40 hours a week fast food chains keep labor costs to a bare minimum.35 Many of the employees enter the USA as illegal immigrants and hence are subject to the severest types of restrictions that companies can get away with since these employees have no protection under the law. None of the workers at the roughly 15,000 McDonald’s in North America is represented by a union. 36

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Mahatma Gandhi

101 22. Ahimsa: The Principle of Non-Injury

“When human beings come to understand that animals also experience pleasure and pain they will acquire a new dimension of wisdom. It is because of our human sense of duty and our higher understanding that we should be sympathetic to all living beings.” P.R. Sarkar

One deeply rooted precept in India and the East is the doctrine of “Ahimsa” meaning not to harm others consciously by thought, word or deed. Due to this noble value cows in India are given the highest status as “mothers”. It is rare to see butcher shops or liquor shops even in modern day India, where vegetarianism is as old as the culture. Many great spiritual teachers such as Buddha, Krsna, , Mahaviir, Ramakrsna and Aurobindo took birth in the Indian sub-continent.

“For fear of causing terror to living beings… let the Bodhisattva who is disciplining himself to attain compassion refrain from eating flesh.” 1 The Buddha (from the Lankavatara sutra)

As early as the sixth century B.C. in China, Taoist theory encouraged people to seek harmony with nature by leading a simple, balanced life, sustained by a predominately vegetarian diet.

All great religious traditions have espoused the principles of non-injury to animals in one form or another. Egyptian religious groups adhered to a vegetarian way of life as a far back as 3200 B.C.2 The Essene Gospel of Peace attributed these words to Christ: “And the flesh of slain beasts in his body will become his own tomb. For I tell you truly, he who kills, kills himself, and whoso eats the flesh of slain beasts, eats the body of death.” Genesis 1:29 reads, “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”

“There is not an animal that lives on the Earth nor a being that flies on its wings, but forms part of communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they all shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.” Al Qu’ran, 6:38

By the 6th century B.C., the Greek philosopher Pythagoras was touting a vegetarian diet as necessary for both physical and spiritual health. 3

“An old error is always more popular than a new truth.” German proverb

We should pause and think: how are my eating habits contributing to the cruelty and torture of innocent lives? Is it fair? Is it right? Could it be that our vague apprehensions of impending danger, our troubled sleep, our dread of the future, and numerous other

102 unidentified mental complexes are the echo fears of brutally slaughtered animals whose flesh we have entombed in our stomach? Tough questions that many of us would just rather ignore. It is easy to desensitize ourselves from the misery of maltreated animals that make up our evening meal. Yet our times are demanding something different from us. Like

Socrates claimed 2,600 years ago, “the unexamined life is not worth living.”

Change never comes easily. But let us remember that not long ago we ended the slave trade and racial segregation and we gave women the right to vote. In more recent times we have curtailed the power of cigarette barons and have seen the rise of green movements everywhere. In the same way we are gradually awakening to the need to re-adjust our vision from one that is short-sighted and materially focused that depletes our resources, harms other living beings and ruins our own health, to a long-term, gentler, compassionate, and rational one that offers a place for all. As consciousness continues to rise on the planet we begin to realize that our sense of domination over all other creatures as symbolized in our diet has to give way to an attitude of kindness, cooperation and spiritual connectedness to all that is living. We have to stop looking at the natural world and other life forms as commodities having value only insofar as we can convert them into revenue. Instead live with a reverence for life on the Earth.

103 23. The Food Industry’s Fine Art of Deception

“It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” U.S. President Abraham Lincoln

The Power of Advertising

The fast food industry and their partners in the junk food business spend millions of dollars to convince the public that its food is nutritious and delicious. While McDonald’s spends $800 million annually on its brand, the National Cancer Institute spends only $1 million promoting the health advantages of fruits and vegetables! According to the U.S. Federal Trade commission, food makers spend some $1.6 billion annually to reach children through TV, radio, movies, internet, etc. 2 A survey of children’s advertising in the European Union found that 95% of the food ads there encouraged kids to eat foods high in sugar, salt and fat. McDonald’s lead the way in children’s advertising. Consumer groups in Europe are pushing to follow the example of Sweden who in 1991 banned all TV advertising directed at children under the age of twelve. 3

The situation in North America is similar. On average children in the USA watch twenty- one hours of television every week.4 Every month 90% of American children ages 3-9 years visit a McDonald’s. 5 McDonald’s ads used to show Ronald McDonald explaining to children that hamburgers grew in “hamburger patches”. A survey of American school children found that 96% of them recognized Ronald McDonald, beating out George Washington and Jesus Christ amongst others. 6

So successful has McDonald’s’ advertising campaign been that Den Fujita, who brought McDonald’s to Japan said: “If we eat McDonald’s hamburgers and French fries for a thousand years, we will become taller, our skin whiter and our hair will be blonde”. 7

Some of the Food Industry’s Clever Tactics

The scientific studies that food producers support tend to minimize health concerns associated with their products. “If a study is funded by the food industry, it may be closer to advertising than science,” say Dr. David Ludwig and Marion Nestle authors of the book Food Politics.

In order to confuse the consumer, the food industry has a history of preferring scientific jargon to straight talk. As far back as 1977, public health officials attempted to include the advice “reduce consumption of meat” in an important report called “Dietary Goals for the United States.” The report’s authors capitulated to intense pushback from the cattle industry and used this less-direct and more ambiguous advice: “Choose meats, poultry, and fish which will reduce saturated fat intake.”

104 The food executives try to mislead by deceptive labeling. Health claims on labels such as “zero trans- fats” or “contains whole wheat” may create the false impression that a product is healthy when it’s not. While the claims may be true, a product is not going to benefit your health if it’s also loaded with salt and sugar or saturated fat, and if it lacks fiber or other nutrients.

Junk food makers donate large sums of money to professional nutrition associations. The American Dietetic Association, for example, accepts money from companies such as Coca- Cola, which get access to decision makers in the food and nutrition marketplace.

The food industry funds front groups that fight anti-obesity public health initiatives. One such group has the seemingly progressive name, Center for Consumer Freedom. This group lobbies aggressively against obesity-related public health campaigns—such as the one directed at removing junk food from U.S. schools—and is funded through donations from big food companies such as Coca-Cola, Cargill, Tyson Foods, and Wendy’s.

Making Money at Any Cost

“I feel confident that I could persuade a millionaire on a to subsidize a revolution for out of which he could make a huge profit on Sunday even though he was certain to be executed on .” Saul Alinsky8

The aim of agri-business entrepreneurs is to convert low cost fodder into high priced meat.9 It is the blind greed of those selling meat and its by-products that lies behind some of the grossest injustices perpetrated on other living beings. The profits of fast food chains have been made possible by losses imposed on the rest of society. According to the book , the annual cost of obesity alone in the USA is now twice as large as the fast food industry’s total revenues!10

It is a natural law that whatever may be gained by unnatural means in one way will rebound as a loss in another way.

The manufacturers of junk food, fast food and soft drinks take advantage of producing foods high in calories and low in nutrition using the crops which are heavily subsidized by the U.S. government: soybeans, corn and wheat, thereby reaping a huge profit. Did you ever wonder why the counter teller will ask you if you want a large size soft drink such as Coke or Pepsi? That’s because soft drink sales offer the highest profit margins of all fast food menu selections!11

Morgan Spurlock maker of the documentary, Super Size Me expressed it this way: “In the U.S., we’ve given corporations all the powers and freedoms of an individual but with none of the responsibility. Corporations need to be giving back to their communities just as much as they’re taking away.”12

105 “This instinct of greed has brought the present humanity to such a state that people no longer consider anything as sinful. Rather, they consider the ‘sin psychology’ as a mental weakness, and the worst of sins are being glorified as the height of intellect, not only indirectly but also openly.”13 P.R. Sarkar

Some people believe that to show compassion to animals is silly and naive. It is this mistaken psychology that has brought us to our present crises in health and environmental degradation. An aspirant of higher consciousness will be vigilant to keep greed and other depraving instincts under control so that this energy can be channelized into subtler and more useful activities. In the end that leads to lasting happiness and mental peace – the goal of higher consciousness.

106 24. The Environmental Fallout From Meat Consumption

Would you ever open your refrigerator, pull out 16 plates of pasta, toss them in the trash, and then eat just one plate of food?1 How about leveling 55 square feet of rain forest for a single meal or dumping 2,500 gallons of water down the drain?2 Of course you wouldn’t. But if you’re eating chicken, fish, turkey, pork, or beef, that’s what is happening—wasting resources and harming our environment.

The UN’s FAO Report, Livestock’s Long Shadow on the Environment, 2006 put many of our environmental problems in perspective: “The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems… dealing with land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage, water pollution and loss of biodiversity”. Two factors which the report pointed out that contributed to climate change were:

• Giant lagoons of manure from pigs, chickens and cattle release gas which is 23 times more warming than carbon dioxide (CO2). • Chemical fertilizers and pesticides produce nitrous oxide which has 300 times the global warming potency of CO2.

Eighteen percent of gases that contribute to global warming come from the livestock sector. That is more than all the cars, trucks, airplanes, and all other forms of transport combined (13 percent). It’s also more than all the homes and offices in the world put together (8 percent).

If one were to become a vegetarian they would reduce their by 1.5 tons per year.3 Eating one kg of meat releases as much green house gases as driving your car 155 miles or using a 100 watt light bulb for 20 days.4

Let us look one by one at the effects of an animal-based diet on the destruction of the environment and the depletion of the limited resources of the Earth.

Water Pollution

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, sixty-nine percent (173,000 miles) of U.S. waterways are contaminated with chemical and animal waste runoff from factory farms … more than from all other industrial sources combined! When large amounts of animal manure pollute waterways, the result is severe oxygen depletion in these aquatic ecosystems. Fish suffocate when there is prolonged oxygen depletion. As a result of animal waste pollution, there is now in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Louisiana a “dead zone” of nearly, 7,000 square miles that is no longer supportive of aquatic life. 5

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists: “The amount of water pollution in producing one pound of meat is 17 times greater than that generated in producing one pound of pasta”.6

107 When huge numbers of animals are concentrated in feedlots and confinement buildings, there is no economically feasible way to return the animals’ wastes to the land. It is estimated that up to 100,000 cows converge together in one feedlot. As many as 80-100,000 chickens live together in one chicken farm.7 That waste finds its way into ground surface streams, rivers, ponds, etc.

In the U.S., livestock now produce 140 times as much waste as people do! Just one hog farm in Utah, for example, produces more sewage than the city of Los Angeles!8 One cow produces 16 times more bio-waste per day than one human.

The much-publicized 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska dumped 12 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, but the relatively unknown 1995 New River hog waste spill in North Carolina poured 25 million gallons of excrement and urine into the water, killing an estimated 10 to 14 million fish. Hog waste spills have caused the rapid spread of a virulent microbe called Pfiesteria piscicida, which has killed a billion fish in North Carolina alone.9

To get around water pollution limits, factory farms will frequently take the tons of urine and feces that are stored in cesspools and turn them into liquid waste that they spray into the air. This manure-filled mist is carried away by the wind and inhaled by the people who live nearby.10

Water Resources

Nearly half of the water in the USA is used to raise animals for food. That’s because water is used for growing the crops to feed the animals; providing drinking water for the animals; and cleaning away the massive amounts of bio-waste in factory farms, transport trucks and .

An animal-based diet uses at least 12 times more water than a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet requires 300 gallons of water per day, while a meat-based diet requires more than 4,000 gallons of water per day. While 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean and safe drinking water, over 5,000 gallons of water is used to produce one pound of beef!11

Compare the amount of water required in California to produce one pound of the following foods:

Food Item Water Used per Pound of Food (in gallons)

Lettuce: 23 Tomatoes: 23 Potatoes: 24 Wheat: 25 Carrots: 33 : 49 Chicken: 815

108 Pork: 1,630 Beef: 5,21412

In California you can save more water by not eating a pound of beef than you would by not showering for six months!13

In the U.S., 70% of the wheat, 80% of the corn, 90% of the soybeans and 90% of the oats produced goes to feeding herds of livestock. Around the world, as more water is diverted to raising pigs and chickens instead of producing crops for direct consumption, millions of wells are going dry. India, China, North Africa and the U.S. are all running freshwater deficits, pumping more from their aquifers than rain can replenish.14

At the recently held World Water Week hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute, Siwi’s executive director Anders Berntell warned, "Animals fed on grain, and also those which rely on grazing, need far more water than grain crops… It’s going to be almost impossible to feed future generations the kind of diet we have now in Western Europe and North America. Australians were astonished to find that although their country is short of water, they’re net exporters of water in the form of meat."15

Land Resources

Growing all the crops to feed farmed animals requires massive amounts of land—in fact, 80 percent of the agricultural land in the United States is used to raise animals for food.16 Currently 30% of the Earth’s land surface is used for meat production. In comparison, if the entire world’s population became vegetarian, just 5% of the Earth’s land surface would be used for food production.17

Rainforest Depletion and the Loss of Biodiversity

Tropical rainforests contain 80% of the world’s species of land vegetation and account for much of the global oxygen supply. Half of all species on Earth live there. The biologist E.O. Wilson once found as many species of ants on one rainforest tree in Peru as exist in all of the British Isles. Twenty-five acres of Indonesian rainforest contain as many different tree species as are native to all of North America.18 There are more species of birds in one square mile of Amazon rainforest than exist in all of North America... 19

One quarter of our derive from the raw materials found in these forests. Yet less than 1% of the plant species of the tropical rainforests have been tested so far. While cures for many serious diseases may lie hidden in these forests, we may never know.20 Experts believe that the number one factor in the elimination of Latin America’s tropical rainforest is cattle grazing.21 Two-thirds of Central America’s rainforests have been cleared primarily to raise cattle for the U.S. food industry.22

Yet for each fast food hamburger made from rainforest beef, we destroy members of 20-30 different plant species, 100 different insect species and dozens of birds, and species.23 That’s because to produce one fast food hamburger we must clear 55 square feet

109 of tropical rainforest. As far back as 1971, in her ground breaking book, , Frances Moore Lappe reported that cattle ranching destroys one and a half acres of tropical rainforests per second.24 Sadly as the global demand for meat rises the clearing of tropical rainforests continue.

The Amazon rainforest is the largest forest in the world, covering an area almost as large as the continental United States. In January, 2008 Brazil’s President Lula announced emergency measures to halt the burning and cutting of the country’s rainforests for crop and grazing land. In the previous five months alone, the government says, 1,250 square miles were lost.25 Brazilian cattle industry is the largest single source of deforestation in the world.26 The World Bank not happy with the impacts of the "livestock revolution" on environment and equity decided in 2001 not to finance large-scale commercial, grain-fed feedlot systems, including milk, pork, and poultry.27

Energy Expenditure

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists in 1999 the two most damaging things that Americans do to create global warming is driving a car and eating meat. The USA is the world’s largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, 22%, that are responsible for global warming.

The livestock industry is the most wasteful program ever conceived. More than one-third of all fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas) used in the USA in 2002 were for the raising of animals for food.28 Whereas only 2 calories of fossil fuel are expended to produce one calorie of protein from soybeans, 54 calories are needed to produce one calorie of protein from beef.29

Let’s look at the long chain of events that must be undergone before that hamburger is ready to be devoured. The growing of corn and soy for animal feed uses fertilizer, pesticides and massive farming machinery. Thereafter the grains must be transported to the feed manufacturers. More fuel and electricity is needed to operate the feed mills. The finished feed must then be transported to the factory farms, whose operations expend fossil fuels.

Once ready, the livestock must be transported to the slaughterhouse whose heavy machinery requires use of electricity and fuel. The meat is then transported to meat processing plants in refrigerated trucks. From these plants the meat must be transported again in refrigerated trucks to the supermarket, where it must be kept frozen until it is sold. It is estimated that if meat consumption was reduced by just 20% it would be the equivalent of shifting all cars from petrol to hybrids! One vegetarian in an SUV is more eco-friendly than a meat eater on a bicycle!30

The Depletion of Our Fish Resources

According to the FAO, 50% of the world’s main fish stocks are fully exploited and 25% are overexploited, depleted or recovering. You might wonder how something as massive as our oceans could be “fished out”. The reason is huge ships known as bottom trawlers

110 can haul as many as 1 million fish in a single catch. The trawlers use gill nets ranging in length from 200 feet to 1 mile and up to a mile deep to catch the fish who are unable to see the nets as they drift with the ocean currents. A major study found that in just the last 50 years, commercial fishing has reduced the populations of all large fish species by a staggering 90 percent.31

About one-third of the fish caught is ground into fishmeal, most of which is fed to (guess who) livestock. Many of the species caught in these nets are not for eating and have to be thrown back, dead, into the ocean. World Fund researchers estimate that about 300,000 dolphins, whales and porpoises are killed yearly by the fishing gear.

Aquaculture

In 1985, 95% of the fish we consumed was from the wild. By 2000 one-third of all fish consumed came from fish farms or aquaculture. Unfortunately eating fish from fish farms creates more pressure on the wild fish population. That’s because most of the fish cultivated in the fish farms are carnivores (, trout, bass). Their food is wild fish. In a similar way like their land cousins, it requires 2 kg of wild fish to obtain 1 kg of farmed fish.

A fish farm is a breeding ground for diseases that can easily spread to wild populations. One factor sited by the World Wild Life Fund for Nature in the 90% drop in the salmon population was the spread of disease from the fish farms into the wild. For every acre of farm, 200 acres of natural ecosystem are destroyed. Shrimp farms often replace mangroves in Third World countries, which are cited as buffers against tsunamis. What’s more, farmed salmon were found to have dioxin levels 11 times higher than wild salmon and PCB levels averaging 36.6 parts per billion compared to just 4.75 part per billion for wild fish.32

President Obama’s Position

While on the campaign trail, President Obama recognized that the global food supply is under heavy pressure due to changing diets in India and China and the inefficient conversion of plant foods into animal foods for human consumption. He admitted that Americans would benefit from a change in diets even though he admitted that he relishes a beefsteak or a barbeque once in a while! President Obama is well aware that obesity rates in the USA add huge expenses to the nation’s medical bills, and that U.S. farm policies favor which grow foods which are not necessarily healthy for the American public or the school children. He suggested an examination of the U.S.’s overall to encourage good habits such as more fruits and vegetables in the school lunch programs.33

Summary

It is clear from all of the above statistics that the method of producing food from an animal- based diet will soon prove to be unsustainable. That is why in its cover story at the end of the last millennium Time Magazine predicted that the culture of eating meat would not

111 survive beyond the 21st century. The environmental, ethical, health and evolutional forces are all working together to point humanity toward a new direction in how we will grow, process, share and consume food.

112 25. Meat Consumption and Global Hunger

“The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We grow more food, but more people go hungry.” George Carlin

Not only is meat wasteful in terms of energy consumption, water and land, it is also a highly inefficient way of producing food when compared to a plant-based diet. In order to produce one kg of meat from animals we require to first feed them 6 kg of plant food (corn, soybeans, wheat or oats). Remember that corn, soybeans, oats and wheat are all high in protein, fiber and complex carbohydrates and devoid of cholesterol and artery clogging fats. These are then fed to animals to make a product which has no fiber or complex carbohydrates but is full of cholesterol and saturated fats! It’s like taking pure water, running it through a sewage system and then drinking it!

The food used to feed cattle could be better utilized to feed the 852 million people that go to bed hungry every night.

Since 1950 the number of farm animals on the planet has risen by 500%; now they outnumber humans by three to one.1

Dr. Bello, Executive Director of the Institute for Food and Development Policy clarifies, “There is enough food in the world for everyone. But tragically much of the world’s food and land resources are tied up in producing beef and other livestock—food for the well-off—while millions of children and adults suffer malnutrition and …”2

Worldwatch Institute agrees, “Continued growth in meat output is dependent on feeding grains to animals, creating competition for grain between affluent meat-eaters and the world’s poor”.3 What we have come to call, “Using the poor man’s grain to feed the rich man’s cow”. Ever larger percentages of resources of poor nations go into meat production for the meat oriented diet of Western countries. Guatemala exports 40 million pounds of meat annually to the U.S.A. whereas 50% of its babies will die before the age of 4 due to malnutrition. Costa Rica’s beef production quadrupled from 1960-1980. Yet today, a Costa Rican family of four eats less meat than an average American house cat. Most Costa Rican beef is exported to the U.S.4

One estimate says 1.4 billion human beings could be fed by the grains and soybeans fed to U.S. livestock who today eat more than double that of the entire U.S. population.5 The U.N. Commission on Nutritional Challenges for the 21st Century said that unless we make major changes, 1 billion children will be permanently handicapped over the next 20 years as a result of inadequate caloric intake. The first step toward averting this tragedy, according to

113 the commission, is to encourage human consumption of traditional plant foods, like beans, nuts, grains, fruits, and vegetables.6

We now know from the global food crisis of 2008 that world hunger is as much a distribution problem as a production one. Many interconnecting factors are at work that foil humanity’s attempts to overcome one of the greatest failures of recent history. Massive subsidies provided to farmers in the USA and Europe and restrictive tariffs on certain imported crops from Third World countries skew the playing field in favor of the most developed nations. The spread of industrial agriculture and its attendant high costs of seeds, fertilizers, insecticides and machinery smothers the competitive edge of small-scale farmers who flee to large cities to find alternative livelihoods, leaving behind ghost towns in the rural areas. Global and national policies have to protect the ability of the small farmer to provide locally produced food for their country. Peasant and indigenous farmers in developing countries cannot peacefully coexist with industrialized, monopolized agriculture without regulations and policies in their favor.

In summary, heavy meat consumption by Western countries, has encouraged the feeding of grains to the livestock. This reduces the supply of grain available to the poor people around the world. A drastic reduction in meat consumption is one of the major ways to free up enough grain to ensure healthy children all over the world.

114 26. Neohumanism and a New Paradigm for Humanity

“Neohumanism will give new inspiration and provide a new interpretation for the very concept of human existence. It will help people understand that human beings, as the most thoughtful and intelligent beings in this created universe, will have to accept the great responsibility of taking care of the entire universe – will have to accept that the responsibility for the entire universe rests on them.” P.R. Sarkar1

Today’s humanity is in need of a new vision and a new inspiration. Under the inspiration of a new vision we will bravely face and overcome the multi-faceted problems that confront us today. Neohumanism as enunciated by P.R. Sarkar in 1982 provides a broad and optimistic vision for humankind. In brief, Neohumanism may be defined as the practice of love for all beings: living (plants, animals and humans) and non-living (mountains, rivers, air, water and sky). It is “neo” because it expands the concept of humanism to include other living creatures who live with us and the non-living beings in our environment. Unlike humanism which excludes the role of a higher consciousness or God, it conceives of higher consciousness as the invisible template and source of all creation which can be experienced and accessed through a still and deeply concentrated mind. Neohumanism is the most expansive social outlook possible and one that can guide us in the 21st century and beyond.

It will help us gain a new perspective of our role on Earth and of our relationship with the beings with whom we share this planet with.

Our new vision will be accompanied by new heroes, new myths, new icons and new values. The new heroes will not be the kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers which history normally records. Instead they will be the common folks, who struggle resiliently to live out their lives while trying to create a greater space for all. The people who never make the headlines but who silently show a new way for humanity to flourish and love. The new myths will not be centered around the “greatness of my country” or “the chosen community to which I belong” but the understanding that “together we can make a difference”, “our destiny is bound together as One Universal Family”. Our new icons will not be the dollar bill or the shopping mall but two hands reaching across the Earth to touch each other; or hands of different peoples all upraised in praise of the One Creator. Our new values will measure wealth not in terms of what we possess but in terms of who we are.

The Neohumanist vision also includes a new way of relating to animals. “We need another wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals… we patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves, and therein we err and greatly err. For the animals shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with the extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, not underlings, they are other nations caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the Earth.” Henry Bestion2

115 Neohumanism is not the flighty imagination of an impractical idealist. It is grounded in the present of the human condition and is backed by a scientific process of converting an individual’s physical, mental and spiritual potentialities into tangible realities.

Neohumanism is the vision and the Tantra Yoga practices are the means to live the vision, to walk the talk, to bring together thought, word and deed into a cohesive whole. Once I am feeling the positive energy, enthusiasm and vitality in my cells, tissues and nerves I cannot help but pass it on to others! And so the movement grows and spreads.

Like tiny, innumerable cells that revitalize themselves and give new strength to the body, more and more human beings are reawakening themselves and giving a new shape to collective thought and collective change. This is the silent revolution which holds so much promise for a new expression of human excellence that will replace the pessimism and self- centeredness of the present age. This reawakening is not necessarily in a religious sense but in a holistic sense. The reawakening is an inner-to- outer movement which makes us more loving, broad minded, understanding, humble and rationally minded.

An Inner-to-Outer Approach

Humanity no doubt has made extraordinary advances in science and technology. Today at the beginning of the 21st century our scientific and technical literature doubles every seven years.3 Our lives have been made more comfortable and pleasant with the addition of numerous tools and instruments to do much of the physical work that we previously undertook.

But these advances have been primarily at the physical level. Most of our mental efforts have been directed towards physical enjoyment and reducing the gap of time and space. There has not been a corresponding advancement in our mental or spiritual aspects. Our development has been lopsided. Though technology has pressed ahead, , and social awareness have lagged behind. Science has so far superseded civilization that we are faced with critical questions of the very survival of our race and the inhabitants of the Earth! “We have created a -turvy world in which machines have become autonomous and men have become servile, de-humanized and mechanical, disconnected from their historic value and purpose. One whole part of man’s life, springing from his inner-most nature, his deepest desires and impulses, his ability to enjoy and bestow love, to give life to and receive life from his fellow man, has been suppressed”4

Neohumanism provides a new orientation of human potentiality. It adds the psycho- spiritual orientation which will enable human beings to evolve their subtler inner assets: love, respect and caring for all life, thirst for higher consciousness, a sense of justice and fair play. These feelings are nurtured in our own personalities through the application of the holistic lifestyle we have referred to in this book: vegetarian diet, Yoga exercises, meditation and adherence to a universal code of ethics. The more we practice the more the higher ideals of life become part of our being and we slowly participate in the transformation of the Earth. As Gandhi put it, “Be the change you want to see in the world” or “If it’s going to be, let it start with me”.

116 Vegetarianism and Neohumanism

The vegetarian diet plays a significant role in the transformation which is slowly expressing itself in individual lives all over the globe. It doesn’t matter whether the choice to change your diet is for personal, ethical or environmental reasons. You may not feel that eating some fresh stalks of broccoli has such a monumental effect on the course of history! But each of us contributes our share to the collective existence of Life, either positively or negatively, consciously or unconsciously. The vegetarian choice is a positive choice, the choice of compassion and caring, the choice of wisdom and balance.

Some people become vegetarians and have a love of animals or concern for the environment without ever assuming the lotus pose or gazing at their navels! There is no debate here. That said, it is the experience of thousands of people that by consciously following a more wholesome lifestyle as explained in earlier chapters (chapter 14), their joy and optimism gives them the inner strength to deal with the seemingly endless crises that life throws up. They keep an attitude of courageously seeing all problems as opportunities, failures as stepping stones to success, temporary retreats as part of an overall strategy of resounding victory. The approach is more complete, balanced and congruent. Our beliefs are constantly mirrored in our daily lives through word and deed. We don’t strive to be happy, we already are; we are enjoying the present so fully we don’t have to look forward to the future or recall the sweet memories of the past.

With an expanded awareness we feel the inter-connectedness of all life. We realize that we all live together in the same home on Planet Earth. The suffering of one is the suffering of all just as the happiness of one is the happiness of all. By harming others I am harming myself. Our sentiments expand beyond the narrow confines of our family, our community, our country or our fellow species to embrace everything and everyone. Hence Neohumanism is another word for —the sentiment that will unite humanity far into the future.

PCAP (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Plants)

Inspired by the ideals of Neohumanism, thousands of people all over the globe are trying to implement it in their own lives and in the communities where they live. Neohumanists are engaged in a wide variety of welfare activities that include but are not limited to:

Disaster relief teams to render emergency assistance to victims of natural and human-made disasters.

Neohumanistic pre-schools to teach young children the universal, non-sectarian ideals and practices of Neohumanism as a new model of holistic education. Model Service Communities in which members consciously live the holistic lifestyle in a rural setting and sustainably cultivate the land to provide the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter and medicine for themselves and nearby communities.

Producers and Consumers Cooperatives to enable communities to gain greater control of their economic lives and provide the means of meeting their basic necessities of life.

117 One such movement which is working under the ideals of Neohumanism is PCAP, an acronym for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Plants.

Some of the objectives of PCAP include:

• To popularize the vegetarian menu and thus save the lives of innocent animals and birds. • To construct and maintain sanctuaries, aviaries, ponds, wells, pastures, gardens and forests, for the welfare of human beings, animals, birds and plants. • To promote and develop afforestation in order to convert dry and barren lands into fertile and cultivable ones.

We list below some PCAP activities that include:

PCAP Croatia cooperates with the Karlovac municipality to implement international standards of . It promotes the local dog asylum in Karlovac and educates the public on the plight of stray dogs. It acts as a watchdog to prevent industrial pollution of the city’s waterways.

PCAP Oregon runs an animal sanctuary for stray and abandoned animals and is active in protecting the animal victims of the .

PCAP Ghana has an afforestation project to protect the watershed area of a dam that provides drinking water for 26 villages in the Volta Region.

PCAP Philippines runs a forest reserve and research centre in Montalban, Rizal Province.

PCAP Australia runs an environmental education project in one of the Neohumanist schools in Maleny, Queensland.

PCAP Haiti and PCAP South Africa both have community-managed tree nurseries that provide tree seedlings to hundreds of individuals, companies and institutions in their countries.

PCAP members and volunteers are ordinary citizens, trying to implement their ideals in a concrete way. For more information on PCAP or to start a PCAP chapter in your local area, visit our website at: www.pcap.ws or email [email protected].

“Today’s humanity is in despair; people think too much about their imperfections. They think, ‘Can I do it?’ But in that supreme, Neohumanistic status, they will say, ‘Yes, I am a Neohumanistic being and I am destined to do great work. For that purpose I have come onto this earth. So there is no scope for doubt whether I can do it or not’…. when those ever-vigilant human beings, those physico-psycho-spiritual entities, will be able to merge their existential nuclei with the Supreme Existential Nucleus, then only will Neohumanism be permanently established, and human beings will be ensconced in the joy of freedom forever. On that day they will proclaim in full-throated voices: ‘We have come to the world

118 to perform great deeds – for the physical welfare of all, for the psychic happiness of all, and for the spiritual elevation of all – to lead all from darkness unto light.’” P.R. Sarkar5

119 27. Conclusion

“History moves in rhythmic waves – in a systaltic flow. It moves and moves, then there is a galloping jump. Again it moves and moves, then there is another galloping jump, and so on. All of a sudden there are galloping jumps – epoch-making eras. We are now at the threshold of this jump. We are not only at the threshold, we have just crossed the threshold of a new era. We are now at the threshold of something new – of the – and we are now passing through such an age. Do you realize it? You should be ready for great changes, otherwise balance will be lost.” P.R. Sarkar1

In this book we have tried to explain the numerous advantages of a plant-based diet. Specifically we have highlighted the psycho-spiritual effects of the Yogic sattvic diet which when adhered to within the larger context of a complete psycho-spiritual lifestyle gradually leads us to experiences of higher consciousness.

Vegetarianism is gradually becoming mainstream all over the world, emerging from the depths of alternative lifestyle groups. Vegetarian restaurants and food shops can be found in most major cities of the world.2 We have indicated the various types of vegetarian diets with our focus on the lacto-vegetarian diet.

The numerous health advantages that accrue from the vegetarian diet are perhaps its strongest attraction. Latest research all points to the superiority of a plant-based diet over the animal-based diet. On all of the major diseases that kill humans vegetarians fare better than non-vegetarians. All communities who have records of longevity are vegetarians or consume very little animal protein.

We have looked at food from different perspectives. We have emphasized the sattvic diet because of its salutary effect on the mind and body. Fortunately, the sattvic food also fits nicely with other classifications of food: nutritious, alkaline, natural and balanced. We have highlighted research which indicates the superiority of certain foods due to their potent bio- chemical properties. By doing so, we do not want you to focus your food choices on certain foods to the exclusion of others. Put simply, of all the food choices available, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds are the most beneficial foods in most of the classifications we have explained in this book. We have repeatedly emphasized that their daily consumption in a balanced way is the diet that leads to overall well-being. Additionally the more natural and unprocessed the food we eat the more it retains its energetic and nutritional qualities.

Apart from the health advantages of a plant-based diet, we have attempted to show the very inhumane methods employed to produce meat in some countries, which involve the greatest acts of cruelty today. If we reflect a little bit on this extreme violation of the principle of non- harming the vegetarian option seems more appropriate in the 21st century. Apart from cruelty the threat to consumer health with the unsanitary conditions and lack of thorough

120 controls of the meat industry leave us susceptible to growing numbers of food-borne diseases.

We have highlighted the contribution of meat eating to our current environmental problems. The destruction of our rainforests, the depletion of fossil fuels, the warming of the atmosphere, the depletion of water resources and the soil are also not compatible with the current situation of the Earth.

The meat-based diet is out of synchrony with ongoing attempts to end world hunger. The enormous amounts of waste involved in producing meat from grain crops that are perfectly edible for human beings in a world where 850 million people are underweight calls for a re- think in the of a meat-based diet. What may have been acceptable in earlier ages with less people, less environmental demands and less purchasing power is no longer the same. A readjustment is necessary.

“Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.”

Victor Hugo

The arguments for vegetarianism are so clear that what seems to be the major hurdles are tradition, myth and taste! We have offered answers to many of the misconceptions about the vegetarian diet and have shown that with a little effort the shift to a plant-based diet does not have to be so dramatic. It is much easier now than it was 25 years ago. Remember: you don’t have to forego all of your favorite foods at one go! Go veggie once a week or once a day. Set your own timetable and work towards achieving your goal. Adapt your diet to your particular needs. Remember even a small reduction in the amount of meat that you consume will have a great impact on your personal well-being as well as the well-being of the planet.

Higher consciousness does not have to sound scary or utopian. It is the act of operating from the heart with sincerity and rationality. Empowered from within by a new-found meaning and inspiration our lives become transformed. We joyously participate in the transformation of our Earth not from a reactionary mode but from a proactive one. Operating from a center of balance and compassion we courageously confront obstacles that try to thwart our individual progress as well as the progress of human society. We realize that even those whose actions are inimical to the lives of living beings are also our human kin and we take steps to rectify their behavior from a base of compassion.

I remember when I was working for our relief team, AMURT in Indonesia following the 2004 tsunami, we had undertaken dozens of projects to assist the victims of that massive catastrophe. At the time I had exchanged my flowing orange robes for the more hands-on gear of t-shirt and blue jeans! In the course of my work I befriended Dan Curran who at the time was taking leave from his post-graduate work at Harvard Business School to work as the Executive Director of Mercy Corps from Oregon, USA. Dan was stunned when he got to know me a bit more. “You are a vegetarian? You do Yoga? I didn’t think people like you, would be in a place like here, doing things like this!”

121 Higher consciousness that is rooted in the hard soil of the Earth keeps one free from ego and self-centeredness. The goal of higher consciousness can only be attained when we realize that the pure awareness that I try to experience in meditation is the same entity lying sweetly within every being. Hence selfless service is an integral component of a lifestyle aspiring for higher consciousness.

“Humanity, standing as it does at the top of the evolutionary ladder, may sometimes feel proud and in a weak moment commit an act of meanness. Yet one should always remain vigilant against this. The evolutionary forces have not stopped. The theatre of action has shifted to the psychic level. Evolution is now expressing its power in the daily struggle of men and women everywhere to attain dignity.”

P.R. Sarkar3

There may be no other activity like eating food which has such far flung implications in so many areas of life: health, environment, economics, ethics and the survival of flora and fauna. Knowingly or unknowingly we are participating in the forces that either elevate our planet’s consciousness or keep us wallowing in ignorance and delusion.

We hope that the information provided in this book will have enabled you to seriously consider the vegetarian option. For many vegetarianism is the entry point into a whole new world, like awakening from a deep sleep, making links with people and events that are at the forefront of shaping a more equitable and caring society. Whether the psycho-spiritual practice of Yoga attracts you or not, vegetarianism automatically puts you in the class of the growing thousands who aspire for a more expanded consciousness in social, economic and personal life. Together we can make a difference.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, highly dedicated people can change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Anthropologist Margaret Mead

122 Appendix

Table 1: Percentage of Calories from Protein, Fat and Carbohydrates in Foods

Food and Category Protein Fat Carbohydrates Legumes: Beans, Peas, Lentils and Soyfoods Black, lima, mung, pinto, red or white beans; black- 23-27% 2-4% 70-73% eyed or split peas Garbanzo Beans ( ) 21% 14% 65% Kidney Beans 28% 1% 71% Lentils 31% 3% 67% Peanuts 15% 71% 14% Soybeans 33% 39% 28% Isolate 91% 9% 0% Tofu, Firm 40% 49% 11% Veggie “Meats”, low fat 69-85% 1-4% 14-30% Veggie “Meats”, higher fat 56-75% 7-17% 18-28% Nuts, Seeds and Their Almonds 14% 74% 13% Cashews 10% 68% 21% , Filberts 9% 81% 10% Pumpkin or Sunflower Seeds 17% 71% 12% Sesame Butter (tahini) 11% 75% 14% Grains 16% 15% 69% Barley, Corn, Rice 9% 4-7% 84-87% Millet 11% 7% 82% 17% 16% 67% Quinoa 13% 15% 72% Rye 18% 8% 73% Wheat 15% 5% 80% Vegetables Broccoli 34% 9% 57% Carrots, Yams, Sweet Potatoes 8% 1-3% 89-91% Kale 22% 11% 67% Mushrooms 32-50% 0-6% 50-62% Salad Greens 31% 11% 38% Spinach 40% 11% 49% Fruits Apples 1% 5% 94% Dates, figs, raisins 3-4% 1-2% 94-96% Melons 5-9% 2-11% 82-93% Oranges 7% 2% 91% Raspberries, Strawberries 7% 9-10% 83-84% Animal Products Beef, lean ground 37% 63% 0% Beef, regular ground 33% 67% 0% Cheddar Cheese, medium 25% 74% 1% Codfish 92% 8% 0%

123 Cow’s Milk 2% 27% 35% 38% Eggs 32% 65% 3% Salmon, sockeye 52% 48% 0% Other Foods Sugar 0% 0% 100% Oil 0% 100% 0% Recommended Distribution 10-20% 15-35% 50-70%

124 Table 2: Iron, Zinc and Protein in Foods

Food and Category Amount (serving) Iron (mg per Zinc (mg per serving) Protein (g per serving) serving) Legumes (cooked) Black Beans 250 ml (1 cup) 3.6-5.3 1.4-1.9 15.2 Garbanzo Beans 250 ml (1 cup) 4.7 2.5 14.5 (chick peas) Lentils 250 ml (1 cup) 6.6 2.5 17.9 Kidney Beans 250 ml (1 cup) 5.2 1.9 15.4 Soya Foods Green Soybeans 250 ml (1 cup) 4.5 1.6 22.2 0.5 0.6 2.0 Soybeans, cooked 250 ml (1 cup) 8.8 2.0 28.2 Tofu, firm 125 ml (½ cup) 1.8-13.2 1.3-2.0 10.1-20.0 Tofu, silken firm 125 ml (½ cup) 1.3 0.8 8.7 125 ml (½ cup) 2.2-3.2 1.0 15.3-24.0 Nuts, Seeds and Their Butters Almonds 60 ml (¼ cup) 1.4 1.2 7.5 Cashew Nuts 60 ml (¼ cup) 2.1 1.9 5.2 Flaxseeds 30 ml (2 Tbsp) 1.9 0.4 3.7 Hazelnuts 60 ml (¼ cup) 1.6 0.8 5.1 Pecan Halves 60 ml (¼ cup) 0.7 1.2 2.5 Pine Nuts 60 ml (¼ cup) 3.1 1.4 8.2 Pistachios 60 ml (¼ cup) 1.4 0.7 6.6 Pumpkin Seeds 60 ml (¼ cup) 5.2 2.6 8.5 Sunflower Seeds 60 ml (¼ cup) 2.7 1.8 8.1 Sesame Tahini 45 ml (3 Tbsp) 1.2-2.9 2.1-4.7 7.8-8.8 Non-Dairy Soya Milk 125 ml (½ cup) 0.4-0.9 0.3-0.5 3.2-5.0 125 ml (½ cup) 0.2-0.5 0.-0.4 0.5-1.6 Grain and Grain Products Barley, whole, 125 ml (½ cup) 1.0 0.8 3.7 cooked Millet, cooked 125 ml (½ cup) 0.8 1.1 4.2 Oatmeal, cooked 125 ml (½ cup) 0.8 0.6 3.0 Rice, brown, cooked 125 ml (½ cup) 0.5 0.3 2.3 Rice, white, enriched, 125 ml (½ cup) 1.0 0.4 2.1 cooked Rye Flour 60 ml (¼ cup) 0.5-2.1 0.5-1.8 2.1-4.5 Whole Wheat Flour 60 ml (¼ cup) 1.2 0.9 4.1 Wheat Germ 30 ml (2 Tbsp) 0.9 1.8 3.3 Fortified Dry Cereals 30 g (1 oz) 2.5 4 4.2 (see labels)

125 Vegetables Amount (serving) Iron (mg per Zinc (mg per serving) Protein (g per serving) serving) Mung Bean Sprouts, 250 ml (1 cup) 1.0 0.4 3.2 raw Broccoli, raw 250 ml (1 cup) 0.8 0.4 2.6 Carrot, raw, 7.5 long 1 0.4 0.1 0.7 Cauliflower, cooked 125 ml (½ cup) 0.2 0.1 1.1 Corn, cooked 125 ml (½ cup) 0.5 0.4 2.7 Green beans, cooked 125 ml (½ cup) 0.8 0.2 1.2 Eggplant, cooked 125 ml (½ cup) 0.2 0.1 0.4 Kale, raw 250 ml (1 cup) 1.1 0.3 2.2 Okra, cooked 125 ml (½ cup) 0.4 0.4 1.5 Potato, baked, 1 (122 g/4 oz) 1.7 0.4 2.8 medium Romaine , raw 250 ml (1 cup) 0.6 0.1 0.9 Spinach, raw 250 ml (1 cup) 0.8 0.2 0.9 Sweet Potato, baked. 1 (114 g/4 oz) 0.5 0.3 2.0 Medium Turnip, cooked and 125 ml (½ cup) 0.2 0.2 0.8 mashed Winter Squash, 125 ml (½ cup) 0.3-0.7 0.1-0.3 0.8-1.8 cooked Fruits Apple, Medium 1 0.2 0.1 0.3 Apricot halves, dried 8 60 ml (¼ cup) 1.3 0.2 1.0 Banana Medium 1 0.4 0.2 1.2 Cantaloupe ¼ melon 0.2-0.3 0.2 1.2-1.5 Figs, dried 5 (90 g/3 oz) 2.1 0.5 2.9 Strawberries 125 ml (½ cup) 0.3 0.1 0.4 Orange, medium 1 0.1 0.1 1.2 Prunes 7 (60 ml/¼ cup) 1.5 0.3 1.5 Raisins 60 ml (¼ cup) 1.1 0.1 1.0 Other Blackstrap Molasses 15 ml (1 Tbsp) 3.6 0.2 0 Sugar 15 ml (1 Tbsp) 0 0 0 Oil 15 ml (1 Tbsp) 0 0 0 Dairy Products and Eggs Cow’s Milk, 2% 125 ml (½ cup) 0.1 0.5 4.1 Cheese, cheddar 21 g (0.75 oz) 0.1 0.6 5.2 Yoghurt, low fat 125 ml (½ cup) 0.1 0.1 6.4 Egg, large 1 (50 g/1.75 oz) 0.6 0.5 6.3 Animal Products Ground beef 60 g (2 oz) 1.1 2.3 10.6 Chicken, roasted 60 g (2 oz) 0.6 0.6 17.9 Cod, baked, broiled 60 g (2 oz) 0.3 0.4 13.7 Salmon, baked, 60 g (2 oz) 0.3 0.3 13.4 broiled

126 Table 3a: Nutrient Density of Selected Foods (Vegetables)

Vegetables Serving Vitamin A Vitamin C Vitamin K Folate Potassium Magnesium Size (RAE) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) Asparagus, 125 ml 24 10 80 133 144 9 cooked (½ cup) Beets, cooked 125 ml 1.7 3 1.2 68 259 20 (½ cup) Broccoli, cooked 125 ml 54 58 113 39 228 19 (½ cup) Carrots, cooked 125 ml 958 2 10 11 177 10 (½ cup) Cauliflower, 125 ml 1 27 20 27 88 6 cooked (½ cup) Green Beans, 125 ml 21 6 11 21 187 16 cooked (½ cup) Kale, raw 250 ml 298 80 547 19 300 23 (½ cup) Mushrooms, 250 ml 0 2 0 8 259 7 raw (½ cup) Peas, cooked 125 ml 24 12 4 50 217 31 (½ cup) Sweet Potato, 125 ml 1,091 25 1 23 348 20 cooked (½ cup) Potato, white, 125 ml 0 10 1 8 296 17 cooked (½ cup) Romaine, 250 ml (1 72 14 58 76 162 4 lettuce raw cup) Spinach, raw 250 ml (1 369 9 360 131 419 78 cup) Winter Squash, 125 ml 132 10 1 28 448 8 cooked (½ cup)

Source USDA nutrient database: www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/index.html

127 Table 3b: Nutrient Density of Selected Foods (Fruits)

Fruits Serving Vitamin A Vitamin C Vitamin K Folate Potassium Magnesium Size (RAE) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) Apple, medium 1 4 8 2 4 159 7 Avocado, 1 62 16 125 7 1,204 78 medium Banana, medium 1 5 11 0 22 467 34 Blueberries 125 ml 3 9 6 4 65 4 (½ cup) Cantaloupe 125 ml 126 33 0 13 241 9 (½ cup) 125 ml 3 9 4 3 148 5 (½ cup) Kiwi, medium 1 8 89 23 35 302 27 Orange, medium 1 269 70 0 39 237 13 Peach, medium 1 26 6 2 3 193 7 Pear, medium 1 2 7 6 12 208 10 Strawberries, 125 ml 23 47 1 15 138 9 sliced (½ cup) Watermelon, 1 51 27 0 6 332 31 wedge

Source USDA nutrient database: www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/index.html

128 Table 4: Fiber in Selected Foods

Amount of Fiber Food/ (all grains and legumes are cooked. All serving sizes are 250 ml or 1 cup unless otherwise stated) Ultra high-fiber foods 12-20 g Most legumes (mung bean, chick peas, kidney bean, split peas) Very high fiber foods 8-11 g Lima Beans, soybean, black eyes peas Grains (, ) Dried Fruits (4 figs or pears, 7 peaches, 20 apricots) soup Berries (raspberries, blackberries) High fiber foods 5-7 g Grains (barley, oat bran, cornmeal, whole wheat pasta) (whole grain, muesli, granola) Bread, high fiber, whole grain, 2 slices Potatoes, regular or sweet, 1 medium, baked Vegetables (broccoli, dark greens, squash, eggplant, okra, carrots, artichoke) Berries (strawberries, blueberries) fresh Fruit (papaya, pear, avocado) 1 medium Flaxseed, ground, 30 ml (2 tbsp) Moderate fiber foods 2-4 g Grains (brown rice, oats, millet) White Pasta Fruit, most, 1 medium, 2 small, Vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, ) Nuts and seeds, most, 60 ml (¼ cup) Popcorn 750 ml (3 cups) Low Fiber foods 1 g or less Refined grains (white rice) White bread, two slices Baked white flour products (crackers, cookies, cakes, pastries, doughnuts) Cereals (cornflakes, rice krispies), beaten rice, puffed rice Fruit juices, all varieties Vegetables (lettuce, cabbage) Potato Chips 30 g. (1 oz) French Fries 30 g (1 oz) Fiber-Free foods Meat, poultry, fish Zero fiber Eggs Milk, cheese, , other dairy products Fats and oils

129 Table 5: Trans-Fatty Acid Content of Certain Foods

Food Serving Size Total Fat (g) Trans-fatty Acids (g) Popcorn 100 g (3.5 oz) 25 7.5 French fries Large 23.7 5 Cookies, chocolate chip 4 12 5 Doughnut 1 15 3.8 Shortening 15 ml (1 tbsp) 14 3.7 Cake, yellow commercial 1 12.8 3.2 with frosting Margarine, hard 15 ml (1 tbsp) 12 3.1 Margarine, soft 15 ml (1 tbsp) 12 1.4 Crackers 8 7 2.6 Potato Chips 60 g (2 oz) 19.6 1.1

Source: The USDA Nutrient Database

130 Table 6: The Vegetarian Food Guide: A Guide to Daily Food Choices

Food Group What Counts As a Serving? Important Comments Servings per Day Grains 1 slice of bread Choose mainly whole grains such as 5-12 servings 30 g cereal brown rice, millet, barley. 125 ml (½ cup) cooked grains, cereal Choose whole grain breads and or pasta cereals. 30 g (1 oz) other grain products Limit refined grains such as white rice and white bread. Vegetables and Fruits 125 ml (½ cup) vegetables Eat a wide variety of colorful fruits 5 servings or more 250 ml (1 cup) salad and vegetables. 1 medium apple, orange, banana Include deep green, leafy 125 ml (½ cup) fruit vegetables. 60 ml (¼ cup) Select plenty of Vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables such as citrus fruits, tropical fruits and peppers. Milk and Alternates 125 ml (½ cup) fortified Include calcium rich foods 6-8 servings 125 ml (½ cup) orange juice throughout the day. 125 ml (½ cup) cow’s milk or yoghurt 60 ml (¼ cup) tofu 250 ml (1 cup) cooked or 500 ml (2 cups) raw, high calcium greens (kale, Chinese greens, broccoli, okra) 250 ml (1 cup) high calcium beans (i.e. soy, black, white) 60 ml (¼ cup) almonds 45 ml (3 tbsp) almond butter 60 ml (¼ cup) dry seaweed 5 figs Beans and Alternates 250 ml (1 cup) cooked legumes For maximum benefit eat a wide 2-3 servings (beans, split peas, lentils) arrange of these protein rich foods. 125 ml (½ cup) tofu or tempeh Select beans for extra fiber. 1 serving veggie meat Includes nuts and seeds for Vitamin 45 ml (3 tbsp) nut or seed butter E and minerals. 60 ml (¼ cup) nuts and seeds 500 ml (2 cups) soy milk Other Essentials: Omega-3 fatty acids: Add an excellent source of omega-3 Omega 3 fatty acids 5 ml (1 tsp) flaxseed oil, 22 ml (1-1½ fatty acids to your daily diet. 1-2 servings tbsp) ground flaxseed, 45 ml (3 Whether you use Vitamin B12 Vitamin B12 cups) walnuts fortified foods or a supplement, To meet recommended intakes Vitamin B12: include a reliable source of vitamin Fortified foods, milk products, B12 in the diet. supplements

131 Table 7a: Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamins

V V V V V Thiam Ribofla Niaci V Folat V Pantothe Bioti Choli i i i i i in vin ne i e i nic n ne t. t. t. t. t. t. t. Acid A C D E K B B 6 12 Life mc m mc m mc mg mg mg m mcg mc mcg mcg mg Stage/ g g g g g g g Age Infants 0-6 400 40 5 4 2.0 0.2 0.3 2 0. 65 0.4 1.7 5 125 months 1 7-12 500 50 5 5 2.5 0.3 0.4 4 0. 80 0.5 1.8 6 150 months 3 Children 1-3 yrs. 300 15 5 6 30 0.5 0.5 6 0. 150 0.9 2 8 200 5 4-8 yrs. 400 25 5 7 55 0.6 0.6 8 0. 200 1.2 3 12 250 6 Males 9-13 600 45 5 11 60 0.9 0.9 12 1 300 1.8 4 20 375 yrs. 14-18 900 75 5 15 75 1.2 1.3 16 1. 400 2.4 5 25 550 yrs. 3 19-30 900 90 5 15 12 1.2 1.3 16 1. 400 2.4 5 30 550 yrs. 0 3 31-50 900 90 5 15 12 1.2 1.3 16 1. 400 2.4 5 30 550 yrs. 0 3 51-70 900 90 15 12 1.2 1.3 16 400 2.4 5 30 550 yrs. 0 >70 yrs. 900 90 15 12 1.2 1.3 16 400 2.4 5 30 550 0 Females 9-13 600 45 5 60 0.9 0.9 12 1 300 1.8 4 20 375 yrs. 14-18 700 65 5 15 75 1 1 14 1. 400 2.4 5 25 400 yrs. 2 19-30 700 75 5 15 90 1.1 1.1 14 1. 400 2.4 5 30 425 yrs. 3 31-50 700 75 5 15 90 1.1 1.1 14 1. 400 2.4 5 30 425 yrs. 3 51-70 700 75 15 90 1.1 1.1 14 400 2.4 5 30 425 yrs. >70 yrs. 700 75 15 90 1.1 1.1 14 400 2.4 5 30 425 Pregnan cy <18 yrs. 750 80 5 15 1.4 1.4 18 1. 600 2.6 6 30 450 9 19-30 770 85 5 15 90 1.4 1.4 18 1. 600 2.6 6 30 450 yrs. 9

132 31-50 770 85 5 15 90 1.4 1.4 18 1. 600 2.6 6 30 450 yrs. 9 Lactatio n <18 yrs. 120 11 5 19 1.4 1.6 17 2 500 2.8 7 35 550 0 5 19-30 130 12 5 19 90 1.4 1.6 17 2 500 2.8 7 35 550 yrs. 0 0 31-50 130 12 5 19 90 1.4 1.6 17 2 500 2.8 7 35 550 yrs. 0 0

133 Table 7b: Dietary Reference Intakes for Minerals

Calci Chromi Cop Fluori Iodi Iro Magnes Mangan Molybd Phosph Seleni Zi um um per de ne n ium ese enu orus um nc Life mg mcg mcg Mg mcg m mg mg mcg mg mcg m Stage/ g g Age Infants 0-6 210 0.2 200 0.01 110 0. 30 0.003 2 100 15 2 month 27 s 7-12 270 5.5 220 0.5 130 11 75 0.5 3 275 20 3 month s Childre n 1-3 yrs. 500 11 340 0.7 90 7 80 1.2 17 460 20 3 4-8 yrs. 800 15 440 1 90 10 130 1.5 22 500 30 5 Males 9-13 1,300 25 700 2 120 8 240 1 34 1,250 40 8 yrs. 14-18 1,300 35 890 3 150 11 410 2.2 43 1,250 55 11 yrs. 19-30 1,000 35 900 4 150 8 400 2.3 45 700 55 11 yrs. 31-50 1,000 35 900 4 150 8 420 2.3 45 700 55 11 yrs. 51-70 1,200 30 900 4 150 8 420 2.3 45 700 55 11 yrs. >70 1,200 30 900 4 150 8 400 2.3 45 700 55 11 yrs. Female s 9-13 1,300 21 700 2 120 8 240 1.6 34 1,250 40 8 yrs. 14-18 1,300 24 890 3 150 15 360 1.6 43 1,250 55 9 yrs. 19-30 1,000 25 900 3 150 18 310 1.8 45 700 55 8 yrs. 31-50 1,000 25 900 3 150 18 320 1.8 45 700 55 8 yrs. 51-70 1,200 20 900 3 150 8 320 1.8 45 700 55 8 yrs. >70 1,200 20 900 3 150 8 320 1.8 45 700 55 8 yrs. Pregna ncy <18 1,300 29 1,00 3 220 27 400 2.0 50 1,250 60 13 yrs. 0 19-30 1,000 30 1,00 3 220 27 350 2.0 50 700 60 11 yrs. 0

134 31-50 1,000 30 1,00 3 220 27 360 2.0 50 700 60 11 yrs. 0 Lactati on <18 1,300 44 1,30 3 290 10 360 2.6 50 1,250 70 14 yrs. 0 19-30 1,000 45 1,30 3 290 9 310 2.6 50 700 70 12 yrs. 0 31-50 1,000 45 1,30 3 290 9 320 2.6 50 700 70 12 yrs. 0

135 Table 8: Body Mass Index (BMI)

136

137 Notes

Chapter 2: The Forces of Nature 1. Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi, International Publications Council of the Self-Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles, USA, 1999, p. 313

Chapter 3: Uplifting the Mind through Diet 1. Gabriel Cousens, MD, Conscious Eating, North Atlantic Books, USA, 2000, p. 276 2. Richard Corliss, “Should We All Be Vegetarians?” Time Magazine, July 15, 2002

Chapter 4: The Different Kinds of Vegetarians 1. Vegetarian Journal, 16, No. 5 (1997), p. 21-22. 2. The , Vegetarian Beginner’s Guide, Macmillan, 1996, p. 3 3. http://www.vrg.org/press/2009poll.htm 4. Dr. Benjamin Spock, Baby and Child Care, 7th edition, Pocket Books, NY, USA, 2004 5. Eben Harrell, “Where’s the Beef? Ghent Goes Vegetarian”, Time Magazine, May 27, 2009 6. Juliette Jowit, “Hospitals will take meat off menus in bid to cut carbon”, The Guardian, January 26, 2009 7. Ibid, Vegetarian Times, p. 3 8. Roshi Philip Kapleu, To Cherish All Life, The Zen Center, Rochester, NY, USA, 1981, p. 120

Chapter 5: What’s Wrong with Onions, Garlic and Mushrooms? 1. www.everything2.com/node/32676 2. P.R. Sarkar, Ideal Farming Part 2, Ananda Marga Publications, Calcutta, India, 1990, p. 77 3. Dr. Robert C. Beck, DSc, lecture given at the Whole Life Expo, Seattle, WA, USA, in March 1996 4. P.R. Sarkar, Shabda Cayanika Part 3, Ananda Marga Publications, Anandanagar, India, 1999, p. 104 5. P.V. Guharaj, Forensic Medicine, p. 373

Chapter 6: Alkaline and Acidic Foods 1. Victoria Boutenko, Green for Life, Raw Family Publishing, USA, 2005

Chapter 7: The Culture of Eating 1. Acharya Gunamuktananda Avt, Yoga Health Secrets, e-book, 2003 available at [email protected]

Chapter 8: The Health Advantages of a Vegetarian Diet 1. Earthsave International, Our Food, Our Future, NY, 2006, p. 1 2. N.D. Barnard, et al., “Beliefs about Dietary Factors in Breast Cancer among American Women, 1991-1995,” Preventive Magazine 26 (1997), p. 109-13

138 3. "Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets", Journal of the American Dietetic Association, November 1997, Volume 97, Number 11 4. Vegetarian Starter’s Kit, PETA, 2007 5. , The Food Revolution, Conari Press, California, USA, 2001, p. 94 6. Ibid, p. 96 7. Vesanto Melina, M. Sc. and Brenda Davis, RD, Becoming Vegetarian, Wiley, Canada, 2003, p. 19 8. Ibid, p. 19 9. Nora W. Coffey, www.truthout.com 10. Melina and Davis, op. cit., p. 25 11. Ibid, p. 161 12. Ibid, p. 25-26 13. Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Penguin Books, UK, 2007, p.3. 14. Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease, Ballantine Books, NY, USA, 1996 15. Robbins, op. cit., p. 24 16. “15 Reasons to Stop Hiding from Vegetarianism”, Vegetarian Times, October 25, 2007 17. www.vegetarian-society.org 18. Dr. Colin T. Campbell, The China Study, Benbella Books, USA, 2006, p. 2 19. J. Chang-Claude, et al., “Mortality Pattern of German Vegetarians after 11 Years of Follow-Up,” Epidemiology 3 (1992): 395-401; M. Thorogood, et al., “Risk of Death from Cancer and Ischaemic Heart Disease in Meat and Non-Meat Eaters,” British Medical Journal 308 (1994): 1667-70. 20. PETA, op. cit 21. “What They Don’t Tell You About Milk”, Consumers Association of Penang, Penang, Malaysia, 2008. 22. American Cancer Society, Cancer Prevention and Early Detection, Facts and Figures 2004, p. 18, number 1. 23. John Robbins, , Still Point Publishing, USA, 1987, p. 44 24. Karen Emmons, M.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston. Quoted in “Behavior More Key Than Genes in Cancer,” Reuters, January 21, 2000. 25. B.S. Reddy, et al, “Nutrition and Its Relationship to Cancer,” Advances in Cancer Research, 32:237, 1980. See also John Robbins, Diet For A New America, p. 271. 26. Chao, Ann et al., “Meat Consumption and Risk of Colorectal Cancer,” Journal of the American Medical Association, 12 January, 2005, p. 172-182. 27. Steven Reinberg, “Obesity in America Continues to Expand”, Health Day News, August 23, 2005 28. Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation, Penguin Books, London, England, 2001, p. 240 29. Melina and Davis, op.cit., p. 319 30. “Sugarbusters”, New England Journal of Medicine, 2003. 31. Vegetarian Starter Kit, op. cit, p. 7 32. M.G. Hardinge, et al., “Nutritional Studies of Vegetarians,” Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2 (1954):73-82; Freeland-Graves, J.H. et al., “Zinc Status of Vegetarians,” Journal of the American Dietetic Association 77 (1980):655-61; Key, et al., “Obesity is Low.” 33. Robbins, op. cit. p. 83 34. http://www.annecollins.com/weight-loss/sugar-rda-diet.htm

139 35. P.R. Sarkar, Yogic Treatment and Herbal Remedies, Ananda Marga Publications, Anandanagar, India, 1996, p. 41. 36. Catherine Guthrie, “Metabolic Makeover”, Yoga Journal, www.yogajournal.com 37. http://www.ourfood-news.com/Archives_March_2007.html 38. R. Miller, “Soft Drinks and Six Packs Quench Our National Thirst”, FDA Consumer, Washington D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office, October, 1985, p. 23 39. Health and Home Journal, Philippine Publishing House, Manila, Philippines, 1990. 40. Didi Ananda Rucira, Great Health Naturally Part 2, Abha Light Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya, 2004, p. 77 41. Barry Popkin, “The World is Fat”, Scientific American, September, 2007. p. 60 42. Dr. John Lust and Michael Tierra, The Natural Remedy Bible, Pocket Books, NY, USA, 1990. p. 74 43. http://www.asiandiabetes.org/category/asian-diabetes-statistics/ 44. http://www.glycemicindex.com/ 45. http://www.vrg.org 46. Robbins, op cit, Diet For a New America, p. 276

Chapter 9: The Health Benefits of Sattvic Food 1. Melina and Davis, op. cit p. 156 2. Vegetarian Beginner’s Guide, op. cit, p. 23 3. Melina and Davis, op. cit p. 156 4. www.Vegetarian Society of Singapore.org 5. Melina and Davis, op. cit, p. 158 6. Ibid p. 162 7. Ibid, p. 161 8. Ananda Rucira op.cit., p. 49 9. Bob LeRoy, “Fruits and Vegetables: Who needs them?” EVU News, Issue 3, 1996 10. http://www.ageless.co.za/antioxidants.htm 11.http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/antioxidants_and_free_radicals#ixzz0 G6ZifTTx&B 12. Melina and Davis, op.cit. p. 183 13. Ibid, p. 185 14. Christine Gorman, “How to Eat Smarter”, Time Magazine, November 3, 2003 15. Melina and Davis, op.cit. p.73 16. Ibid, p. 73 17. Lust, M.D. and Tierra, op. cit., p. 51 18. Melina and Davis, op.cit., p. 76-77

Chapter 10: The Dangers of Fast Food 1. Scott Kahan, “Why Americans Keep Getting Fatter”, The Baltimore Sun, June 21, 2007 2. Melina and Davis, op. cit. P. 118-119 3. Schlosser, op. cit., p. 242 4. Ibid, p.3 5. Ibid, p. 242 6. Robbins, Food Revolution, op. cit., p. 38 7. Kahan, op. cit.

140 8. “Super Size Me” docudrama, Samuel Goldwyn Films, USA, 2004 9. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1218056,00.html 10. Robbins, op. cit., p. 178 11. http://mavrkydefamationcaselaw.blogspot.com/2007/01/mclibel-suit.html 12. www.vegetarian society of singapore.org

Chapter 11: The Milk Question 1. Robbins, op. cit., p. 103 2. John McDougall, McDougall’s Medicine, New Century Publishers, 1985, p. 67 3. Consumers Association of Penang, op.cit. 4. Schlosser, op. cit., p. 142 5. Robbins, Diet for a New America, op. cit., p. 338 6. Schlosser, op. cit., p. 289 7. Ibid, p. 257 8. Robbins, Food Revolution, op. cit., p. 101 9. Ibid, p. 102 10. Melina and Davis, op. cit., p. 309 11. Robbins, Diet For a New America, op. cit., p. 193

Chapter 12: Not All Fats are Bad 1. Dr. Bernard Jensen, Foods That Heal, Avery Publishing Group, USA, 1988, p. 14 2. Ananda Rucira, op. cit., p. 14 3. Ibid, p. 21 4. Simon Robinson, “A is for Apple”, Time Magazine, May 22, 2005 5. Melina and Davis, op.cit., p. 213 6. Vegetarian Beginner’s Guide, op. cit., p. 33

Chapter 13: FAQ About the Sattvic Vegetarian Diet 1. FAQ leaflet, Vegetarian Society of Singapore, p.2 2. Position of The American Dietetic Association and The Canadian Dietetic Association: “Nutrition for physical fitness and athletic performance for adults" 3. Melina and Davis, op.cit., p. 63 4. Position of the American Dietetic Association: weight management. Amer Diet Assoc 1995; p. 95, 809. 5. Michael D. Lemonick et al, “Teens Before Their Time”, Time Magazine, August 30, 2000. 6. John McDougall, M.D., The McDougall Program, Plume Publishers, USA, 1991, p. 44-45. 7. Robbins, Food Revolution, op. cit., p. 91 8. “Going Vegan”, CNN News Feature

Chapter 14: Yoga’s Healthy Lifestyle 1. James Allen, As a Man Thinketh, Arc Manor, Maryland, USA, 2007, p.16 2. Steven Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Simon and Shuster, New York, 1990 3. Sharon Begley, “Scans of Monks’ Brains Show Meditation Alters Structure, Functioning,” The Wall Street Journal, November 5, 2004 4. Catherine Guthrie, op. cit.

141 Chapter 15: Chlorophyll and Lymph 1. J.T. Dwyer et al., “Mental Age and I.Q. of Predominantly Vegetarian Children”, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 1980, p. 142-7. 2. “High IQ Linked to Being Vegetarian”, BBC News, 15 December 2006 3. “Veggies may make big difference in keeping brain young”, Chicago Tribune and The Associated Press, October 24, 2006

Chapter 16: Why Raw Foods Are Good for You 1. M. Bircher-Benner, “Sunlight Food” presented at World Vegetarian Congress, India, 1957

Chapter 17: Fasting for Health 1. “Monthly Fasting May Protect Heart”, EarthSave News, February 2008 2. Acarya Acyutananda Avadhuta and Taraka, Ananda Marga Spiritual and Social Practices, Ananda Marga Publications, Anandanagar, India, 2003, p. 61 3. Dr. Arnold Lieber, The Lunar Effect, Biological Tides and Human Evolution, Press/Doubleday, NY, USA 4. www.amwellness.org 5. Personal interview with the author on May 7, 2009. Weeks later I heard that his health was still excellent. 6. Ibid. Weeks later I heard that her health was also still excellent.

Chapter 18: The Food Pyramid 1. www.hsph.harvard.edu/now 2. “What is a Healthy Vegetarian Diet?” Vegetarian Society of Singapore leaflet, 2005 3. Scott Kahan, “Why Americans Keep Getting Fatter”, The Baltimore Sun, June 21, 2007 4. Michele Simon, “Weak Links in the Food Chain: Why Uncle Sam Won’t Tell You What Not to Eat”, www.worldproutassembly.org

Chapter 19: The Secrets of Long Life 1. P. R. Sarkar, Birds and Animals, Our Neighbours, Ananda Marga Publications, Anandanagar, India, 2007, p. 281. 2. “Living Longer, Living Better” ABC News Tonight news footage 3. http://www.vegetariantimes.com/resources/why_go_veg/ 4. ABC News op.cit 5. John Robbins, Diet for a New America film clip 6. Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, Carya Carya, Part 3, Ananda Marga Publications, 6th Edition, India, 2005

Chapter 20: Organic Food and Healthy Soils 1. Robbins, Food Revolution, op. cit., p. 274 2. Schlosser, op. cit, p. 146 3. Bharat Dogra, “Organic Farming, Answer to Farmers’ Suicides?” Inter Press Service, July 18, 2006. 4. Robbins, Diet, op.cit., p. 341 5. www.naturespath.com

142 6. Robbins, Food Revolution, op. cit., p. 274 7. www.enviroWeb.org/publications/rodale/usrarc/fst.html 8. Laura Carlsen, IRC, October 25, 2006, Americas Program, International Relations Center (IRC) americas.irc-online.org 9. Frances Moore Lappe and Joseph Collins, World Hunger: Twelve Myths, Grove Press Inc., NY, 1986, p. 42 10. Robbins, Food Revolution, op. cit., p. 114 11. Ibid, p. 370 12. “Organically Grown Foods Higher In Cancer-fighting Chemicals Than Conventionally Grown Foods”, www.worldproutassembly.org 13. Dada Maheshvarananda, After Capitalism, Proutist Universal Publications, Copenhagen, , 2004, p. 120 14. David C. Korten, The Post-Corporate World: Life After Capitalism, Berret-Koehler Publishers, USA, 2000, p. 251 15. www.visaofuturo.org.br

Chapter 21: The Evils of Factory Farming 1. Kapleu op.cit, p. 111 2. www.animalsasia.org 3. Kapleu op.cit., p. 108 4. Schlosser, op.cit., p. 201 5. Gail A. Eisnitz, Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry, Prometheus Books, USA, 2006, p. 169 6. Kapleu op.cit., p. 109 7. USDA NASS, Agricultural Statistics, 2005 8. Scientific Farm Animal Production, 8th Edition, 2004 9. Ibid 10. , “Our Decrepit Food Factories”, The New York Times, December 17, 2007 11. , “Vegetarianism In A Nutshell,” Earth Save News, December 2007 12. Robbins, Food Revolution, op. cit., p. 240 13. Ibid, p. 191 14. Ibid, p. 128 15. Ibid, p. 131 16. Ibid, p. 130 17. Schlosser, op.cit., p. 204 18. Robbins, Food Revolution, op. cit., p. 126 19. Ibid, p. 133 20. “What They Don’t Tell You About Milk”, Consumers Association of Penang, Penang, Malaysia, 2008 21. PETA Vegetarian Starter Kit 22. Robbins, Food Revolution, op. cit., p. 149 23. Schlosser, op.cit., p. 202 24. Robbins, Food Revolution, op. cit., p. 288 25. Schlosser, op.cit., p. 202 26. “The Dangers of Factory Farming”, Consumer Alert, Humane Farming Association, 2000

143 27. Robbins, Food Revolution, op. cit., p. 137 28. Schlosser, op.cit., P. 212 29. Naomi Spencer “Largest beef recall in US history reveals compromised food supply,” WSWS, 19 February 2008 30. Schlosser, op.cit., p. 204 31. Ibid p. 214 32. Ibid, p. 215 33. Ibid, p. 173 34. Gail Eisnitz, op.cit., p. 271 35. Schlosser, op.cit., p. 74 36. Ibid, p. 77

Chapter 22: Ahimsa: The Principle of Non-Injury 1. Kapleu, op.cit., p. 120 2. www.dudleybanner..html 3. www.vegetariantimes.com

Chapter 23: The Food Industry’s Fine Art of Deception 1. Robbins, Food Revolution, op. cit., p. 95 2. Adam Voiland, “10 Things the Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know”, U.S. News & World Report 3. Schlosser, op.cit., p. 243 4. Ibid, p. 46 5. Ibid, p. 47 6. Ibid, p. 4 7. Ibid, p. 231 8. Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals, Vintage Books, New York, 1989 9. Kapleu, op.cit., p. 23 10. Schlosser, op.cit., p. 261 11. Ibid, p. 54 12. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1218056,00.html 13. Shrii, Shrii Anandamurti, Namah Shiváya Shantáya, Ananda Marga Publications, Anandanagar, India, 1998, p. 119

Chapter 24: The Environmental Fallout From Meat Consumption 1. Mark Gold and Jonathon Porritt, "The Global Benefits of Eating Less Meat," Compassion in World Farming Trust, 2004, p. 22. 2. Robbins, op.cit, p. 256. 3. Steve Koppes, “Want to help the planet? Eat a salad”, University of Chicago Chronicle, May 11, 2006 4. Mark Bittman, “Rethinking the Meat Guzzler”, NY Times, January 27, 2008 5. Robbins, p. 243 6. Ibid, p. 245 7. Ibid, p. 241 8. Ed Ayres, “Will We Still Eat Meat?”, Time Magazine, November 8, 1999 9. Jim Motavalli “The Case Against Meat: Evidence Shows that Our Meat-Based Diet is

144 Bad for the Environment, Aggravates Global Hunger, Brutalizes Animals and Compromises Our Health” www.WorldProutAssembly.org 10. www.VegCooking.com 11. www.100waystosavetheplanet.org 12. Robbins, op.cit., p.236 13. Ibid, p. 237 14. Ed Ayres, op.cit. 15. Alex Kirby BBC News Online environment correspondent 16. Marlow Vesterby and Kenneth Krupa, "Major Uses of Land in the United States, 1997," U.S. Department of Agriculture Statistical Bulletin 17. leaflet www.farmsanctuary.org 18. Robbins, op.cit., p. 255 19. Al Gore, Earth in Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, New York: Plume, 1993, p. 23 20. Robbins, op.cit, p. 255 21. Norman Meyers, The Primary Source: Tropical Rainforests and Our Future, W.W. Norton and Co., 1984 22. Robbins, op.cit, p. 256 23. J.S. Denslow and C. Padoch, People of the Tropical Rainforest, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1988, p. 169 24. Frances Moore Lappe, Diet for a Small Planet, Ballantine Books, NY, USA, 1971, P. xvi 25. Bittman, op.cit 26. http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1907/68/. 27. www.VegSource Article World Bank.mht 28. Earthsave International op.cit., p. 7 29. David and Marcia Pimentel, Food, Energy and Society, CRC Press, Florida, USA, 2008, 1979, p. 59 30. www.100waystosavetheplanet.org 31. Bruce Friedrich, Vegetarianism In A Nutshell, EarthSave NEWS, December 2007 32. Earthsave International op.cit., p. 7 33. www.myspace.com/veganfuture

Chapter 25: Meat Consumption and Global Hunger 1. Maheshvarananda, op.cit., p. 123 2. Robbins, op.cit., p. 289 3. Ibid, p. 284 4. Ibid, p. 288 5. Durning and Brough, “Taking Stock”, p. 14 6. Friedrich, op.cit.

Chapter 26: Neohumanism and a New Paradigm for Humanity 1. P.R. Sarkar, The Liberation of Intellect: Neohumanism, Ananda Marga Publications, Anandanagar, India, 1999, p. 94-95 2. The Earthlings (film), A Nation Earth Production, USA, 2005 3. Maheshvarananda, op.cit., p. 59 4. Dr. Jitendra Singh, and A’c Bhaskarananda Avadhuta, Biopsychology of Spiritual Practices, Gurukul Publications, Anandanagar, India, 2000, p. 85

145 5. Sarkar, op.cit., p. 102-103

Chapter 27: Conclusion 1. P.R. Sarkar, Prout in a Nutshell, Part 17, Ananda Marga Publications, Calcutta, India, 1991 2. www..com 3. P. R. Sarkar, Supreme Expression Part 1, Nirvikalpa Printing, s’Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, 1978, p. 73

146 Bibliography

Anandamurti, Shrii, Shrii, Yoga Psychology, Ananda Marga Publications, Anandanagar, India, 2005

Avadhuta Acyutananda Acarya, Taraka, Ananda Marga Spiritual and Social Practices, Ananda Marga Publications, Anandanagar, India, 2003

Avadhuta Shambushivananda Acharya, “Introduction to Yoga Anatomy, Physiology and Bio- Psychology,” www.amaye.org

Avadhuta, Cidananda Ac., Unforgettable Memories, New Delhi, 2007

Avadhutika Ananda Mitra Ac., A Commentary on Ananda Sutram, Ananda Marga Publications, Anandanagar, India, 2002.

Avtka. Ananda Mitra A’c., Food for Thought, Ananda Marga Publications, Calcutta, 1987

Balch, James E. MD, Balch Phyllis A., Nutritional Healing, Avery Publishing Group, NY, 1990.

Barnard, Neal, Dr., Eat Right, Live Longer, Three Rivers Press, USA, 1996

Barnard, Neal, Dr., Foods That Fight Pain, Three Rivers Press, USA, 1999

Boutenko, Victoria, Green for Life, Raw Family Publishing, USA, 2005

Campbell, Colin T., Dr., The China Study, Benbella Books, USA, 2006

EarthSave International, Our Food, Our Future, NY, USA, 2007.

Eisnitz, Gail A., Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry, Prometheus Books, USA, 2006

Erasmus, Udo, Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill, Alive Books, USA, 1993

Esselstyn, Caldwell, Dr., Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Penguin Books, UK, 2007

Ferrell Vance, et al, Natural Remedies Encyclopedia, Harvestime Books, USA, 2004.

Health and Home Journal, Philippine Publishing House, Manila, Philippines, 1990.

Jensen, Bernard, Dr., Empty Harvest, Avery Trade, USA, 1995

Kloss, Jethro, Back to Eden, Back to Eden Publishing Company, California, USA, 1988.

147 Korten, David. C, The Post-Corporate World: Life After Capitalism, Berret-Koehler Publishers, USA, 2000

Lane, Kendall, Cooking for Consciousness, Ananda Marga Publications, Denver, USA, 1976

Lappe, Frances Moore and Collins, Joseph, World Hunger: Twelve Myths, Grove Press Inc., NY, 1986.

Linzey, Andrew, Animal Theology, University of Illinois Press, USA, 1995

Lust, John, MD and Tierra, Michael, CA. The Natural Remedy Bible, Pocket Books, NY, USA, 1990

Maheshvarananda, Dada, After Capitalism, Proutist Universal Publications, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2004

Marcus, Erik, Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating, McBooks Press, USA, 2000

Maxwell, Richard, MD, “Anatomy and Physiology”.ppt presented at Center for

Neohumanistic Studies, Sweden, 2005.

McDougall, John A., Dr., The McDougall Program, Plume Publishers, USA, 1991

Melina Vesanto, M. Sc. And Davis, Brenda, RD, Becoming Vegetarian, Wiley, Canada, 2003

Mindell, Earl, Food as Medicine, Pocket Books, 1994

Ornish, Dean, Dr., Eat More, Weigh Less, Harper Torch, NY, USA, 2002

Parham, Barbara, What’s Wrong with Eating Meat, Ananda Marga Publications, Denver, USA, 1977

Robbins, John, Diet for a New America, Stillpoint Publishing, USA, 1987

Robbins, John, The Food Revolution, Conari Press, San Francisco, 2001

Roizen, Michael F., Dr, The Real Age Diet, Harper Paperbacks, USA, 2002

Rucira, Ananda Didi, Great Health Naturally Part 1, Abha Light Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya, 2003

Rucira, Ananda Didi, Great Health Naturally Part 2, Abha Light Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya, 2004

148 Sarkar, P. R., Birds and Animals, Our Neighbours, Ananda Marga Publications, Anandanagar, India, 2007.

Sarkar, P.R., Yogic Treatment and Natural Remedies, Ananda Marga Publications, Anandanagar, India, 1996.

Sarma Lakshmana, Swaminathan, S., Speaking of Nature Cure, Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, India, 1993.

Schlosser, Eric, Fast Food Nation, Penguin Books, London, England, 2001

Singh, J. Dr., Biopsychology, Gurukul Publications, Anandanagar, India, 1998.

Singh, Jitendra, Dr. and Avadhuta Bhaskarananda A’c, Biopsychology of Spiritual Practices, Gurukul Publications, Anandanagar, India, 2000.

Weil, Andrew Dr., Eight Weeks to Optimum Health, Ballantine Books, USA, 2007

Yogananda, Paramahansa, Autobiography of a Yogi, International Publications Council of the Self-Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles, USA, 1999

149

150

Top View