Vegetarianism - An Ethical Diet for Peace and Plenty

Vegetarianism - An Ethical Diet for Peace and Plenty

Dear Readers,

We wish you and your family the best of health and happiness in this season of renewal and fresh beginnings. Please enjoy the healthful article by Mr. R.P. Jain in this issue of our newsletter and enjoy the healthful recipe of the month.

We like to sharing more Ayurvedic vegetarian recipes and interesting articles. If there is anything in particular you'd love to read about in our newsletter, please feel free to send us e-mail with your request.

We always welcome your valuable article and suggestion to make this newsletter more friendly to you.

Best regards and thanks.

Dr. Rajesh Kotecha 'Vaidya', M.D. (Ayurveda)
Director,
Chakrapani Ayurveda Clinic and Research Center

 

VEGETARIANISM- by Mr. R. P. Jain

In India, the land of ahimsa, or nonviolence, people have  traditionally been vegetarian. Hailing from a family of staunch vegetarians, I consider myself fortunate to be living in harmony with the principles of nature. As a Jain follower, I strongly advocate a vegetarian diet, which I find superior not only from a moral stance, but also from the health and culinary points of view. Guests at our home, coming from both vegetarian and nonvegetarian backgrounds, are always overwhelmed with what they describe as the unbelievable taste and richness of our vegetarian cuisine.

Sadly, in recent times many Hindus, Jains and Buddhists, especially of the younger generation, are no longer so strict about our precepts and have taken to nonvegetarian food, mostly following the misconception that meat-eating is healthy. Truth be told, a vegetarian diet is actually much healthier than one based on animal protein. It is argued that there is a lot of protein in meat and eggs, but we do not need so much concentrated protein in our diet. there is plenty  of protein in nuts, seeds, pulses and dairy products, which are also far easier to digest. Vegetarianism supports mental and physical health as well as spiritual cultivation. Fruits,  vegetables, pulses, nuts and milk products provide a balanced diet which does not  make our system toxic. This is primarily because when an animal is killed, it becomes dead matter. In the case of many vegetables, if we eat part of the vegetable and re-plant another part, it can grow again. It is still a living organism.

It is a healthy sign that more and more people in the US, UK, Europe and other parts of the world are taking to a vegetarian diet in modern times, chiefly due to health reasons. There is a growing acceptance in the West that vegetarianism connotes a more positive way of living than flesh eating. In India, the pilgrimage destination of Haridwar still enjoys the status of being a vegetarian city. Even in Japan, known to be virtually 100 percent nonvegetarian, you can now find vegetarian restaurants.

My friend Martin Gluckman, who runs the Vedic society and teaches organic and ayurvedic cooking in south africa, hails Indian vegetarianism thusly: "India has the world's greatest cuisine and most variety of dishes, boasting to its amazing cultural and spiritual heritage. It has a time-tested vegetarian cuisine offering a delight for all senses and the heart. India can be proud to have the world's largest per-capita number of vegetarians (I have read reports of more than 40%). no other country can make such a statement of humanity and nonviolence.

The vegetarian culture and lifestyle is India's  greatest achievement and gift to the world. Only in years to come will the true value of this gift be known." It is important that we remain vegetarian not only for our health and nutrition, but from the points of view of spirituality, compassion, ethics, ecology and economics as well.  When we see the end product of meat in the supermarket or leather in the shoe store, there is a long chain of violence that created it. these products endorse and perpetuate violence in our society, which contributes to the terrorism that is rampant across the world. Eating habits  reflect upon a human being's thoughts, speech and  behavior. A nonvegetarian diet makes one prone to violence.

By moving away from food of violence we can move rapidly toward  world peace. Albert Einstein averred, " It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its  purely physical effect on human temperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind." When a helpless animal is killed by a deliberate act of violence, it dies in great dread. Its body is flush with hormones produced by fear. These toxic substances enter the body of the person who eats the flesh and adversely affect his or her body and mind. I have always wondered, how can the carcass of an animal that died in mortal fear give good health and refined, spiritual inclinations to its consumer?

Additionally, meat production is one of the most environmentally damaging industries in terms of pollution and inefficient use of agricultural land. According to a 2006 report from the United nations Food & agriculture Organization, livestock production is responsible for more greenhouse gases than all the motor vehicles in the world, plus it severely degrades land and water. It is also necessary to remove the myth and argument that vegetarians will not get enough food if non vegetarians do not eat meat. This is a fallacy. It has been conclusively proven that more people can be sustained on vegetarian food than a diet based on meat. Livestock occupy over 30 percent of our planet's land surface, and 33 percent of global arable land is used to grow their feed, pointing to why a meat-based diet requires seven times more land than a plant based diet. Thus, one of the easiest ways to help restore our environment and feed more people is to stop raising and killing animals for human consumption. We have no right to take the life of an animal when we cannot give it.

Economically, a vegetarian diet is preferable to a nonvegetarian diet. the same energy one can get from meat and eggs one can get from pulses and cereals. it actually costs three or four times as much money to produce an equivalent amount of calories from animal sources as from vegetable sources. some people may worry that self-control and too much care about nature would hamper development and bring about poverty. We know too well, however, that the more we consume, the more expensive things become, leading to the growth of the destitute class. Reckless commercial development also results in economic and social crises, bringing further suffering to the poor. Ahimsa, or nonharm, does not deny economic development; It only exercises self-control, limits our desires. Desires are endless. More and more desires give rise to materialism and extraordinary greed, far beyond basic human needs and sustainable consumption.

Greed results in the destruction of the very roots of our life. if we want to prevent the world from becoming a barren desert and our societies from growing into monstrous systems of injustice and suffering, self-control and nonviolence appear as the only reasonable answer—not only for Jains, but for people of any creed. For any spiritual being, the destruction of life, be it in the air, the water or on the ground, is a sin. But even if you do not subscribe to this principle, you will agree that reckless destruction of life could eventually lead to mankind's own demise. Jainism is not the only Indian school advocating nonviolence and self-control as central principles. Buddhism and Hinduism equally preach them. 

Mr. R. P. Jain, a director of Motilal Banarsidass, a celebrated publisher of spiritual and religious books in India. He can be contacted at mlbd@vsnl.com

 

NUTRITION FROM AN AYURVEDIC PERSPECTIVE

 

According to Ayurveda, there are ten principles about a healthy diet and how it is to be eaten. They are:

1.                  Food needs to be hot (usually cooked).

2.                  Food needs to be tasty and easy to digest.

3.                  Food needs to be eaten in the proper amounts, not too much or too little.

4.                  Food needs to be eaten on an empty stomach, after last meal has been digested, and not before.

5.                  Foods need to work together and not contradict one another in their actions.

6.                  Foods need to be eaten in pleasant surroundings with the proper equipment for their enjoyment.

7.                  Eating should not be rushed.

8.                  Eating should not be a horrendously drawn out affair, either.

9.                  It is best to focus on food while eating.

10.              Only eat food which is nourishing to particular constitution and which suits mental and emotional temperament.

(Charaka, Vimana 1/24)

  RECIPE OF THE MONTH- UPMA

 

Material :

1. Sooji (semolina) 1/4 big spoon full
2. Ghee 3 tbsp full
3. Onion 1 chopped
4. Tomato 1 chopped 
5. Mustard seeds
6. Salt to taste
7. Coriander leaves

According to the availability you can also add seasonal vegetables like carrots, and peas. Before adding these vegetables chop the carrots fine and boil them . 

Method : Take an open pan, add ghee to it. Heat the ghee, when it is heated well then add mustard seeds to the ghee followed by that add onions, fry them till they are golden brown. Simultaneously in an open pan keep 2 cups of water for boiling.

Now add sooji to the ghee, keep on frying it until it turns light brown, and little ghee starts coming out.

Add boiled water to the sooji slowly  and keep on stirring it also add little salt to taste. Then add tomatoes and chopped coriander leaves to it. Keep it on fire for a few min . and then turn the gas off . The upma is ready. Serve it hot.

Source: http://chakrapaniayurveda.comnews/june1209.html