Back to nature!

Importance of organic, local and seasonal food

Today we have surplus food production, all kinds of fruits and vegetables are available throughout the year, and everywhere. For example, dragon fruit a native to china is available in the US, and strawberries are available in the Middle East. But, are you sure that this is real progress?

Now people have more than enough to eat, but they are falling sick from eating this food. Today we have more diabetes, hypertension, hormonal imbalances, and cancers than ever before, and there is an urgent need to look at some of the possible reasons.

GM food – Changing the core, is it worth the cost?

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Genetic engineering of seeds has helped us to have crops that are most resistant to pests, seasonal changes, diseases, etc. But there is almost no long term research on the food safety of this produce. Let me give you one typical example – now strawberry grows around the year, even in the frosty weather and never gets spoilt. This achievement is a result of genetic engineering. Strawberry genes are modified by adding a gene from a fish that survives in chilling water. So, now strawberries are as resistant as the fish against the cold.

Another example is corn. Corn is genetically modified to kill a pest. When this pest ingests the corn, the modified grains cause internal bleeding and hemorrhage in pest’s intestines. And let’s observe that there is a growing problem of leaky gut and irritable bowel syndrome, where the intestines get inflamed and sometimes perforated!

Now people are more allergic to a wide variety of food, and it can be anything from peanuts to fresh coriander! One of the hypotheses is that genetically modified food is not natural. Our body recognizes all-natural genetic structures, like natural grains, meat, milk, etc.  But when a genetically modified food enters the body, it appears like unidentified foreign elements. Body tags it as a dangerous substance and triggers an autoimmune reaction as a protective response. And this logic completely fits in the health puzzle. Since we have so many genetically modified foods, anything can trigger an allergic reaction in the body. So, now can you guess why so many people have milk allergies today?

A few decades back, the natural genes of the cow were mixed with buffalo enhance the milk production. The milk these cow-like animals produce is not identifiable by the body, it is not natural, it does not fit anywhere, just like an anomaly! Sadly, there have been cases where people have been through near-death experiences due to severe milk allergies.

We are losing our food. Soon there will be lesser food and more food-like substances that are not edible at all! Can you call this progress? We are becoming weaker and more and more vulnerable as a race! This is serious.

Why seasonal food is the best?

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It is high time for us to retrace our steps back to organic food. And interestingly organic food is naturally seasonal. You will never find a natural crop of mango in winter, it is a summer fruit, and lo! It helps to combat harsh heat waves in the tropical climate. Seasonal produce is the only food. Rest is genetically modified poison.

Similarly, all hydrating fruits like water melon, litchi, melon etc naturally grow in summer, when we rapidly lose water to summer heat. On the other hand, there is a huge variety of fruits and vegetables found in the winter season, when the digestive system is considered to be at its best.

According to Ayurveda, cabbage, cauliflower, green peas all cause vata aggravation in the body. However, they grow in winter and can be well digested by the strong  winter digestion. But if you were to eat the same vegetables in rainy season, they might lead to severe vata vitiation in the body. And therefore, these vegetables are unavailable in the

Why local food is the best?

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Everything is available everywhere. This is the result of another human intrusion in the natural scheme of nature.  Cardamom naturally grows in a hot climate, for example in south India and according to Indian traditional science Ayurveda, it is cooling in nature. Cardamom is also an excellent remedy for all kinds of inflammatory disorders. The produce suits the weather! Cardamom is excellent for people living in a hot climate.

Let’s take another example, saffron naturally grows in a frigid climate, and it is hot in temperament. Now the frosty state of Kashmir in India is the largest producer of saffron. And look at the level of perfection in nature. Saffron is excellent for people in cold climate. However, hot food for hot weather is not a great combination. But since saffron is readily available now in middle east, may God save the natives there! Dates are a better option for them.

Content is the key

When God said, “Be content with what you have,” I think that it was also a piece of health advice. Let’s not run after Italian oregano, or California almonds, or Quinoa from Peru. Local food is the best. If we be content , we will be healthy!

Let’s choose our food, consciously. Let’s not have more but good food. Let’s stop poking our finger at the fine balance of nature. Let’s use human intelligence for the betterment and not for the destruction of our race and our planet.

Best wishes!

WHY FOOD IS THE BEST CURE?

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Toxic Food According to Ayurveda

One famous Ayurvedic proverb states –
“The one who eats proper food does not need any medicine
The one who eats improper food will not benefit from any medicine”

According to Ayurveda, digestion is the key to strong immunity and healthy metabolism. When we eat improper food, it first affects the most important pillar of our health – our digestion.
Therefore good food is the basis of all health. Ayurveda states that food in its most natural form is the most nutritious, but food which is environmentally incompatible is toxic for the human body too. According to the above rule, the modern Ayurvedic standards for non-consumable food are defined as follows –

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Non-Organic Food

Vedas state that the food and water available to all human beings should be the same. Today this statement is so relevant in terms of non-organic food. Non-organic grains and vegetables are grown with the help of a bulk of pesticides and insecticides. These food items are hardly suitable for consumption. They can cause a variety of health issues, including multiple types of cancers. Therefore the new mantra for the Ayurvedic life is the organic food.
Most of the people are unaware that some of the pesticides and insecticides are designed to disrupt the physiological functions of the insects/pests. For example, an insecticide called “Roundup” acts on the intestines of the insects and tear the internal linings of their intestines. The insect population soon dies and the crops are thus saved. However, imagine what will happen when such food is ingested by the human. When we eat food that is sprayed with such pesticides, it affects our intestines in a similar way it affects the pests. Now it is scientifically proven that these chemicals cause severe damage to the intestines. They can make the intestines leaky after regular use for a long term. When the undigested food material oozes out of the leaky intestines into the abdominal cavity, it can cause severe allergies. Interestingly, a few decades back very few people would be suffering from allergies but nowadays people can develop an allergy to almost anything, right from peanuts to pollen, thanks to the non-organic food.

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Genetically Modified Food

The newest and the most overlooked health threat is the Genetically modified food. This is a more serious threat than the use of pesticides and insecticides. In case of genetically modified food, the genes of one organism are planted in the DNA of another organism, for example, genes of fish are planted in the DNA of rice so that the genetically modified rice crops will not rot in the case of floods. But this is good only for the farmers and more so for the seed manufacturing companies. It is neither good for the consumers or for the environment.

The Myth of GM Food

For a long time, it was propagated that genetically modified food is crucial to bring an end to the food security in the poor populations of the world. Therefore for decades, there was no open opposition against GM food, but Gm food does not solve any problem of the world. In fact it has added many severe problems that are more complicated than the food crises. What good is the food but that causes diseases when consumed?
The body has the natural potential to determine foreign objects and expel or kill them. Genetically modified food is not natural in its constitution. When it is consumed, the body fails to identify it as a nutritional substance. Genetically modified food is different in constitution than its natural counterpart. For example, if you see a person who has 3 eyes and 2 noses, you would definitely be scared and would run for protection. The body produces a similar response when it sees an unidentifiable object, which is basically a genetically modified food item. The body tends to attack the GM food and get it out of the body, instead of trying to absorb nutrition from it. Just imagine what will be the state of your health if your body is trying to kill your food!

The list of diseases that genetically modified food can produce is very long. The health problems caused by genetically modified food are –

  • Cancer
  • Allergies
  • Obesity
  • Hypertension
  • Stroke
  • Diabetes
  • Intestinal Infections
  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Thyroid disorders
  • Auto-immune disorders (Rheumatoid Arthritis, type 1 diabetes, autoimmune hepatitis, scleroderma, celiac disease and many more)
  • Inflammatory disorders (asthma, peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, sinusitis, Crohn’s disease etc.)
  • Dementia
  • Autism
  • Developmental delay

For more information, please visit the link – Genetically Modified Food – The New Poison

2000px-Dharma_Wheel.svg.pngUnhealthy Karma

According to Ayurveda, the source of the food is very important. If the source of food is corrupt and evil, the food will bring the consequences in terms of karma. Because of this reason, in earlier times people refrained from eating in the house of anyone who is evil and corrupt.

In case of genetically modified, non-organic food, the farmers who buy the genetically modified seeds are forced to buy them again and again because genetically modified crops fail to produce seeds with similar qualities, as their parents. These genetically modified seeds not only require more fertilizers and other chemicals, they also consume more water than the natural seeds. Thus after a few years, the fields under farming for genetically modified food become infertile and the region faces the drought problem. Therefore we must stay reminded that if we are buying non-organic food, we are contributing to the problems of large-scale farmer suicide in our country.
It is important that all ardent supporters of Ayurveda should say no to non-organic and genetically modified for the sake of their health as well as for nature. What is Evil, is evil for all. It does not bring good to anyone. Let’s save ourselves and our environment from the evil GM food, generated out the greed of few people.

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Non Seasonal Food

Today we find almost all vegetables and fruits in almost all the seasons; we find greens around the year, which were naturally available only in winter. However, according to Ayurveda, this is a completely unhealthy trend. Ayurveda strictly prohibits one from consuming non-seasonal food. Non-seasonal food is considered to be unnatural and devoid of its original nutritional value. But unfortunately, because of the use of chemicals and genetical modification, many original and naturally occurring species of edible plants have become extinct. What we eat today might not exactly be food, it is “FOOD LIKE SUBSTANCE”.
Let us take the example of green leafy vegetables. Greens, unlike general knowledge, are hard to digest and cause a lot of digestive problems if not digested properly. The greens are naturally produced in winter, and winter is the season when the digestion is at its best. Therefore, the greens are full of their best nutritional qualities and also, the body is able to extract the best nutrition from them. Thus the perfect match of digestive power and nourishment is naturally achieved. On the other hand, digestive power if the weakest in the rainy season and thus not many food options are available in terms of vegetables and also fruits which can be consumed raw.  Watermelons are naturally produced in summer and help to prevent dehydration. Coconuts grow in hot and humid weather and are cool in temperament. Nature has a perfect match for all our nutritional requirements. Therefore, let’s follow nature for a perfect health.

assorted food
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Global Food

According to Ayurveda, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and grains are best suitable for the native people. For example, Kesar (saffron) is a spice that is abundantly found in the cold regions of Kashmir. Kesar is a hot temperament herb according to Ayurveda and is naturally good for the local people. Dates are naturally found in the desert area and they are sweet and provide instant energy to the local people, where other kinds of vegetation might be scare. Therefore, according to the law of nature, everything grows naturally in the place where it is most required. Ssomething that is grown in a different climate than that of the place where you live, is not naturally compatible with your health. Therefore, if you do not have the money to buy exotic vegetables like zucchini or squash in India, or Quinoa in the USA, or Basmati rice in Canada’ consider yourself lucky! Local food is the best for you.

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Packaged/Junk Food

The packaged food contains dried vegetables, preservatives, acidity regulators, stabilizers, and a host of other chemicals apart from the real food substance. Packaged fast food also contains a lot of excess fat, sugar, and unwanted chemicals.

If we can avoid all of the above food items, then there is a huge possibility of our staying alive and active for a minimum of 100 years. Besides, we will save a lot of pollution caused by unnecessary transportation.


Jivem Shardah Shatam!
(May we live a 100 years)