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REACH YOUR HIGHEST HEALTH POTENTIAL
Everyday we read articles about health, some
with opposing claims. We are attracted because most of us do not want
to take medicine for every little ailment but it’s easy to get lost in
the sea of advice.
How do we differentiate right and wrong?
Unfortunately we are overwhelmed by an
advertising industry making all sorts of claims for various products.
It is difficult to sort it all out. Here are a few simple rules –
Eat what nature meant you to eat. We are
descendants of primates, (monkeys).. Primates are predominantly
herbivores whose main diets consists of fruits, vegetables, nuts and
seeds in the whole, unrefined form. If you stick to this, there is
very little chance to get sick.
Refined foods open the way for all
kinds of problems. Just to give an example, groundnuts are not
harmful, and can be eaten freely. However groundnut oil can be
harmful. It takes approximately 300 gms or groundnuts to produce a
tablespoon of the refined oil. Though it’s not possible to eat 300 gms
of groundnuts in one day, a tablespoon of oil or more can be consumed
easily just by eating one batata wada. The fibre in the whole
groundnuts as well as most nutrients are lost in the processed oil.
Sugar, white flour and white rice are other common examples of refined
foods eaten daily. Refined foods are high in calories and low in
nutrients. In short, this means anything that is advertised is not
good for you. Processed foods are best for the revenues of the
companies producing them, not for the consumer.
Mother Nature intended for us to have none
other than our mother’s milk. Milk is produced by mammal mothers
for their babies. We are the only ones who cross the species barrier,
drinking milk from a cow. This is against nature and therefore not
healthy.
Milk is a food meant for growth. A baby calf
grows to full size in 18 months, a human infant in 18 years. Cow’s
milk contains all the nutrients that a calf needs, but this far too
much fat and proteins for us. It also contains a growth hormone to
promote growth. Consuming milk and its products makes us prone to
growths – tumours, cancers, obesity.
Only animals produce cholesterol.
Excess cholesterol from animal products (meat, fish, chicken,
eggs and milk) causes heart disease and hypertension. True
carnivores rarely have these problems; their bodies are made for their
diet.
Diabetes can be avoided and cured by eat
what nature intended us to – unrefined, whole plant products and no
dairy. Growth hormone in milk interferes with the action of insulin in
our body. Diabetics who completely stop all dairy products will find
their blood sugar drops, all other factors remaining constant.
Our chronic epidemics – heart disease,
hypertension, diabetes and cancer are not a result of our genes.
Scientists note that Japanese and Chinese were more prone to these
diseases when they migrated to the US where their diet contained more
dairy, animal products and refined products. In Asia, dairy
consumption is prevalent only in the Indian subcontinent. Even our
neighbors Sri Lanka and Burma as well as all the other Asian countries
do not traditionally use dairy. We Indians are more predisposed to
diabetes compared to all our neighbors. Similarly arthritis,
asthma, allergies and digestive ailments are linked to our wrong
dietary habits.
Lifestyle changes are difficult! How
do we change? What do we do when we are invited for a meal? Would
this change mean the end of our social life and joy of eating?
Most chronic diseases are the cumulative
results of years of wrong living and excesses and do not happen over
night as it may seem. Our body has a lot of reserves. We can
survive on one kidney or on one lung but we have two. Until our
arteries are 70% blocked, we do not experience pain. Despite these
abundant reserves, we exceed the limits and get sick.
When incorporating changes we should always
start with a reachable goal and move forwards in a progressive
manner. Relatively healthy people can improve their diet at home, and
to eat with awareness when eating socially or outside. If we eat
healthily regularly then an occasional unhealthy bite will not make us
sick.
As we get more into a healthy diet the body will
by itself reject unhealthy foods and habits. All that’s needed to make
the change are the awareness, healthy cooking classes or books and the
will and wisdom. Surprisingly healthy cooking can be even tastier than
junk food!
However, people who are already unwell,
should go the whole way. This means they should eat only whole,
unrefined plant food with no dairy whatsoever. This is necessary in
order to clean up the damages done over the years. The results are
extremely rewarding. Patients with hypertension and diabetes can show
results in as little as 2 weeks – with lab tests to prove it. They are
often able to get completely off medication in a very short time. This
speaks a lot for the resilience of our body, given half a chance.
Remember, one cannot solve a problem by continuing with the same
lifestyle that caused the illness in the first place. A radical change
is necessary.
There is one more thing that should not be
forgotten and this is a regular exercise program. With a good
diet and exercise you are on your way to becoming your own best health
caretaker.
To test whether your new diet is having the
desired effects, get a complete lab check up before and after the
new diet. Also check your own body functions. Are the small problems
that you suffered from getting better? Is your stamina improving? Are
you closer to your optimum weight? Are you sleeping well and feeling
energetic? Are you feeling better moodwise? More confidence and
calmness, less irritability and depression?
If all these parameters are improving, you are on
the right track. If not, take a closer look at what you are doing.
It can’t be emphasized enough. Your health is
like a savings account. If you put in a small amount of effort
everyday, in the long run you reap the benefits. The truth is that
most medications help us feel better on the short term but do nothing
to improve the quality of health on the long term. If we really want
to be fit and healthy it is all up to us.
Recommended reading
‘The China Study’ by T. Colin Campbell, PhD - the
most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted and the startling
implications for diet, weight loss, and long term health.
‘Reversing Heart Disease’ – Dean Ornish, MD
‘Breaking the Food Seduction’ – Neal Barnard, MD.
‘The Mc Dougall Plan – John Mc Dougall, MD
The author, Dr Nandita Shah, is a qualified
homeopath who runs workshops for creating health awareness and
promoting the fact that each person is largely able to take charge of
his own health. The workshops include cooking demonstrations and also
material on how to reclaim your health if you are suffering from
asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, allergies,
digestive problems, osteoporosis etc. The next workshop will be held
in Mumbai on the 7th of Oct. To find out more please call
22814949 or email nandita@sharan-india.org
Other recommended Courses in Mumbai for optimum
diet - Vijaya Venkat’s classes
For Heart Disease Reversal - Dr Bimal Chajjer’s
workshops, held every 3 months.
SHARAN (Sanctuary For Health and Reconnection to
Animals and Nature) promotes natural healthy living, organic farming
and farm animal welfare. Its goal is to help people see the connection
between human beings and the plant and animal world. SHARAN runs
health awareness workshops, organic farming workshops. Our future goal
is to have a sanctuary for rescued farm animals of all species.
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