________________
विक्रम
The human body has many other mechanisms of adjustment. If you eat only starch or sugar it is converted into fat. So even if a man does not eat ghee or oil or fat in any form the body manufactures it from other foods eaten. Suppose a man starves and does not eat any thing, but drinks water only, the metabolism of the body is lowered and his system consumes less fuel than he would normally have required. Thus, many people who undertake fasting are not necessarily thin people, even if they do not cat much after the fasting is over. Thus numerous factors play a part is keeping a sound health. It is a well established fact that for longivity limited starvation is very useful prescription.
People today are more sick because they over eat rather than by under nourishment specially in the well to do that is middle class and upper class societies. Longivity demands remaining hungry. People who observe discipline in diet and undertake regular limited time fasts remain more healthy and live much longer. Over eating habits are responsible for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments. These are increasing day by day because the well to do who are not interested in their spiritual development go on eating rich foods without doing any physical labour. The Jain cannon has very wisely excluded foods which are liable to produce pathology but are conductive to control of mind suppression of passion and helpful in human salvation. In times of scarcity the Jain diet puts less strain on society and is helpful in balancing the shortage of food in the country,
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
