Jain Spirit 2001 12 No 09

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 55

Health is Wealth
Eat moderately
other than price and sensual desire. The purpose of food, however, is not only to increase longevity and bodily strength but also to purify the mind and consciousness. Therefore the spiritualist offers his food to the Lord before eating. Such offered food clears the way for spiritual progress. There are millions of people in India and around the world who would not consider eating unless their food was offered first to Lord Krishna.
Vitality and strength depend not on how much we eat but on how much we are able to digest and absorb into our system. The stomach needs working space, so instead of filling it completely, fill it just halfway by eating only half as much as you think you can and leave a fourth of the space for liquids and the other fourth for air. You'll help your digestion and get more pleasure from eating. Moderate eating will also give satisfaction to your mind and harmony to your body. Overeating makes the mind agitated or dull and the body heavy and tired.
Eat at fixed times
As far as possible, take your main meal at the solar midday when the sun is highest because that's when your digestive power is strongest. Wait at least three hours after a light meal and five after a heavy meal before eating again. Eating at fixed times without snacking between meals helps make the mind and tongue peaceful.
Don't pour water on the fire of digestion
Eat in a pleasant atmosphere
A cheerful mood helps digestion; a spiritual mood even more. Eat in pleasant surroundings and centre the conversation around spiritual topics. According to the Ksema-kuntuhala, a Vedic cookbook from the 2nd century, a pleasant atmosphere and a good mood are as important to proper digestion as the quality of the food. Look upon your food as Krishna's mercy. Food is a divine gift, so cook it, serve it and eat it in a spirit of joyful reverence.
The Vedas inform us that our food is digested by a fire called Jatharagni (the fire in the belly). Therefore, as we often drink with our meals, the effect of liquid on fire becomes an important consideration in the art of eating. Drinking before the meal tempers the appetite and, consequently, the urge to overeat. Drinking moderately while eating helps the stomach do its job, but drinking afterwards dilutes the gastric juices and reduces the fire of digestion. Wait at least an hour after eating before drinking again and, if need be, you can drink every hour after that until the next meal.
Don't waste food
Combine foods wisely
Foods should be combined for taste, for efficient digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Rice and other grains go well with vegetables. Milk products such as cheese, yoghurt and buttermilk go well with grains and vegetables, but fresh milk does not go well with vegetables. The typical Vedic lunch of rice, split-lentil soup, vegetables and chapattis is a perfect balanced meal. Avoid combining vegetables with raw fruits. (Fruits are best eaten as a separate meal or with hot milk.) Also avoid mixing acidic fruits with alkaline fruits or milk with fermented milk products.
The scriptures tell us that for every bit of food wasted in times of plenty, an equal amount will be lacking in times of need. Put on your plate only as much as you can eat and save any leftovers for the next meal. (To reheat food it is usually necessary to add liquid and simmer in a covered pan. Stir well and frequently.) If for some reason prasada had to be discarded, then feed it to animals, bury it or put it in a body of water. Prasada is sacred and should never be put in the garbage. Whether cooking or eating, be careful about not wasting food.
Try an occasional fast
Share food with others
Srila Rupa Gosvami explains in the Upadesamrita, a fivehundred-year-old classic, about devotional service: "One of the ways for devotees to express love is to offer prasada and accept prasada from one another." Even if you can't follow this practice, look for occasions to offer prasada to others and you will appreciate prasada more yourself.
It may seem unusual for a cookbook to recommend fasting but according to the Ayur-veda fasting strengthens both will-power and bodily health. An occasional fast gives the digestive system a rest and refreshes the senses, mind and consciousness. In most cases the Ayur-veda recommends a water fast. Juice fasting is popular in the West because Western methods encourage long fasts. In Ayur-vedic treatment, however, most fasts are short - one to three days. While fasting, one should not drink more water than needed to quench one's thirst. Jatharagni, being freed from the task of digesting food, is busy incinerating the accumulated wastes in the body and too much water inhibits the process.
Be clean
Vedic culture places great emphasis on cleanliness, both internal and external. For internal cleanliness we can cleanse the mind and heart of material contamination by chanting Vedic mantras, particularly the Hare Krishna mantra. External cleanliness includes keeping a high standard of cleanliness when cooking and eating. Naturally this includes the usual good habits of washing the hands before eating and the hands and mouth after.
Professor P. L. JAIN is associated with the AHIMSA FOUNDATION and can be contacted at: ahimsa@jainsamaj.org
December 2001 - February 2002 • Jain Spirit
51