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विक्रम
eitrous fruit like a bit of lemon juice, orange etc. will give adequate nourishment. It is essential for a sound health to have a small quatity of milk or milk product at all ages. In the growing child it is more essential for growth physical and mental, in the young boys and girls for development of muscles and other important tissues and in the elderly for replacement of tissues which daily wear and tear. All other foods are not essential. You may eat what you like to make up to provide calories according to your requirement. A labourer at 20 years will need 4000 calories while an office going man will need only 1800 and an old man in whom the systematic fire (Metabolism) is burning at a lesser speed will need still lesser. Human system of females is made of such type that they need less food than the males.
Food Habits and Diet in Lord Mahaveer's Times
In the pre-Lord Mahaveer era the various communities appear to have been devided into different castes. The rich Rajputs, numerous princes and chieftains their commanders and soldiers were at the top. They were supported by the Brahmins who were priests and controlled the temples. They had monopolised religious practices. They taught that the Gods will shower pleasure on those who offer animals on their temple alter The. more the person was rich the larger the number of animals were slaughtered through him. Thus meat eating became God's Prasad. Various types of Gods and goddesses thus came to be worshipped. Wherever a society is rich more expensive delicious foods are chosen in formulating the diet menu irrespective of its nutritive valve and the harmful effects it would have not only on the digestive organs but other more vital organs. The cost of diet did not have any proportionate benefit to the human body. This practice continues even today. Our entire hotel service is a glaring example of the harm that is being done to the youths of this country. Taking alcohal was also prevalent and formed an important part of luxury of life.
The other groups were the Brahmins who in principle were lectovegetarians but often they relaxed their conduct when it came to accepting meat as God's Prasad. In other parts eating of fish was considered vegetarian. The Vaishyas were the community which was lacto-vegetarian. The Shudras has no money to become non-vegetarian but they ate what came to them.
Even then, the Rajputs and Brahmins accepted Vanaprasthashram and Sanyas the ways of living in later part of life. They left their homes and lived in forests, along river banks or in the hills. They lived on a pure lacto-vegetarian diet but no meat was taken. They also believed in limited fasting to control their passions and to attain salvation for their soul. They accepted limited intake of small quantity of food for better concentration of mind and for meditation. They kept cows with care so that they could maintain their health with the help of their milk. The rest of the diet was small consisting of fruit and vegetables growing more often wild in the forests.
Lord Mahaveer was born in those times when destruction or slaughter of animals before Gods and goddesses was at its zenith and meat eating was very prevalent. He was very much pained to see these helpless crea
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