Why It's Healthier To Turn To Natural food Before It's Too Late

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http://www.lifepositive.com/body/holistic-recipes/recipes/rawfood.asp

By Arundhati Mitra

 

Find out why it is healthier to turn to natural food before it is too

late

 

See, I have given thee every herb that yields seed which is on the

face of the earth. And every tree whose fruit yields seeds, to you it

shall be for food!

—Genesis 1:29

 

A huge golden-brown roasted steak, dripping with butter. Surrounded

by finger chips and garnished by a sprig of basil and creamy

mayonnaise. The aroma of exotic herbs. Your taste buds tingle. You

almost feel the steak melting in your mouth. Yummy, isn't it? But

wait! What about the cholesterol you are inviting into your system?

 

If you are health-conscious and have sufficient will-power, you may

push away this delicious picture and go for something more banal,

like a boiled salad. But is that really as healthy as it seems?The

new mantra doing the rounds is that any-repeat, any-cooked food is

avoidable. " In cooked food, " says Jehangir Palkhivala, an Indian yoga

therapist, " life forces are taken away from the food. Raw food can be

consumed easily without exerting pressure on our organs. "

 

And this is only for starters.

 

Nutrition science is fast gaining the reputation of being a healing

and preventive device. Dr Nand Kishore Sharma, a naturopath in New

Delhi, India, feels that most diseases are caused by bad food

habits. " Unnatural food, which includes any form of food not found in

nature, generates toxins that gradually poison the body, " he says.

From his 'Fireless Kitchen', Dr Sharma gives patients regenerative or

natural food for degenerative diseases. This, he claims, has cured

many. " I have even seen people grow new teeth and hair at 60 and 70

years of age, " he says.

 

Urvashi Rawal is a case in point. A homeopath from Mumbai, India, she

suddenly lost her voice in 1988. Doctors could not help her beyond

diagnosing that she had developed some nodes on her vocal chords.

During this time she met Rishi Prabhakar, who introduced her to his

Siddha Samadhi Yoga (SSY) and put her on a complete raw food diet. " I

suffered from severe diarrhea for the first few days. In the process,

natural food flushed out all the toxins from my body, " Rawal (now Ma

Urvashi) recalls. Within six months, she regained her voice. Today,

she is a senior SSY instructor.

 

 

 

Raw food is usually defined as that which is not cooked, applied to

fire or fragmented. Uday Chotai, a naturohygienist from Mumbai,

adds: " According to naturopathy, there are two types of food—

suncooked and uncooked. Fruits that ripen in the sun fall into the

category of suncooked food. Uncooked or raw food have not ripened at

all. " But both types have high pranic value and meet every

requirement of the body.

 

In their book Prakritik Vyanjan, Dr Nand Kishore and Savita Sharma

affirm that nature is a most effective resource manager. During

summer, we get juicy fruits and vegetables such as watermelon,

muskmelon, mint and cucumber, which have a cooling effect. In

winters, there are dry fruits and dates. The authors discourage

having non-seasonal fruits and vegetables since they have low

nutrition value. Moreover, the nutrients that the body gets . from

seasonal fruits and vegetables are assimilated and kept in store for

coming seasons. Any minor requirements can be compensated through

available seasonal fruits and vegetables.

 

However, despite such a foolproof natural system, man tends to

experiment with nature-often with adverse results. We eat peeled

fruits and vegetables because they taste better and are easier to

chew. But in doing so, we rid them of their vitamins, minerals and

fiber. Chewing has its own advantages: the more we chew, the better

does the food mix with digestive juices in our mouth. This reduces

strain on the stomach. SPROUTING THOUGHTS

Sprouts probably contain the largest amount of nutrients per unit of

any food known. Enzymes that initiate and control most chemical

reactions in our body are activated in the sprouting process. This

helps convert proteins into amino acids, starch into glucose and

increases the value of vitamins. For example, vitamin B increases by

1,000 per cent and Vitamin C by 600 per cent in sprouted wheat.

 

A study of Chinese pharmacopoeia reveals that the Chinese could lose

weight, cure rheumatism, lower fever and tone the body through the

regular consumption of sprouts. Sprouts were introduced to the West

by Captain Cook. Despite many strenuous voyages spanning a decade,

his crew was remarkably fit. Their secret-sprouted beans.

 

It is best to eat sprouts fresh. However, the nourishment which

develops as the sprouts grow is very stable and can be frozen or

dried for future use.

Sprouts can be mixed with other foods and dressings such as lemon

juice and rock salt. This live food rejuvenates body cells and

tissues and provides energy. It also retards the aging process.

Sprouted potato and tomato seeds, however, should be avoided as they

are poisonous. Alfalfa and moong-bean sprouts are, on the other hand,

excellent soft food: they contain every known vitamin necessary for

the human body in perfect balance. And yes, they don't taste bad

either.

 

 

 

Dr Victor G. Rocine, a Norwegian homeopath, advises eating food " the

way God manufactured it " . According to him, we must preserve the

organic chemical salts in food because once we remove them, we are

likely to alter other chemicals as well. Dr Rocine also discourages

adding artificial ingredients to food, especially if their natural

forms are available. He cites the example of common salt. Table salt,

according to him, is an inorganic substance and hence not of much

value for us organic beings. Dr Rocine suggests taking sodium from

organic substances such as spinach, strawberries and carrots. Foods

rich in sodium are often rich in chlorine and oxygen also.

 

Dr Sharma agrees: " Man needs perhaps one per cent salt. This he can

easily get from fruits and vegetables. " Going a step further, A.P.

Dewan, in his book Food for Health, says too much salt increases the

body's alkalinity. This can result in cancer. The notion that cooking

destroys food has many supporters. " Natural foods, " points out Ma

Urvashi, " contain sun energy in the cellulose. This is destroyed when

exposed to high temperatures while cooking. " When ingested, the

cooked food is first broken down to its natural form and then

digested. " We can save our body a lot of energy if we take natural

food in the first instance, " she argues.

 

 

Dr S.N. Pandey, a Delhi-based naturopath, feels that the mysteries of

nature cannot be duplicated artificially. " Nature's products exist in

holistic forms. Their effects are also holistic, " he says. " This is

destroyed while cooking. Citric acid, for example, can never do for

the human body what lime can. " One important substance that is

destroyed by any form of heating are enzymes. They work as catalysts

during all chemical changes in the body, especially during digestion.

They die at temperatures, above 55ºC. After that no food can be

absorbed by the body. Enzymes become inactive even at low

temperatures, but can be revived. Though our body produces enzymes,

the best source is fresh food, rich in natural enzymes. All raw food

advocates underscore the necessity of properly washing fruits and

vegetables. This is because of the use of chemical fertilizers and

pesticides. " Have you ever seen cows and goats washing their greens

before eating? " asks Dr Sharma. " Organic soil has a lot of nutrients.

Though humans can't consume it directly, a little amount is harmless.

But chemicals contaminate everything. "

 

DIVINE HONEY

Honey has been eulogised in every religious scripture as food of the

gods. Natural honey is valued for its sweetness, and it also retains

its prana longer than most food. In that sense, honey is almost a

perfect food. Most importantly, it can be preserved indefinitely if

it is pure.

 

Honey also has very high food value and its daily use can prevent and

control many common ailments. It has 76 per cent sugar and various

minerals, enzymes and vitamins in proportions required by the human

body. Dark honey has more iron, copper and manganese than the lighter

varieties. Natural honey, pre- digested by bees, can be rapidly

assimilated in the body and is sedative.

 

Honey has certain potassium salts that make it a phenomenal moisture

absorber and a great killer of germs and bacteria. In fact,

naturopath A.P. Dewan says that honey kills bacteria more effectively

than some antibiotics.

 

This also helps it draw excess fluid from the blood stream, lowering

blood pressure. Honey, if taken on an empty stomach with water and

lemon, reduces obesity and weight.

 

Beauticians recommend it quite liberally for a glowing complexion and

silky hair. If taken at night with hot milk, it cures constipation.

 

A glass of water with a teaspoon of honey also removes excessive

fatigue.

 

 

 

Thankfully, organic fertilisers and pesticides will soon come into

the market. In fact, Ma Urvashi cites the case of Dr C.K. Patel,

former professor of Vallabh Vidya Nagar, in the western Indian state

of Gujarat, who is already exporting neem pesticides prepared by him.

Another point that qualifies raw food is freshness. Says Dr Swati

Sawant, naturopath: " Raw juices clean our system. But if we allow

them to rest a long time, they get oxidised and are of no use. " There

is an interesting theory behind this. During his studies, Dr Rocine

observed that the moment a fruit is plucked from a tree, its life

principle begins to go back to the atmosphere, leaving the fruit

nutritionally dead. This is especially true of chlorophyll, an

important component in the production of red blood cells. As these

components spoil quickly, the food is preserved by removing them-in

the process eliminating the most nutritive parts.Nutritionists are

also questioning many age-old beliefs. Take milk. Considered by many

a complete food, it is increasingly being labelled unhealthy-even in

its raw form. " Do you know of any animal other than man that consumes

milk of another species? " asks Dr Sharma. " The milk of cows or

buffaloes is suited for their calves, not us. "

 

A lot of non-vegetarian food is also eaten raw. The Japanese, for

one, eat raw seafood. In fact, sushi, a Japanese raw fish

preparation, is a gourmet's delight. Adds Parvinder Multani,

executive chef of Oberoi Maidens: " Appetisers like caviar, stallion

salamis and oysters are considered delicacies. These are all eaten

raw. " He points out that the French make steak tartare with minced

beef or horse meat, served raw with egg yolks and seasonings. In

Africa, many beef dishes are eaten raw. In the ultimate analysis,

however, it is unrealistic and undesirable to hastily do away with

certain habits, no matter what the advantages. Pointing out various

psychological factors, most natural food champions state that the

food we eat should suit our mental and emotional temperament.

Otherwise its physiological benefits will be nullified. As Kavita

Mukhi of Nature Options says: " We should eat a balanced diet by

combining natural and cooked food. " So if you don't like raw food or

can't get adjusted to it, take your time to develop the palate.

There's really no hurry. After all, we all know what happened to the

proverbial hare.