Eat natural

In the previous post, I have written about ‘return to nature’. Moving on with the thread, let us know how to eat naturally. So what is this natural way of eating? It encompasses what to eat, when to eat and how to eat? To cover the first part, what to eat? Let us go back in the past and see what Homo sapiens and our other ancestors the monkeys used to eat. And here I am talking about the monkeys in the wild with no access to packed food or processed food. Nowadays even monkeys will eat biscuits, pasties and what not.

Before we move on with this let us explore the eating habits of our friends. What does a rabbit eat in its natural habitat? Grass right? Fine, what does a squirrel eat? Nuts, fruits? What does a lion eat? Meat of herbivores. Does a lion seem happy and eager to eat when you give it a bowl of vegetables? Of course not. Feed fish to a rabbit. Does it even turn to look at the fish? No. Okay, the point is driven home I suppose.  So, what do we eat? We eat everything on the face of the earth. There is a saying in Meiteilon, which goes like this: ‘They eat everything even four legged ones, the only exception being the cots and tables’. So, the situation is more or less same as described in the saying. Some people even eat insects, some worms, frogs, cows, dogs, cats, snakes and on and on go the list.

But what are we supposed to eat? Our ancestors, the monkeys used to eat fruits and nuts in the wild. Our more recent ancestors, the cave men used to eat fruits and vegetables and nuts. After they learnt the art of making fire and growing plants, they started eating cooked food grains, vegetables and cooked meat. And there began the problem. Man, being not bound by the bondage of ‘chatur dharma’, as referring to the notion of an organism’s bondage to its nature of what to eat (ahara), how to eat, fear (bhaya), need to sleep (nidra) and seasonal control of procreative activities (maithuna). He is put on a higher pedestal since the time of Renaissance, bestowing praises of his liberty to move higher in the plane of consciousness on his ability to choose and move beyond bondage of nature. But truth is man has misused this liberty and he is paying for it.

In ancient times, when man lived in the natural environment, close to nature, eating natural food, diseases were unheard of. In gross contrast, today man has numerous choices in food items all processed or modified and the list of diseases and ailments also keep mounting. So, the question still remains: what to eat?

My answer would be eat natural stuff as much as possible. Eat fruits and raw vegetables. If cooked use minimal amount of spices and condiments. Avoid use of oil and other fats like butter, ghee, margarines. Preferably steam or boil food. Abstain from roasted or fried stuff. Canned and preserved foods or ready to eat packets are a big no no. Avoid using foods which are packed because to increase the shelf life, these stuffs are loaded with food additives and preservatives. The general rule of 60% carbohydrates, 20% proteins and 10% fat still holds good. A balanced meal with all the nutrients available is an add on. If feasible (organic foods), foods grown without fertilizers and pesticides, or grown in your own garden with natural manure is the best for consumption. This covers ‘what to eat’, in brief.

Now, when to eat?

The food materials what we eat takes some time to traverse through the food pipe and get digested and later excreted from the body. It takes 6 hours to reach the small intestine, 9 hours to reach the large intestine and 12 hours to reach the anal canal. So, lesson is ‘do not keep dumping food into the stomach before the previously eaten food has had time to move out’. Each big meal should have some time in between at least a gap of 4 hours. If frequent and small meals are preferred, that can be done. The body is governed by a biological rhythm as regulated by the sun’s movement- the circadian rhythm. According to this rhythm, the body secretes the digestive juices more at certain periods of the day. So, in naturopathy, it is said the last meal of the day should be eaten by 8pm at the latest. Also, the evening meal should be taken 2 hours before sleep. Food should never be eaten when one is physically ill, emotionally upset or simple not hungry. Have you noticed sometimes we eat just because the clock says it is lunch time or dinner time not because you feel hungry.

And now, let us learn how to eat? Eat slowly, chewing properly. Eat only to fill half your capacity. Eat in a quiet and calm ambience with loved ones sharing your food and quality time. Eat at a particular place specially kept for the purpose, need not be always a big dining hall. Do not eat on the couch in front of the TV. Eat the raw vegetables or fruits first. Eat the plain stuff and keep the oily and spicy stuff for the last part if at all you have to eat. Do not drink water in between morsels of food or immediately before or after meals. That’s all to it. Natural eating it is.

Now, it is time for today’s mantra for eating natural:

• ·         Eat when you feel hungry.
• ·         Include ample amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet.
• ·         Use whole grains and cereals.
• ·         Avoid fried and roasted food.
• ·         Refrain from using too much food additives and spices.
• ·         Avoid canned or preserved foods.
• ·         Do not eat ready to eat packed stuffs.
• ·         Eat slowly chewing properly.
• ·         In between meals, drink fresh juices without sugar and ice and plenty of water.

Enjoy natural eating.

Sarve bhavantu sukhinah (may all be blessed)

Love and regards,

Roshni