DAIRY PRODUCTS AND THEIR USE:

The Ayurveda tradition of India regards dairy products as excellent foods, particularly for individuals on the spiritual path. While dairy is not recommended of all types, particularly not for Kapha, it has an important role not only for maintaining health but also for promoting longevity. Ancient Vedic civilization grows up around the cow, which provided milk, cream, butter and yogurt. Throughout history, these foods have been favorites of the spiritual seekers who did not find dairy products harmful to their health. Ayurveda uses diary preparations medicinally particularly for improving resistance against diseases and to promote convalescence and regeneration. These include milk decoctions, medicated butter and ghee (clarified butter) freshly boiled milk with spices like ginger and cardamom and raw sugar (jaggery) are considered to be an excellent food.

However, this depends upon good quality of milk from cows that have been treated well. Such milk is rarely available commercially. A poorly prepared diary product from badly treated cows increases mucus in the system and promotes food allergies and sinus allergies.

Some people lack the enzymes necessary to digest dairy products, may be for two major reasons.

1. Their ethnic group has no history of taking dairy and
2. They were not breast fed as children.

Other problems arise not from dairy products but from their improper preparation.
In olden days, in India, cow was allowed to give its milk to its calf first and only humans take the left over milk, which is often considerable. If the calf is taken away from its mother, her milk loses much of its nourishing qualities. Now days, cows are mistreated in many other ways including being confined to pens and milked by machines. They are now hybrid animals, produced by artificial insemination, genetically redesigned to produce for more milk than its healthy for them to do. They are fed hormones, antibodies and inorganic grains. Ayurvedic texts explain the properties of various dairy products in great detail. They tell us that the quality of dairy products from tethered or confined animals is much less than that from animals, who are able to graze freely. Hence we cannot equate modern factory farm dairy products with those of Ayurvedic texts. Clearly we should try to get raw or organic dairy products or be careful in using dairy products at all. Of dairy products, milk and ghee are excellent and is best taken freshly boiled with spices like ginger, cinnamon and cardamom. Yogurt is best if mixed with water and made into a drink (Indian buttermilk). Vegetarians should use cheese that has been produced with vegetarian enzymes like cottage cheese, farmer’s cheese (Indian paneer) and restrict from taking commercial cheese with rinnets that comes from cow intestines.

SPICES & SUGAR:

Most of the spices are rajasic and can irritate the nerves. But we have sweet spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, basic and fennel – they are satvic. There is nothing in using Rajasic spices in a small quantity for the part time Yogis but they should be prepared in correct proportions with good oil. If you take a high spice diet, make sure that you are using good quality natural spice along with good quality natural oil, like ghee. Good ghee should be used from raw or organic butter rather than a regular commercial butter.

We all require a certain amount of natural sugars like honey or unrefined sugar (Jaggery) in the diet. This is particularly true in the case of children. Pure sugar is required to keep the metabolism in balance. For this reason, natural sweets in moderation must be the part of our diet.

BAD food - the modern Phenomenon

Bad or poor food quality begins with bad soils, Chemical fertilizers, and the use of insecticides and herbicides on the plants, the long time effect of which is unknown. It is further compounded by premature picking, artificial ripening, long transportation and refrigeration that often eliminates whatever real vitality managed to survive in the plants. On top of this comes the processing of food which include irradiation, freezing and canning along in the additives and preservatives of all types. In this was not enough, our cooking procedures involve microwave Ovens, over cooking and an excess use of oils, sugar, salt and spices. So eating of such food, instead of giving us much nourishment, convert our system as a breeding ground for toxins.

To worsen things, genetic engineering is now adding genes from bacteria, viruses, other plants and animals to food crops. Even the seeds that we use to grow plants are becoming genetically modified. There are bacteria, nut and flower genes in soybeans. Fish and pig genes are added to tomatoes. The main reason for such changes is to make the food look better, and last longer so that these can be used more abundantly but not to make the food more nutritious.

Hence, our first and foremost priority should be to learn to grow our own food, to support local and organic gardens and to politically active on environment matters. Make sure that we consume only organic food that too cooked in right manner and with the right attitude of love which are carriers of Prana and Consciousness.

Good diet / food

• Fruit of all types, taken fresh and whole.
• All vegetables except too much of onion and Garlic.
• Whole grains of all types, especially, rice, wheat, and Oats.
• Beans in moderation except too much of mung, aduki or tofu which are to heavy in nature.
• Nuts and seeds like almond, coconut, walnuts, sesame, yet not overly roasted or salted.
• Butter and ghee (clarified butter) and good natural plant based oils like sesame olive,
coconut, etc.
• Dairy products from cows who have treated well - milk, ghee, yogurt and cottage cheese (Indian Pannier).
• Natural sugars like honey, jaggery, maple syrup and molasses.
• Spices like ginger, cinnamon, Cardamom, fennel, cumin, Coriander turmeric, mint, basil fennugreek.
• Herbal teas and fruit juice (Particularly water with lemon and lime)
• Food prepared with love and consciousness.

Food to reduce / avoid

• Meat and fish of all types including eggs
• Artificial, processed and Junk food of all types
• Canned food except naturally canned fruits and tomatoes.
• Poor quality oil, and animal fats.
• Dairy products from factory farms.
• Garlic, onions and overly spicy food
• Fried food of all type
• White sugar and white flour
• Artificial sweeteners.
• Overly cooked, old, stale or recooked food.
• Alcohol, Tobacco, or other stimulants.
• Any artificial beverages.
• Any irradiated food articles, microwave cooking.
• Genetically engineered food items.
• Food taken in a disturbed environment or eaten too quickly.