Eat Organic and Stay Healthy

--- by Sheela Rani Chunkath

Ayurveda envisages that the individual should be proactive in maintaining his health. The dinacharya or the daily conduct of living tells you how to conduct yourself daily for maintaining good health. Similarly, ritucharya tells you how to conduct yourself during the various seasons. As I have emphasised in my other articles, food and digestion are key factors in maintaining health. While using herbs, ayurvedic texts emphasize the importance of the place and manner in which the herbs are found. Herbs grown in dirty and inauspicious places are not to be used. They must be fresh and pure and as close to nature as possible.

In this context, the growing use of chemical pesticides and insecticides in the food we eat poses a serious problem to our health. Most of the chemical pesticides affect our immune and endocrine systems and make us vulnerable to diabetes, malfunctioning of the thyroid gland, immune disorders and even cancer. Eating organically grown food is a sensible choice. Rice is a staple food eaten in large quantities by Indians. Going back to the way we cultivated our rice, some 50 to 60 years ago, will ensure that we become less susceptible to diseases. Similarly, freshly cooked foods rather than processed foods is a sensible option. Eating raw salads drenched in pesticides is unlikely to prove healthy.

Start with a few items but slowly see if you can become totally organic. As far as possible, I eat only organic foods except when I eat out or when going organic is not an available option.

I was surprised when I learned that my vaidyar was not very particular about eating raw salads or quantities of vegetables. According to ayurveda, rice, wheat, milk and ghee are superior foods. Eating unadulterated organic foods and fresh milk and ghee will keep you healthy. The milk we drink today has been so processed that it hardly retains the characteristics of true milk; its molecular structure has been drastically altered and it is heavily contaminated by pesticide-ridden cattlefeed and various chemical additives such as antibiotics and oxytocin given to the cows to increase productivity. Please see if you can get fresh cow’s milk. If it is from an organic farm, so much the better. Similarly fresh ghee made from fresh butter is something that is vital to keep you young and fit. Ghee has tremendous anti-aging properties and should be included in your diet. Ghee protects you against vitiation of the doshas. Ayurvedic vaidyars stoutly maintain that it is a myth to say that ghee causes heart attacks.

Some coarse millets such as ragi, cumbu and cholam are good for diabetes. Keeping the food you eat, organic, freshly cooked and unprocessed will keep you healthy and fit.

--- The writer was earlier Health Secretary, Govt. of Tamil Nadu and is currently CMD, TN Industrial Investment Corporation; Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail.com