Many are campaigning for more farmers’ markets and the opening of local food co-ops and the demand for allotments for fruit and vegetable growing is also sharply on the increase.  We may have to pay more for good, nutritious food grown in the earth but it is well worth every extra penny we can afford.  It is a false economy to compromise on the quality of the food we eat.  We need to become more respectful of nature’s food chains and remember our place in the web for it is the health of the whole planet that is at stake at the same time as our own and that of our families.  This is of course calling for a radical change, but there is nothing that cannot be undone. It is never too late to take control of one’s own life and fix the mistakes.  And as humans, we are capable of great, positive changes when faced with crisis. Having lost our sense of direction and self-respect, we can now work towards regaining them, step by step. And who knows, perhaps we will see the return of the day when sitting down together “en famille” at mealtimes to share good, nutritious, patiently and lovingly prepared food has again become a special moment in each household.

It is a fact that societies living on traditional plant-based diets with the addition of very little - or even better - no meat at all have a much lower rate of chronic diseases compared to societies which have adopted diets high in saturated fats and refined carbohydrates.  Food and diet are intricately interrelated and so are diet and lifestyle too.  Sadly, a typical Western diet which generally consists of a calorie-loaded combination of meat and processed foods packed with added sugar and fat with the odd vegetable for sole companion is inevitably going to lead to a high incidence of diseases. Where one once had to be content with berries/fruit/or other vegetation to soothe a sweet tooth, one can now receive instant gratification by tucking into a tub of ice-cream.  Excessive indulging in the readily available, mass-produced, cheap, refined foods carries a heavy price tag to it, and obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are only some of the dangers that result from it. We have now reached the point where modern medicine is struggling to fix the diet that is making us sick.  It has taken many years to work out the link between dis-ease and nutrition but today nobody will deny that there is one and that it is strong.  Food plays an active part in supporting good health.  We need to be sensitized to the fact that it is not because our bodies are very resilient and will put up with a certain amount of abuse and not show any deficiency for a long time that our immune system is not silently being weakened and our body saturated with toxins.  Junk food is a time bomb waiting to be defused and explode.  ”Our Creator developed the human body with an inherent colossal amount of tolerance. When we eat anything that is 'not good' for us or that is incompatible with our nutritional requirements and balance, we suffer. We are warned and punished by pain or by cramps, leading eventually to disease and perhaps to any one or more of the infinite number of ailments which afflict humanity.”  “Such punishment may not manifest immediately, nor be immediately apparent, but because of the body's miraculous tolerance we will be kept waiting for days, perhaps months or maybe years, before the long-range retribution called for by Nature for the infraction of her laws catches up with us.” (- Dr Walker, “Fresh Vegetables and Fruit Juices – What’s Missing in Your Body”).

Today’s unanimous and ubiquitous – though unpopular -message is to “Eat Less” for this alone will slow down the signs of aging.  Some scientists now even go as far as advancing that by reducing our food consumption we may be protected from the onslaught of diseases such as cancer.  It is not because there is a superabundance of food in the shops or in our fridge that we need to forget about moderating ourselves.  It is an aberration of our time that the wealth of a nation should be commensurate to the size of its people.  It is an aberration of our time as well that we should be so gullible as to believe what the advertisers say. We need to re-learn to tap into the wisdom of our own body.  Once the basic needs of our body have been filled with food, each extra mouthful we take is a waste of energy and clogs up our systems.  Physical and mental health go hand in hand and are directly proportional to the amount of food we eat.  Food can elevate our spirits or depress them.   The only way to eat less is to eat foods that are nutritious, non-addictive and satisfy our dietary and hunger needs.

The body is the vessel of the soul and as aspirants on the path of yoga, we should know about the importance of making the right food choices.  If the body is caught up in the addiction of food or indulges in sense gratification leading to bondage, it cannot achieve and maintain the higher vibration necessary for spiritual growth and ultimate spiritual liberation (jivamukta).  “If you do not eat food how can you serve the God?”  “If you become ill how can you serve God and please Him? Such Bhoga should be left. Tyaga (leaving) of such Bhoga will make you healthy and enable you to please God (Yoga).”