Hand Over The Forks, Folks!

American physician, medical adviser for Bill and Hillary Clinton, and New York Times best-selling author Mark Hyman came together with Sadhguru on World Peace Day 2014 to explore matters of health and wellbeing. Last month’s article looked at the significance of how we consume our food. In this excerpt, they explore how good or bad health can be a direct consequence of what we eat.

Sadhguru: This wonder gadget that you are carrying in your pocket – a fork – is also part of the crime. When you do not touch the food, you do not know what it is. If food is not good enough to be touched, I do not know how it is good enough to be eaten!

Mark Hyman: So we should not have listened to our mothers – we should eat with our fingers, because touching our food helps us stay in contact with it.

Sadhguru: The cleanliness of your hands is entirely in your hands. The cleanliness of the fork is not necessarily in your hands. No one else but you has used these hands, so you can be sure how clean or not clean they are right now. With the fork, you do not know who has used it, how they have used it, and for what. All they have to do is wipe it with a tissue and it looks clean. Above all, when you use a fork, you do not feel the food.

When you do not touch the food, you do not know what it is.

The first thing that we were taught is if food appears in front of you, you hold your hands upon the food for a few moments to feel how the food is. If something appears on my plate and I just feel it, I know what to eat and what not to eat without having to taste it. My hands are the first level of knowing the food. Similarly, if you want to know a person, you guys shake their hands. I usually avoid that.

Mark Hyman: That’s a good strategy.

Sadhguru: But it is important to know the food that is going to become a part of you. Even if you do not physically touch it with your hands, just by being conscious, you will clearly know how the food will behave within you. The decision whether a particular food should go into you or not changes from day to day, because your body is different every day, every moment. If you feel the food, you just know whether it should go into you on this day or not. If the necessary awareness is brought in, we do not have to tell people what they should eat. Every meal, they should decide what to eat this time.

There is no one prescription of what you should eat for the rest of your life. That said, sugars and carbs are definitely a serious issue. But the real long-term challenge is weaning people off meat. Almost 200 pounds of meatare consumed per capita in the US per year. And 3 trillion dollars are spent on healthcare – barely four other countries on the planet even have a GDP that is larger than that. In other words, the healthcare bills in the US are higher than most nations’ GDPs.

Almost 200 pounds of meat are consumed per capita in the US per year. And 3 trillion dollars are spent on healthcare.

This is a violent way to exist, and it is very hard on your system. Illness is the first level of violence. You cannot be peaceful when you are ill, because your body is in a constant battle. The fight with some virus, bacteria, or something else that comes from outside is one thing. But a chronic ailment is like a civil war. You created a battle within your own system, without an outside enemy.

Too many people die from chronic ailments, and more than that, even when they are alive, they cannot live well. And unfortunately, the maximum number exists in one of the most affluent countries on the planet. That means if affluence comes, we will lose all our sense. This is what America is telling the rest of world. And this will happen to the whole world at some point. We see similar things in Indian cities. It is just that America may be the forerunner. It is very important that America corrects itself, because whatever America does, for some reason the rest of the world does too.

You will see, in an Indian city, almost 60% of the population is wearing denim pants. And if you go to an Indian village, they might not have heard of yoga, but they know Coca Cola. When a nation has such an impact, you have a responsibility not just for your own health or your nation’s health, you have a responsibility for the world’s health, because the rest of the world imitates whatever you do.

Mark Hyman: Actually, China and India now have the highest numbers of diabetics in the world: 80% of the world’s diabetics are in the developing world. And it is because we created the worst diet on the planet, exported it to every nation, and they are eating it. One in three adult Americans has pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, and one in ten kids in Mexico has type 2 diabetes, which we used to call “adult-onset” diabetes.

This epidemic is getting out of hand. It goes right along with the amount of soda we drink and processed foods we eat, and the amount of misinformation people get. One of the things that have struck me in the last few years is that people want to do the right thing, but they often do not have the right information.

The way we “do” food is violent, and if we carry much more on this frame than what we should carry, it is a kind of soil erosion.

As part of the movie “Fed Up,” which is about childhood obesity, the obesity epidemic in this country, and the food industry, I worked with a family in South Carolina who was very overweight, very sick. The father was on dialysis; the mother was probably 150 pounds overweight and had many illnesses; and the son was 16, almost diabetic and probably 60 or 70 pounds overweight. They lived in a trailer on food stamps and disability benefits.

The solution was food – not a prescription drug. I showed them how to cook a simple meal with a guy from “Good Food on a Tight Budget,” which is an initiative of the Environmental Working Group that teaches you how to eat food that is good for you, good for the planet, and good for your wallet. This family just did not know how to cook. After teaching them to cook a meal without processed foods and sugar, I gave them my cookbook.

80% of the world’s diabetics are in the developing world. And it is because we created the worst diet on the planet, exported it to every nation, and they are eating it.

The mother lost over 100 pounds, the father lost 45 pounds and was able to get a new kidney, and the son lost about 50 pounds. There is a huge hunger in this county to do the right thing, yet people do not have the right information. I think it has been a deliberate, intentional effort by some elements of the food industry to disenfranchise us from our food, which goes from a direct relationship to the food we eat, to connecting to it like Sadhguru said, to growing it, to eating real food, to knowing what it is.

I think that is the revolution that has to happen. And it is that seed that will be planted that can shift a lot of the global problems we have. When the World Economic Forum says that the single biggest threat to global economic development is our chronic diseases epidemic, and that this epidemic is driven by the food we eat, changing our diet and lifestyle is the answer to this huge problem.

Sadhguru: Eating improperly and eating inappropriately are two big aspects. The way we “do” food is violent, and if we carry much more on this frame than what we should carry, it is a kind of soil erosion. Whatever number of pounds you shed does not go into the sky – it is going back into the earth. You prevent soil erosion!

We are allowed to carry what we want, but not beyond what is comfortable for us. The pain of existing like that is such that most people who are in this state have forgotten what it means to be light, what it means to be agile, what it means to be really alive. As I said earlier, it is not just about the medical aspects, the number of people who die, and various other things. The biggest problem is the number of people who are alive but cannot live a full life.

Mark Hyman: That’s right. It is not just about preventing disease somewhere down the road. People just do not connect the way they feel with what they eat. The truth is that in a short while, by shifting the way you eat, you can literally transform your health. We see this over and over – even in a week or ten days, people have dramatic transformations.

-ishafoundation.org

Jackfruit - Health Benefits

Jackfruit

Enormous and prickly on the outside, jackfruit looks somewhat like durian (though jackfruit is usually even larger). Once a jackfruit is cracked open, what you will find inside are pods or 'bulbs'. Often referred to as the seeds, these bulbs are actually a kind of fleshy covering for the true seeds or pits, which are round and dark like chesnuts. The fleshy part (the 'bulb') can be eaten as is, or cut up and cooked. When unripe (green), it is remarkably similar in texture to chicken, making jackfruit an excellent vegetarian substitute for meat. In fact, canned jackfruit (in brine) is sometimes referred to as "vegetable meat".

Health Benefits of Jackfruit

- Being rich in potassium, jackfruit helps in the lowering of the blood pressure. 

- The extract of Jackfruit root is believed to help cure fever as well as diarrhea. 

- Jackfruit contains phytonutrients, with health benefits ranging from anti-cancer to antihypertensive. 

- Jackfruit root has been found to be beneficial for those suffering from asthma. 

- The root of jackfruit is said to be good for the treatment of a number of skin problems. 

- Jackfruit has been found to have anti-ageing, antioxidant and anti-ulcer properties.

-naturalfoodbenefits.com

Benefits of Star Fruit

The Gossip on Star Fruit

Botanical name: Averrhoa carambola

The five-angled star fruit, also known as carambola, is a waxy, yellow-green fruit that originated in the sultry, tropical area of Sri Lanka. The fruit grows on a small, bushy evergreen tree, first bearing clusters of small lilac, bell-shaped flowers which become the oblong fruits. Today, this lovely fruit is cultivated in Australia, South America, Hawaii, and Florida. Because they're known to be intolerant of cold and actually die in freezing weather, it's best to grow them in more moderate temperatures.

Obviously, the most unique visual quality of the star fruit is its shape - that of a perfect star when it's cut across the middle. There are two varieties; the challenge is telling them apart, which you'll want to do, because one is deliciously sweet – described as a cross between an apple and a grape – and the other puckeringly sour. As a general rule, the sweet type has thicker flesh. Some contain two to five tiny, edible seeds in the center of each angled cell.

One of the great benefits of star fruit is that the entire thing – waxy coat and all – can be enjoyed.

Health Benefits of Star Fruit

It's comes as no surprise that the greatest amount of nutrients in star fruit is derived from vitamin C, providing 76 percent of the daily recommended value in a single one-cup serving.

The C content in star fruit helps ward off colds, flu, and any other type of infection. Science has shown that individuals in extreme arctic climates, such as military personnel, skiers, or researchers, experience a significant risk reduction – as much as 50 percent – for developing a cold when ingesting healthy amounts of vitamin C. Another reason vitamin C is called an essential vitamin is because it's needed by the body to form collagen in the bones, cartilage, muscle, blood vessels, and aids in the absorption of iron. Also, one of the most notorious consequences of a lack in vitamin C is scurvy, which early sailors discovered and remedied with all types of tropical fruits, including star fruit. Although it's rare, scurvy can have severe consequences, so treatment for patients with scurvy typically begins with vitamin C.

Smaller amounts of dietary fiber, copper, pantothenic acid, and potassium (which can prevent muscle cramps by increasing blood circulation) are important components of this fruit. B-complex vitamins like folates, riboflavin, and pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)  are also present and team up to perform various synthetic functions inside the body, such as forming metabolizing enzymes.

The average star fruit contains around 30 calories (fewer than any other tropical fruit per serving), so with its high fiber content, it's a great choice for anyone wanting to lose weight, prevent constipation, and keep their system running smoothly. It also helps prevent the absorption of LDL ("bad") cholesterol while protecting the colon from toxic substances, by binding to cancer-causing chemicals that happen to be passing through.

The antioxidants offer their own benefits, including the neutralization of harmful free radicals that can cause inflammation. Flavonoids such as quercetin, epicatechin, and gallic acid offer this benefit, as well.

Traditional Brazilian folk medicine made use of star fruit as a diuretic, an expectorant, and cough suppressant. The leaves and fruit have been used to stop vomiting; placed on the temples to ease headache; for poultices to relieve chickenpox and rid the body of parasitic infestation. Powdered seeds reputedly have a sedative effect. However, dialysis patients or those with possible renal failure symptoms have reportedly developed neurological symptoms, and are advised to strictly avoid eating star fruit.

However, consume star fruits in moderation because they contain fructose, which may be harmful to your health in excessive amounts.

-selected post from foodfacts.mercola..com

The Benefits of Galangal (Lengkuas)

Galangal (Alpinia galanga or Lenguas galanga) is a type of plant tubers, often used as a flavoring dishes. 

Another benefit of this plant is as traditional ingredients and the healing of various diseases, especially skin diseases caused by fungi. However, beyond these two benefits, galangal it also has a role in extending the shelf life or preserve food spoilage due to microbial activity. 

In short, ginger may act as a substitute for the function of formaldehyde that is now being hotly discussed. Because the content of ginger contains essential oils include: galangol, galangin, alpinen, camphor, methyl-cinnamate. Galangal efficacious anti-fungal, anti bacterial, warm, clean the blood, increase appetite, make expenditures from the wind in the body, thin the phlegm, scent, stimulates muscles and reputedly efficacious aphrodisiac.

Health Benefits of Curry Leaves

Curry leaves are natural flavouring agents with a number of important health benefits, which makes your food both healthy and tasty along with pleasing aroma. They contain various antioxidant properties and have the ability to control diarrhea, gastrointestinal problems such as indigestion, excessive acid secretion, peptic ulcers, dysentery, diabetes and an unhealthy cholesterol balance. They are also believed to have cancer fighting properties and are known to help protect the liver.

Scientific Information: The scientific name of the curry plant is Murraya Koenigii Spreng and it belongs to theRutaceae family. The plant is native to India and is usually found in tropical and subtropical regions. It is cultivated in various other countries such as China, Australia, Nigeria and Ceylon. Height of the plant ranges from small to medium. The most useful parts of this plant are the leaves, root and the bark.

In Ayurvedic medicine, curry leaves are believed to have several medicinal properties such as anti-diabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and hepato-protective (capability to protect liver from damage) properties. The roots are used for treating body aches and the bark is used for snake bite relief.

The leaves, with their vast herbal properties, are used in various local cuisines across India and other parts of Asia as flavoring agents. Curry leaves resemble ‘neem’ or Indian lilac and their name in most Indian languages translates to ‘sweet neem’.

Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan Al-Mubarak.

Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan Al-Mubarak.

Turmeric Health Benefits

Turmeric has a peppery, warm and bitter flavor and a mild fragrance slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger, and while it is best known as one of the ingredients used to make curry, it also gives ballpark mustard its bright yellow color.

Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and has a tough brown skin and a deep orange flesh. Turmeric has long been used as a powerful anti-inflammatory in both the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine. Turmeric was traditionally called "Indian saffron" because of its deep yellow-orange color and has been used throughout history as a condiment, healing remedy and textile dye. 

Health Benefits

Turmeric (Curcuma longa), the bright yellow of the spice rainbow, is a powerful medicine that has long been used in the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat a wide variety of conditions, including flatulence, jaundice, menstrual difficulties, bloody urine, hemorrhage, toothache, bruises, chest pain, and colic.

A Potent, Yet Safe Anti-Inflammatory

The volatile oil fraction of turmeric has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity in a variety of experimental models. Even more potent than its volatile oil is the yellow or orange pigment of turmeric, which is called curcumin. Curcumin is thought to be the primary pharmacological agent in turmeric. In numerous studies, curcumin's anti-inflammatory effects have been shown to be comparable to the potent drugs hydrocortisone and phenylbutazone as well as over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents such as Motrin. Unlike the drugs, which are associated with significant toxic effects (ulcer formation, decreased white blood cell count, intestinal bleeding), curcumin produces no toxicity.

Sleep Is Important

Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.

The way you feel while you're awake depends in part on what happens while you're sleeping. 

During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development.

The damage from sleep deficiency can occur in an instant (such as a car crash), or it can harm you over time. For example, ongoing sleep deficiency can raise your risk for some chronic health problems. It also can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others.

What Is Neem Leaf Good For?

Many people have heard of neem oil as an insecticide, but few are aware of the amazing and varied medicinal properties of neem leaves...

Neem leaf should get the attention it deserves.

So far it doesn't. Not in the western world, that is.

Many people have heard of neem oil as an insecticide, but few are aware of the amazing and varied medicinal properties of neem leaves.

In India the situation is different. Ayurvedic medicine has always strongly relied on the leaf.

Photo by Yeoh Ts via Flickr.com

Over 75% of Ayurvedic remedies contain neem, usually in form of leaf (or extract), sometimes the bark/fruit/flowers, and almost never the oil.

The leaf is also the part of the neem plant that western medicine knows the most about. The majority of scientific neem studies was done with neem leaf or neem leaf extracts.

Neem oil is neem seed oil, not neem leaf oil as some people wrongly assume. It can be made safe for consumption, and especially the use of neem oil for birth control (as a "male pill") continues to generate a lot of interest. However, it really needs special knowledge and treatment before neem oil can be taken internally.

Not so for the leaf. Neem leaves are considered safe to take internally on a regular or daily basis (provided you aren't pregnant or trying to conceive. Seeneem contraception.) In the thousands of years that people across India have been taking neem there have never been any reports of negative side effects from leaves.

Of course, you should still use common sense, as you should with any herbs. Start by trying a little to make sure you don't show any allergic reaction, and generally don't overdo it. As magical as all the medicinal properties sound, neem is not a magical cure all that will simply fix anything if you just take enough... But it can help with a lot, if taken sensibly.

In 2005 scientists published a research report, Medicinal properties of neem leaves: a review. It is a compilation of existing scientific studies and clinical trials. It shows very impressively just how versatile the leaves are. Here is what it says about the benefits of neem leaves:

"Neem leaf and its constituents have been demonstrated to exhibit immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycaemic, antiulcer, antimalarial, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties."

Now that's a mouthful..

-discoverneem.com

Health Benefits of Holy Basil – Tulsi

The health benefits of holy basil, also known as tulsi, include oral care, relief from respiratory disorders, as well as treatment of fever, asthma, lung disorders, heart diseases and stress. Holy Basil, which has the scientific name Ocimum Sanctum is undoubtedly one of the best medicinal herb that has been discovered. It has endless miraculous and medicinal values and has been worshiped and highly valued in India for thousands of years.

Even going close to a Tulsi plant alone can protect you from many infections. A few leaves dropped in drinking water or foods can purify it and can kill germs within it as well. Even smelling it or keeping it planted in a pot indoors can protect the whole family from infections, coughs, colds and other viral infections.

These applications are not at all exaggerated. It has been an age old custom in India to worship it two times a day, water it and light lamps near it, once in the morning and once in the evening. It was, and still is, believed to protect the whole family from evil and bring good luck. Basil leaves have also been an essential part of all worship ceremonies since ancient times. These practices are not superstitions and actually has sufficient scientific reasoning behind them. Keeping in view the ultra disinfectant and germicidal properties of this legendary herb, wise people then devised these customs to bring people into contact with this plant every day, so that they may keep safe from day-to-day infections. Recent research on tulsi confirm most of these beliefs. In the following paragraphs, we shall see why it definitely deserves to be worshiped.

SOTONG BENEFITS TO HEALTH

Most seafood is quite nutritious, as long as it's not deep-fried or cooked with a lot of oil. Restaurants often deep-fry squid and sell it as calamari, but you can prepare it in other, healthier ways as well. Three ounces of raw squid, which equals about 85 grams, contains 80 calories and 13 grams of protein. It also provides you with 20 percent of the recommended daily value for phosphorus, riboflavin and vitamin B-12 and smaller amounts of zinc, niacin, magnesium, vitamin C, calcium, iron and vitamin B-6, as set by the Institute of Medicine. Squid is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fats are essential fatty acids found mainly in fish and other seafood, nuts and some plants. Your body cannot make them, so you must consume them in your diet. Consuming omega-3 fats might help to lower your risk for cancer, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. They also might help keep your memory sharp and improve your mood.

Avoid GREASY food

You may feel almost helpless at times, trying to resist the ubiquitous temptation to indulge in greasy food. Whether your favorite guilty pleasure is French fries, cheeseburgers, pizza, fried chicken, mutton, potato chips or pisang goreng, you probably know these are not healthy food choices. 

The high concentration of bad fats in these foods can undermine your health in a variety of ways. Being mindful of the potential adverse effects of greasy food on your body may help you make dietary choices that support rather than sabotage your good health.

Avoid GREASY food!!!!!

The Health Benefits of A Vegetarian Diet

Vegetarian or not, change the way you think about food, experiment and try new "meat-free" dishes in your diet.

Studies have shown that vegetarians (following a well-balanced low-fat high-fibre vegetarian diet) often have lower incidence of coronary artery disease, hypertension,obesity and some forms of cancer.

A vegetarian diet tends to be lower in total fat, and vegetarians tend to eat proportionally more polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat compared with non-vegetarians. (Animal products are the major sources of dietary saturated fat).

Vegetarians avoid meat, poultry, game, fish and slaughterhouse by-products such as gelatine and animal fats. The staples of the vegetarian diet are fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds and nuts. Most vegetarians eat dairy products and free-range eggs. 

A vegetarian diet can be a very healthy option but it is important to ensure it is well balanced. You could stuff your face with chips and chocolate at every meal and be vegetarian but you wouldn’t be doing your health much good.