by Bill Westerman N.D., Dip. App. Sc. (Counselling)
The Ahimsa Diet is the Spiritual Diet, one that causes the least harm or suffering to other beings. It is based on Ahimsa, meaning Dynamic Harmlessness.
The Ahimsa Diet is essentially the Vegan Diet, a diet that excludes the use of products derived from animals. The Ahimsa Diet also excludes products that have been tested on animals.
A Simple Definition of a Vegan
"A Vegan is one who strives to exclude all forms of exploitation and cruelty to animals in one's diet and lifestyle. This includes avoiding products derived from animals and tested on animals".
When we avoid products derived from animals and tested on animals, we are removing negative karma from our lives (see
Ahimsa Topics).
From a physiological perspective (the way the physical body functions), humans are frugivorous. That is, their natural diet consists of fruit, nuts, seeds and green leafy vegetables, all eaten raw.
The Benefits of The Ahimsa Diet
It has been said that "the body is the temple of the spirit." As permanent spiritual beings, we borrow the use of human bodies for our time here on earth. It is important that we look after our bodies so that we are able to live healthily and happily and be of greater service to others.
By only using foods from plants in our diet, our bodies become more refined. Vegans have noticed that they become more aware, and, perhaps, more intuitive.
The reduction of negative karma, by removing products that have caused suffering to animals, enables us to live more happily, being free from the negative effects of eating animal products.
By living close to the natural diet for humans, we are also living in harmony with our physical environment.
The more refined our physical bodies are, the more easily we are able to meditate and to be receptive to the spiritual world.
How do we make the transition to The Ahimsa Diet?
Here is a quick reference list of what you can do:
Remove all products derived from animals from your diet.
Refine the diet further by removing processed sugars and starches.
Delete other processed food from the diet (canned and bottled food and chemically dried fruits).
Remove cooked food from the diet. Cooking destroys many essential vitamins and enzymes.
Remove all drugs from the diet, including caffeine. This could be a hard one for some - caffeine is found in tea, coffee, coco and, yes, chocolate! If you're on prescription drugs, it is advised that you see a practitioner first. It is quite possible that, as your diet is refined, you will be able to either reduce medication or eliminate drugs completely.
Obtain a source of clean water or buy a water purifier.
We are now approaching the natural diet for human beings - raw fruit, nuts and seeds, and raw green leafy vegetables. See The Natural Diet For Humans.
How do we retain optimum health? The natural way to allow the body to cleanse and heal itself is Therapeutic Fasting. When the body is given the opportunity to rest, it will cleanse and heal itself, if the body has enough vitality. If you are taking "medicines" it is advised that you see a qualified Natural Hygiene Practitioner before fasting. If you haven't fasted before or don't know anything about it, then it is suggested that you consult a practitioner who has personal professional experience with therapeutic fasting.
For the humorous and informative story of one medical practitioner's experience with therapeutic fasting, see The Tanner Story.
If you are unable or unwilling to fast, a less effective option is to have, say, one day a week on only raw fruit and green leafy vegetables.
What else can we do?
Because of the volatile and destructive forces at work in the earth today, it is suggested that you keep an Emergency Food Reserve, a stock of concentrates, of between two and six months supply.
Typical List of Emergency Food Reserve
Nuts, mixed, raw and unsalted (a source of Vitamin B Complex, protein, iron and calcium, and Vitamin A in lesser amounts),
Sun-dried fruit - apricots, peaches, papaya and prunes (for Vitamin A), banana, sultanas, raisins, dates, figs,
Additional sources of Vitamin C, which we cannot produce and cannot store in large quantities in the body, are green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, and edible herbs such as parsley and sage, which can be grown in pots. Citrus fruits, papaya, tomatoes, capsicum
(peppers) and berries are rich sources of Vitamin C, if available fresh.
Sprouting Seeds - for an emergency source of Vitamin C - sunflower seeds, mung beans, mustard seeds. When seeds have been sprouted, they contain Vitamin C.
Long-term needs: Rice, lentils, dried beans, wheat and rye, particularly if cooked or used for bread, are not considered part of the natural diet for humans. However, they could be used in an emergency. They can be left off the list, providing sufficient other food, above, is stored. Cooking reduces the availability of vitamins and other nutrients in food and decreases its vitality (life-force), and so is not recommended.
Please note:
Nuts and dried fruit are highly concentrated food. So, for the average adult, 50 grams of mixed raw nuts per day is sufficient. A high level of protein in the diet can cause problems. However, in an emergency, if there is an insufficient energy supply in the diet, protein foods are converted to energy.
If you can't obtain any fresh food, dried fruit should be eaten in small amounts, only sufficient to provide energy needs.
It has been suggested that we keep a supply of food to last at least two months. We can keep our Emergency Supply of food, now, and use, rotate and replenish them to retain relative freshness.
References:
The Hygienic System Volume 1 - The Science and Fine Art of Natural Hygiene; Shelton, Herbert M., 1994
The Hygienic System Volume 2 - The Science and Fine Art of Food and Nutrition; Shelton, Herbert M., 1994
The Hygienic System Volume 3 - The Science and Fine Art of Fasting; Shelton, Herbert M.
Fasting Can Save Your Life; Shelton, Herbert M.
Natural Hygiene: The Pristine Way Of Life; Shelton, Herbert M., 1968
How To Fast, by Kenneth S. Jaffrey - you can download this booklet, free.
Bill Westerman N.D., Dip. App. Sc. (Counselling)
Natural Hygiene Practitioner
Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia
Email: Bill Westerman
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