Healthy Living

By Dr. Nandita Shah

Healthy Living

by Dr. Nandita Shah

We exist interdependently with all other creatures and the planet in its totality. This interconnectedness implies that if something is good for us human beings, it will also be good for the animals and the environment. Mother Nature would have it no other way! Our health is dependent on

◾The quality of environment.

◾The State of mind

◾Heredity — Future generations

The quality of the environment

Fruit trees produce more food per acre than other crops.

At SHARAN our goal is to practice organic farming and reforestation without the use of any chemicals. To improve the quality of the soil and to share our produce with other living creatures who live among us.

Animal foods are harmful not just to our health and of course to the animals themselves, they also have negative effects on the environment, due to the excessive use of resources to produce them.

It takes approximately 16 kilos of grain to produce 1 kilo of meat or milk.

A non-vegetarian requires about 16 acres of land for sustenance in contrast to a non meat eater who needs just 0.5 acres.

It takes about 500 litres of water to produce one kilogram of potatoes, 600 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of wheat, 2000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of rice but approximately 100,000 litres of water to produce one kilogram of beef! Livestock are responsible for consuming 80% of the world’s drinking water supply.

A reduction in beef and other meat consumption is the most potent single act you can take to halt the destruction of our environment and preserve our natural resources. Our choices do matter. What’s healthiest for each of us personally is also healthiest for the life support system of our precious, but wounded planet.

 John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America, and President, EarthSave Foundation, Santa Cruz, California

Grazing leads to desertification.

At present 56 billion land animals are slaughtered each year for food in the world. This number far exceeds the total human population on the planet! Their excreta and the by products of slaughter also pollute our water, and our environment. This large number of animals is unnatural to our ecosystem and is a result of artificial insemination.

Grazing causes deforestation and desertification. In India, only 4 percent of our land is reserved forest. However, this land is not protected from the meat and dairy farmers: it is being encroached on, by grazing animals at the expense of the wildlife.

Given the current environmental scenario, we must all contribute in every way possible to protect the environment, as an investment for the future of our species. We each can play a significant part by cutting down our consumption of non-essentials. Manufacturing any item leads to pollution. Our consumerist lifestyles have made us forget how little we really need.

A manure pool in a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO)

The state of mind

Today we are faced with divorce, high rates of mental illness, drug abuse, forsakenness, and many other social maladies. Figures show that the sale of anti-depressives has multiplied 400 times since the 1900’s in Mumbai!

Our mind and body are interconnected; making changes at the level of the body results in changes at the level of the mind. The accounts of Dean Ornish’s patients in his book, ‘Reversing Heart Disease’ testify that changing the diet results in a positive change in the state of mind.

Much of the human fear, insecurity, loneliness, depression, lack of confidence, frustration and despair is out of proportion to our relatively safe present day situation, but is a reflection of the situation that the animals raised for our food face.

Many of these are effectively combated by a vegan diet that does not include products of animal suffering. Ann Wigmore, in her book ‘Be your own Doctor’ (page 4 ) writes a story about the effect of wrong food on the state of mind of mice.

Our species is one of the most secure on the planet and yet most human beings feel very, very insecure. When we feel fear or insecurity we react with violence as a defense.

A change to a vegetarian and further to a vegan diet invariably produces a positive change in the state of mind and much of this fear and insecurity is transformed into a feeling of self-confidence and inner strength. Einstein, Dr Albert Schweitzer and many other great thinkers recognized this.

Vegetarian food leaves a deep impression on our nature. If the whole world adopts vegetarianism, it can change the destiny of humankind.

 Albert Einstein

Heredity

Our genes are affected by a variety of unnatural forces such as pesticides in our water supply, radiation, genetic modification, drugs taken before or during pregnancy, microwaves, and toxins in the foods we eat. Studies show that some changes cannot be reversed for up to 4 generations!

This means our great grand children will bear the effects of our follies. We must consider whether or not our short term convenience and comfort is worth the suffering of current and future generations.

Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.

 Dr Albert Schweitzer

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