The documentary below gives an amazing run down of the development of biotechnology in the last 50 years, and the dangers of the unregulated and immoral use of such technologies.  I encourage all of you to watch the whole video and share it with as many people as you can.

One of Gandhi’s favorite subjects was diet and nutrition. Throughout his lifetime he experimented with a variety of diets. He tried meat-eating, vegetarianism, fasting, restricting salt, and yes…even a raw food diet.

While he was imprisoned for two years by the British, Gandhi spent time laying out his views on diet and traditional remedies in a short book called “Key to Health.” This book went on to become Gandhi’s most popular and widely read work. It was translated into English under close supervision by Gandhi himself.

The full version of this text is available online for free here. Below, I have outlined some of the principles and lessons that Gandhi stressed:

• Disease is an attempt by the body to get rid of the toxins. These toxins can be eliminated by fasting, eating and drinking natural food, and cleansing of the bowels by enemas.
• Fresh green and leafy vegetables should be eaten everyday.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables should be eaten when they are in season and preferably raw.
• A certain amount of fat is necessary and nourishing to the body. Oil is not as nourishing as ghee (clarified butter).
• Starchy foods should be eaten when dry so as to allow for more chewing and flow of saliva.

Many of the principles that are at the core of the vegan and raw food diets today were laid out in this text by Gandhi. In the second half of the book he includes information about various health remedies which use earth, air, water, and sun. He swears by the effectiveness of his remedies. Although I have not tried these, I definitely will be looking into them.

Please check out our new blog covering the local food movement, a subject highly related with health:

–Ro

Ingredients

* 2 heads of cabbage
* 4-5 tbsp real salt

Directions

Shred the cabbage heads using a grater or food processor.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the cabbage and salt.  Using your hands, massage the salt into the cabbage.  As you massage the salt in, juices from the cabbage will start releasing, and the cabbage strips will start to shrivel up a bit.  After about 5 minutes, you’ll notice plenty of juice collecting in the bottom of the bowl.  At this point, place a small plate over the cabbage and then place a clean heavy object on top of the plate.  The weight is meant to submerge the cabbage pieces into the liquid to allow for healthy fermentation.  You may cover the bowl with a muslin cloth to ensure nothing gets in to the mix.  Allow the mix to sit for 7 days.  Thennnnn eat up!

For more variety and flavor, feel free to mix in other vegetables.  My favorite way to make sauerkraut is to add 4-5 leaves of collard greens, a 1/4 tsp of red chili powder, and the juice of one lemon (see the result in the third picture).  Get creative and see how you like it!

–Rishi

Ingredients 

* 3-4 bananas
* 2 heaping tbsp cacao powder
* 3 tbsp agave nectar or to taste
* 3 tbsp kewra water or 1.5 tablespoons rose water
* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 tsbp cold-pressed coconut oil
* 1 cup pistachios or other nuts

Directions
In a bowl, mix the cacao powder, agave nectar, coconut oil, kewra water, and vanilla extract.  If the mixture is very thick, add 1 tsp water.  With mortar/pestle or spice mill, grind pistachios until they are in small pieces.  Coat the bananas with the chocolate mixture and then roll in the pistachios.  Put coated/rolled bananas on a plate lined with wax paper, and cover with another layer of wax paper.  Place in freezer overnight.  Done! Woohoo!

Besides that, make sure to leave us a comment and tell us what you think!

–Rishi

For further reading, check out these links:
http://yogashaastra.blogspot.com/2008/05/beat-heat-with-sheetali-sheetkari.html
http://www.healthandyoga.com/HTML/news/sheetali.html
http://living.oneindia.in/yoga-spirituality/yoga/sheetali-surya-bhedan-pranayama.html

–Rishi

There are millions of starving people struggling in regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We’ve all known this for years. The usual explanation is that there are simply too many people and not enough food. And the usual proposed solution is to grow more food using new biotechnologies to increase yield. The truth is that people starve as a direct result of policies that govern the way we grow and trade food. To me it’s clear that the foreign policies of Western governments are actually based on the profiteering of Western-based corporations. In a world where the vast majority of humanity is still engaged in agriculture, the common people are suffering.

Growing Food: Traditional farming is NOT backward

In old world agricultural communities, farmers have developed the means to fertilize and cultivate their land through thousands of years of accumulated traditional knowledge. Farmers in South America know that corn and squash grow well together; farmers in India use the Neem tree as a natural pesticide. These farmers live in balance with their local environment and grow enough food to sustain themselves and their communities, while selling the surplus. The West came in with a new dogma: the “best” way to farm is by using high-yield seeds, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides to maximize crop yield. On top of that, countries should specialize in producing a few different foods, and import the rest.

What has been the result? Previously sustainable communities are now dependent on buying seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides (inputs) from Western corporations. The chemicals from these inputs deplete the natural minerals in the soil, so every year farmers need more and more to reach the same yield. They now only grow a single crop and they depend on the cash from selling that crop. Many farmers are going into debt as they put more money into inputs and get less and less yield from their chemically burnt soil. In India, over 20,000 farmers have committed suicide because of indebtedness and starvation.

Trading Food: Agribusiness sets the rule of the game

An agricultural subsidy is money the government pays to farmers (and agribusiness) to supplement their income and manage the supply of produce. Western governments first started subsidizing farmers because food is not a stable commodity—in some years there is good harvest, and in some years there is drought. As time went on, Western countries became increasingly urbanized and farms fell under the control of large agribusiness corporations. Today, only about 2% of the U.S. population is still engaged in agriculture. This means that when we subsidize agriculture we subsidize large corporations. On average, $16 Billion a year is given to agribusiness in the U.S. in the form of subsidies. We subsidize our crops so much, that farms sell staple produce for LESS than its own cost. The result is a very cheap and abundant supply of food.

So what do Western countries do with all their cheap food? Well, we eat a lot of it. This has lead to a large scale obesity epidemic in the U.S. But we also export it to other countries. This is where organizations like World Trade Organization (WTO) come in. Going along with the doctrine that countries should specialize in a few products, the WTO advocates for free trade in agriculture—meaning no tariffs. A tariff is a tax on imported goods—tariffs make the imported product more expensive to defend the domestic producer. When developing countries remove their agriculture tariffs in a global economy, their farmers are put into direct competition with overseas producers. All that cheap, subsidized food from the West floods the markets of these countries. Developing countries do not have the means to subsidize their agriculture so heavily. Local economies, local farmers, and local produce are wiped out. Large agribusiness firms from the U.S. and EU effectively “capture” these markets. While millions starve, and billions are indebted, the Western companies reap windfall profits.

The truth about starvation

There is enough land and food in this world to feed every person. However, because the policies for growing and trading food are dominated by corporations that are primarly concerned with their bottom line, millions are no longer able to sustain themselves.

–Rohit

Upright Sitting Posture
This posture is for those who have trouble sitting in any of the other postures.  Notice that I am not resting my back against the backrest, but am sitting away from the chair with my spine straight and shoulders back.

Vajrasana (Lighting Bolt Posture)
Here you can see I have my knees together and my ankles together, and I am sitting down on my heels.  My hands rest on my knees, and again I am keeping my shoulders back, opening my chest and allowing my breath to flow deeply.  My spine is also naturally uplifted in this posture.

Sukhasana (Easy Posture)
This is a normal cross-legged sitting position.  However, you can see that I am taking care to keep my spine as straight as possible, and my shoulders back.  My knees are out farther than in the other cross-legged postures, so there is less stress on them.  Still it is not as easy for me to stay upright in this posture for as long as in the other cross-legged postures.

Ardho Padmasana (Half-Lotus Posture)
Half-Lotus eases some of the stress on my lower back and allows for the natural uplifting of the spine which occurs in vajrasana.  However, it requires more flexibility in the knees and ankles than sukhasana.  If there is enough flexibility, one can stay in this posture for pro-longed periods of time, with little difficulty.

Padmasana (Full-Lotus Posture)
Full-Lotus is the most difficult of these posture to achieve because it requires great flexibility in the knees, ankles, and hips.  If it can be maintained without discomfort, however, it is the most comfortable seated position for prolonged periods of time.  The spine is completely uplifted, and the sit bones create a natural platform to hold your body’s weight.  Even the hardest surface is comfortable for padmasana.

I hope these photos clear up some of the questions people have asked me.  If you would like any further clarification, feel free to send me an email.

–Rishi

Ingredients

*3/4 cup almond pulp – squeezed dry
*2 tablespoons olive oil
*1 large date
*5 long sprigs rosemary, chopped
*1 tablespoon dried parsely
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
*1/2 apple, grated
*1/2 pomegranate, peeled

*8 button mushrooms

Directions

Well the directions for this one are just too short, so I have to write  a little extra so it looks more substantial.  I hope you’re ready for this.  Gather ingredients.  Chop and grate as instructed above.  Mix everything besides pomegranate first, then add pomegranate.  For a little extra fruity flavor, pop some pomegranate seeds into the mix. Finally, put the stuffing in mushrooms. Serve!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

–Rishi

(click for more views and to enlarge)

Ingredients

Curry:

* 2 bananas
* 1 tomato
* 1 tbsp coconut oil
* 1 tsp coriander
* 1 tsp cumin
* 1/2 tsp garam masala
* 2 pinches cinammon
* 1/2 tsp turmeric
* 1/4 tsp salt
* red chili powder (to taste)
* 1 handful cashews
* about 1/2 cup water

Koftas:

* 1 1/2 handfuls walnuts
* 1/2 tsp cumin
* 1/2 tsp coriander
* 1 tsp Nama Shoyu/Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
* 1 large soft date

Directions

Place bananas, tomatoes, and coconut oil into food processor and mix until smooth.  Next add spices and cashews.  Depending on the thickness of the curry, add water until it reaches the desired consistency.  Taste a little and see if you’d like it a little spicier (if so, add equal amounts coriander, cumin, garam masala).   To make the koftas, pulse walnuts, cumin, coriander, and nama shoyu in food processor until walnuts are in small pieces.  Mash walnut mixture together with dates by hand, then roll the mixture into little balls.

To serve:  Places koftas on plate and cover with sauce.  For “rice,” use shredded cabbage, and for “naan” use pieces of any leafy lettuce.  For salad, use cherry tomatoes or sliced tomatoes.

And remember to eat with your hands to get the full flavor!!!

Please check out 2 new projects we are running focused on LOCAL FOOD:

Follow the ‘local’ movement:

Our home, which we have converted into a suburban farm:

–Rishi

However, while I was attending a yoga training program in the ashram, I was made to practice oil pulling every morning.  All I have to say is wow!  Within two weeks I found my skin was the softest it had been since I was a child.  A bleeding problem I had with one spot in my gums also dissappeared, along with sensitivity in one of my molars.  After getting such great results I knew this was something I had to share with everyone I knew.

What you need:

- A bottle of cold pressed sesame or sunflower oil (preferable sesame)
- A tablespoon

How to do it:
As soon as you wake up, place around one tablespoon of oil into your mouth.  Keep your jaw closed and relaxed, and push the oil through your teeth with your tongue.  Bring the oil back inside your teeth using your cheeks.  Keep repeating this process.  After about 10 to 15 minutes, the oils thick consistency will change to become much thinner and watery.  At this point, spit the oil out of your mouth into a sink.  If the oil is watery and whitish in color, you did it correctly.  Quickly rinse out your mouth with water several times.  And your done!

Important Notes:

- Oil pulling should be done BEFORE brushing
- Oil pulling should be done on an empty stomach
- Try not to swallow any of the oil

Benefits:

- Removal of toxins from the digestive system
- Clearer skin
- Whiter teeth
- Healthier gums
- Better overall Health

If you decide to try kavala graha out, tell us!  We’d love to hear whether it worked for you or not and share the results with everyone else.

Also, I’ll be posting an instructional video for this post later this week.

–Rishi

I practice kavala graha everyday with Raw Coconut Oil. It does wonders for the hair and skin. Basically, you can do this with any raw and cold-pressed oil.

–Rohit