April 11, 2015
It is well known that air, water, food and shelter are the basic needs of life. Filling the gap of a few inches of stomach with “Food” is an essential part of the day. Mother nature is generous enough to provide air and water but increasing population compels us to earn our own food. Once this basic need is fulfilled, person starts looking for other things in life which are for social prestige, pomp and show.
Liking for food differs from person to person. Under stress food is stress buster. A good eater loves food. A diabetic person needs to eat intermittently to avoid hypoglycemia. A person who is taking steroids/having acidity will just jump over food without any delay for meals. Malnourishment, anorexia, obesity are the different aspects related to food.
"Hunger" and "Fasting" are yet another two extreme views concerned to food. From childhood to youth, food is needed for growth. As we grow old, food is needed only for body maintenance and repair mechanisms. At the age of 30 to 35 years every person can understand which food is suitable for his/her health and fitness. Certain fruits, vegetables and food itms do not suit to everyone. (some generate heat some causes cold and such foods should be avoided or consumed less.
In the adulthood having right knowledge of all the fruits and vegetables and how they affect our body is necessary. Once we understand our own biological system and biological clocks and follow accordingly, one can be healthy forever. Providing fuel through appropriate food and servicing with little exercise will keep our body machine always tuned. Excess food is toxic while right food is a healer. Eating moderate is healthy. If this balance is disturbed it leads to illness and one need to take medicine as food and food as medicine.
Some people love to eat, love to cook and love to serve others, equally. Generally people tend to eat slightly more in the social gatherings due to variety in the menu, more tasty (due to soda or ajinomoto?) and one or two morsels will be consumed extra while talking with friends. For ladies serving and cleaning job will be skipped hence they enjoy food outside. Children too love eating out often as dinner is the time to ask for the school affairs and exam results by father!!
In the olden days leaving, food in their plate was a shame but now a days eating little and leaving almost whole food in the plates is a kind of prestige for some people. Attending social gatherings, marriages and parties is inevitable and become common for all. Many dishes in the menu will not be suiting to everyone’s palate so it is always better to take less, if it suits then only it can be taken extra. Now a days all the prices have gone up, wasting food in the plate is a national waste. Pan, gutka, alcohol etc. are not at all necessary for life but people who sell that are rich and food being so essential for life, farmer is always neglected and poor. But in some countries leaving food in the plates is not permitted and one has to pay fine. World statistics predicts that in the years to come, drinking water will be one of the major scarcities on the earth, naturally food too.
Hence, it is our responsibility, first to teach children at home not to leave food in the plate. Our food is a food for bacteria too, therefore before germs grow and spoil the food, it should be consumed or preserved. Excess food remaining in the parties and functions can be distributed to the orphanages, poor and needy. Do not be surprised, if such national waste of food continues, in the days to come, measured food will be served based on the weight of the person especially in the social gatherings.
Eating our food is prakruthi, offering others and eating is samskruthi and snatching others food and eating is vikruthi. Let’s all respect food today and make it available for future generation.
Prevention is better than cure.