Importance of Milk in Diet

Balanced diet is that common topic which almost everybody has heard of. Our body needs the nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins and fats along with vitamins and minerals.

To provide the carbohydrates there are cereals and for the proteins there are nuts and pulses. In the same way there are oils and dairy items to provide us with fats as well.

 Green vegetables, fruits and other veg. items render sufficient minerals and vitamins necessary for our body maintenance.

Another source of proteins is dairy products. These proteins from the dairy products are easily digestible than other proteins from plant sources.

The function of the protein is to handle the wear and tear in the body. Thus to maintain the good proportion of fleshes and other tissues proteins are required in sufficient quantity.

Especially after one falls ill, it requires easily digestible proteins to recover soon since he has to rebuild the tissues in the body. During this period milk and milk products are the most for the vegetarians. Without which it is almost impossible to get well.

There was an instance from Gandhiji himself. He had taken a vow that he will not take milk products. Once he fell ill and could not recover. Doctors recommend him to take milk but he denied due to his vows. One of his doctor friends urged him to take milk with the logic that at the time of vows there might be cows or buffalo’s milk in his mind so the goat’s milk could be taken.

Thought he knew that it was just to save the cover, he took goats milk and got well soon. Since then he accepted the importance milk and included it to the diet.

Gandhiji’s Views on Health

From the point of view of Naturopathy health means:

 Body ease

 Free from all diseases

 Carries his normal activities without fatigue

Able to walk 10-12 miles a day with ease

Perform ordinary physical labor without getting tired

Can digest ordinary simple food

Mind and senses are at the state of harmony and poise

To have the above qualities of health it is necessary to have knowledge of human body. Only research worker may be able to tell something, only something, about what kind of education was prevalent in previous times.

The human body is composed of five elements what the ancient philosophers believed to have. These are earth, water, vacancy, light and air. 

All human activities are carried out by mind aided by ten senses: five senses of action – hands, feet, mouth, anus and the genitals; and five sense of perception – touch through skin, taste through tongue, smell through nose, seeing through the eyes and hearing through the ears. Thinking is the function of the mind and some people have called it the eleventh sense. In health all these senses with mind act in perfect coordination.

The human body is the universe in miniature. That which cannot be found in the body cannot found in the universe. Hence the philosophers formula, that the universe within reflects the universe without. It follows therefore that if our knowledge of our own body could be perfect we would know the universe. But even the very best of the doctors, vaids and hakims have not been able to acquire it. It will be presumptuous for a layman to aspire it. No instrument has been discovered yet to give us any information of our mind.

Scientists have given attractive descriptions of the activities going on within and without the body, but no one can say what sets the wheel going. Who can explain the why and wherefore of death or foretell its time? After infinite reading and writing, after infinite experiences he has come to know how little he knows.

All the part working in harmony is required for smooth function of the machine. Even a disorder in a single part brings it to stop. For instance; if the digestion is out of order, the whole body becomes slack. Therefore, he who takes indigestion and constipation lightly does not know the a-b-c of the rules of health. These two are the root cause of innumerable ailments.

The present education system leaves us totally oblivion of our body system. Our knowledge of our own village and our fields shares a similar fate. On the other hand we are taught about the things that have no bearing on our daily life. This knowledge is also required but at first we must know of our body, our house, surroundings, the crops and its history before all.