Celebrate our lord Ganpati, the son of
Parvati, the remover of all obstacles is in the midst of us. As we celebrate
the auspicious Ganesha, let’s remember the divine prayer to the goddess of
food, Annapurna (Goddess Parvati)
Annpurne sada purne shankar pran
vallabhe Gyan vairagya siddhiartham bhiksham dehi ch parvati
O Mother Parvati, you are Annapurna -
the provider of food. You are always full of abundance...You are the support of
Lord Shiva. Dear Mother, through this sacred food, blesses us with wisdom and
renunciation.
This is chanted before meals to remind
us of the divinity of the food we eat.
To rise in life, let’s reflect on our
food is it giving us energy or robbing us of our peace of mind, waistline and
health.
Sugar one single ingredient has caused
a lot of havoc. Sugar triggers the same cells in the brain that have after you
take narcotic drugs and the effect are similar to them and as addictive.
No wonder millions of people all over
the world swear by their daily dose of sugar. Unfortunately like narcotic drugs
over a period of time it leads to hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty
concentrating.
Table sugar is so refined and
concentrated, that it is a pure drug and equally addictive – slowly killing
you.
Sugar is an immune suppressant
the leading cause of diabetes, weight gain,
as well as cancer. Sugar increases lipids especially
triglycerides and is inflammatory causing joint pains, sore throat and lung
issues.
Sugar ingestion can dramatically
impact children's behavior, particularly their memories and increase temper
tantrums lower grades cause anxiety irritability and impair the quality of
sleep.
Even Mahatma Gandhi who experimented a
lot on food and behavior believed sugar to be extremely harmful. According to
him, sweet fruits supplied enough sugar to the body.
He said “The partake of sweets in a
country where the millions do not even get an ordinary full meal is equivalent
to robbery.” Little Gur in small quantities may be taken - it is more superior
to refined sugar in food value.
The minerals present in the gur are
lost during refining. If people cease to make Gur, as they are beginning to do,
they will be deprived of an important food.
Especially children, it would
undermine their stamina. (1.2.1935. – Harijan). ‘All foodstuffs are richer if
taken in their natural form as far as possible.
We have a variety of natural
substitutes like jaggery; dates, prunes, honey, raisins, figs, fruits and even
stevia can work well.
This can be easily achieved. So keep your
mind pure, your sugar replaced with natural sugar, and your body healthy.
