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Food Habits
Onion-Garlic (Allium Group) makes a deep thinking. Before saying anything,
every individual has the right to food habits of their own, however, the
pros-cons are thought of, in centuries from ancestors. Some cross-section
views read are brought out.
Scriptures
(2-a) According to the Chhandogya Upanisad, when there is purity of food,
the mind becomes pure; when the mind becomes pure, it remembers the Lord
and by remembrance of the Lord, liberation is attained:
Aahar shuddhau sattwa shuddhih sattwa shuddhau dhruv smritih smriti lambhe
Sarv Granthinam vipra mokshah (quoted in BG Ch3. V.11 purport)
This verse mentioned Aahaar Shuddhi or purification of food as a crucial
element in spiritual progress. For this reason also the Smriti Shaastra
proclaim that greatest of purifiers is pure food. The scriptures have
therefore carefully delineated proper and improper food for the person
who desires perfection in life.
(2-b) Yagya sistasinah santo mucyante sarva kilbisaih
bhunjate te tv agham paap ye pacanty atma karanat
The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they
eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepares food
for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin. (Geetaa Ch.3:13.)
palandu lasunam sigrum alambum grjanam palam
bhunkte yo vai naro brahman vratam candrayanam caret
(Padm Puraan, Braahm Khand 19.10 - O sages, one who eats garlic, onions,
sigrum (a kind of plant), turnips, bottle gourd and meat, that person
should observe a Chandraayan fast.
(4) 4 - By eating garlic and onion one becomes sinful and as atonement one
should perform Chandraayan Vrat. (Garud Puraan 1.97.3 (68-71))
(5) Manu Sanhitaa:
5.5. Garlic, leeks and onions, mushrooms and (all plants), springing from
impure (substances) , are unfit to be eaten by twice-born men.
5.19. A twice-born man who knowingly eats mushrooms, a village-pig,
garlic, a village-cock, onions, or leeks, will become an outcast.
3. Why no Garlic and Onions?
You may know that onions and garlic are botanical members of the alliaceous
family (alliums) - along with leeks, chives and shallots.
(1) According to Aayur Ved, India's classic medical science, foods are
grouped into three categories - Saattwik, Raajasik and Taamasik - foods in
the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Onions and garlic, and the
other alliaceous plants are classified as Raajasik and Taamasik, which
means that they increase passion and ignorance.
(2) Those that subscribe to pure Braahman-style cooking of India, like to
only cook with foods from the Saattwik category. These foods include fresh
fruits, vegetables and herbs, dairy products, grains and legumes, and so on.
(3) Raajasik and Taamasik foods are also not used because they are detrimental
to meditation and devotions. Garlic and onions are both Raajasik and aamasik,
and are forbidden to Yogee because they root the consciousness more firmly
in the body,
(4) Some branches of western medicine say that the Alliums have specific
health benefits; garlic is respected, at least in allopathic medical
circles, as a natural antibiotic. In recent years, while the apparent
cardiovascular implications of vegetable Alliums has been studied in
some detail, the clinical implications of onion and garlic consumption
from this point of view are still not well understood.
(5) Nevertheless, there are still many adverse things to say about garlic
and onions. Not so well known is the fact that garlic in the raw state can
carry harmful (potentially fatal) botulism bacteria. Perhaps it is with an
awareness of this that the Roman poet Horace wrote of garlic that it is
more harmful than hemlock.
(6) It should be pointed out that Garlic and onion are avoided by spiritual
adherents because they stimulate the central nervous system, and can disturb
vows of celibacy. Garlic is a natural aphrodisiac. Aayur Ved suggests that
it is a tonic for loss of sexual power from any cause, sexual debility,
impotency from over-indulgence in sex and nervous exhaustion from dissipating
sexual habits. It is said to be especially useful to old men of high nervous
tension and diminishing sexual power.
(7) The Taoists realized thousands of years ago that plants of the
alliaceous family were detrimental to humans in their healthy state. In
his writings, one sage Tsang-Tsze described the Alliums as the "five
fragrant or spicy scented vegetables" - that each have a detrimental
effect on one of the following five organs - liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys,
and heart. Specifically, onions are harmful to the lungs, garlic to the heart,
leeks to the spleen, chives to the liver and spring onions to the kidneys.
(8) Tsang-Tsze said that these pungent vegetables contain five different kinds
of enzymes which cause "reactions of repulsive breath, extra-foul odor
from perspiration and bowel movements, and lead to lewd indulgences, enhance
agitations, anxieties and aggressiveness," especially when eaten raw.
(9) Similar things are described in Aayur Ved. 'As well as producing offensive
breath and body odor, these (alliaceous) plants induce aggravation, agitation,
anxiety and aggression. Thus they are harmful physically, emotionally, mentally
and spiritually.
(10) Back in the 1980's, in his research on human brain function, Dr Robert [Bob]
C. Beck, found that garlic has a detrimental effect on the brain. He found that
in fact garlic is toxic to humans because its sulphone hydroxyl ions penetrate
the blood-brain barrier and are poisonous to brain cells.
(11) Dr Beck explained that as far back as the 1950s it was known that garlic
reduced reaction time by two to three times when consumed by pilots taking flight
tests. This is because the toxic effects of garlic desynchronize brain waves.
"The flight surgeon would come around every month and remind all of us:
"Don' t you dare touch any garlic 72 hours before you fly one of our airplanes,
because it'll double or triple your reaction time. You're three times slower than
you would be if you'd [not] had a few drops of garlic." For precisely the
same reason the garlic family of plants has been widely recognized as being harmful
to dogs.
(12) Even when garlic is used as food in Chinese culture it is considered harmful
to the stomach, liver and eyes, and a cause of dizziness and scattered energy when
consumed in immoderate amounts.
(13) Nor is garlic always seen as having entirely beneficial properties in Western
cooking and medicine. It is widely accepted among health care professionals that,
as well as killing harmful bacteria, garlic also destroys beneficial bacteria,
which are essential to the proper functioning of the digestive system.
(14) Reiki practitioners explain that garlic and onions are among the first
substances to be expelled from a person's system along with tobacco, alcohol
and pharmaceutical medications. This makes it apparent that alliaceous plants
have a negative effect on the human body and should be avoided for health reasons.
(15) Homeopathic medicine comes to the same conclusion when it recognizes that
red onion produces a dry cough, watery eyes, sneezing, runny nose and other familiar
cold-related symptoms when consumed.
(4) Substitutions for onions, garlic and eggs
(A) Instead of onion and garlic, for taste and appearance, cut cabbage in small
pieces like onions. Fry in a shallow pan (kadai), with lots of asafetida (Heeng).
Tastes exactly like onion.
(B) Aromatics - Beyond Onions and Garlic:
No unrelated vegetable has quite the same taste as onions or garlic. But
some aromatics that may be safe for your allergies are good options for
cooking:
Fennel has a licorice-like taste but onion-like texture. Try it with
chicken or fish.
Celery is among the most common aromatics.
Bell peppers are often used in Cajun cooking. Green peppers and celery are
a good base for rice dishes or savory stews.
Carrots are used as an aromatic in French cooking in combination with celery.
Celeriac, or celery root, is the knobby root of one variety of celery.
Peeled and diced, it can be used as an aromatic in sauces or stews.
(C) For situations where allergies need to be considered, there are a couple
of options that may work. One common substitute for onions is a nice bunch
of leeks. Leeks (same group as onion-allum) have a milder taste than onions
and are far less acidic. Many people who cannot eat onions can consume leeks
with no problem. You can use the green tops as well as the white bulbs for a
little added color to the dish.
3 When leeks are still a problem, you may want to look into such options as
fried cumin seeds and perhaps asafetida, better known as Heeng. Both will
add flavor to many recipes and are very friendly to constitutions that cannot
handle onions for some reason. Hot peppers may also serve as a viable substitute
for onions as well. Mince the peppers so the taste will be evenly distributed
throughout the prepared recipe.
(D) Asafetida is a spice used as a substitute for onions and garlic.
(E) The Cardamom plant is a perennial herb belonging to the same family as
ginger and turmeric and it is a distant relative of the banana
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