Part
Three
To
lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals. -Benjamin
Franklin
After
the tenth week. Colonel Bradford no longer attended each meeting, but did
keep up his interest in the "Himalaya Club." From time to time, he
would speak to the group on various helpful subjects, and occasionally
members of the group asked advice on something in particular. For example,
several of us were especially interested in diet and the tremendously
important role that food plays in our lives. There were differing views on
the subject, and so we decided to ask Colonel Bradford to describe to us the
Lamas' diet, and their policy concerning foods.
"In the Himalayan monastery where I was a neophyte," said
the Colonel when he spoke to us the following week, "there are no
problems concerning the right foods, nor in getting sufficient quantities of
food. Each of the Lamas does his share of work in producing what is needed.
All the work is done in the most primitive way. Even the soil is spaded by
hand. Of course, the Lamas could use oxen and plows if they wished, but they
prefer direct contact with the soil. They feel that handling and working the
soil adds something to man's existence. I personally found it to be a
thoroughly rewarding experience. It contributed to a feeling of oneness with
nature.
"Now,
it is true that the Lamas are vegetarians, but not strictly so. They do use
eggs, butter, and cheese in quantities sufficient to serve certain functions
of the brain, body, and nervous system. However, they do not eat flesh, for
the Lamas, who are strong and healthy, and who practice rite number six,
seem to have no need of meat, fish, or fowl.
"Like
myself, most of those who joined the ranks of the Lamas were men of the
world who knew little about proper food and diet. But not long after coming
to the monastery, they invariably began .to show wonderful signs of physical
improvement. And this was due in part at least to their diet there.
"No
Lama is choosey about what he eats. He can't be, because there is little to
choose from. A Lama's diet consists of good, wholesome food, but as a rule
it consists of only one item of food at a meal. That in itself is an
important secret of health. When one eats just one kind of food at a time,
there can be no clashing of foods in the stomach. Foods clash in the stomach
because starches do not mix well with proteins. For example, if bread, which
is a starch, is eaten with proteins such as meats, eggs, or cheese, a
chemical reaction is set up in the stomach. It not only can cause gas and
immediate physical distress. Over time, it also contributes to a shortened
life span, and a lesser quality of life.
"Many times in the monastery dining hall I sat down to the table
along with the Lamas, and ate a meal consisting only of bread. At other
times, we ate nothing but fresh vegetables and fruits. At other meals, I ate
nothing but cooked vegetables and fruits. "At first, I was hungry for
my usual diet, and the variety
of foods which I had been accustomed to; but before long, I could eat and
enjoy a meal consisting of nothing but dark bread, or just one kind of
fruit. Sometimes, a meal of just one vegetable would seem like a feast.
"Now.
I'm not suggesting that you limit yourself to a diet of just one kind of
food per meal, or even that you eliminate meats from your diet. But I would
recommend that you keep starches, fruits, and vegetables separate from
meats, fish. and fowl at your meals. It is alright to make a meal of just
meat. In fact, if you wish, you could have several kinds of meat in one
meal. And it is alright to eat butter, eggs, and cheese with a meat meal, or
dark bread and, if you wish. coffee or tea. But you must not end up with
anything sweet or starchy-no pies. cakes, or puddings.
"Butter
seems to be a neutral. It can be eaten with either a starchy meal, or with a
meat meal. Milk agrees better with starches. Coffee and tea should always be
taken black, never with cream, although a small amount of sweetening will do
no harm.
"The
proper use of eggs was another interesting and useful thing I learned during
my stay in the monastery. The Lamas would not eat whole eggs unless they had
been performing hard manual labor. Then, they might eat one whole medium
boiled egg. But they would frequently eat raw egg yolks, discarding the
whites. At first, it seemed to me to be a waste of perfectly good food to
throw the whites to the chickens. But then I learned that the egg whites are
utilized only by the muscles, and should not be eaten unless the muscles are
exercised.
"I had always known that egg yolks are nutritious, but I learned
of their true value only after talking with another Westerner at the
monastery, a man who had a background in biochemistry. He told me that
common hen eggs contain fully half of the elements required by the brain,
nerves, and organs of the body. It is true that these elements are needed
only in small quantities, but they must be included in the diet if you are
to be exceptionally robust and healthy, both mentally and physically.
"There
is one more very important thing which I learned from the Lamas. They taught
me the importance of eating slowly, not for the sake of good table manners,
but for the purpose of masticating my food more thoroughly. Mastication is
the first important step in breaking down food so that it can be assimilated
by the body. Everything one eats should be digested in the mouth before it
is digested in the stomach. If you gulp down food, bypassing this vital
step, it is literally dynamite when It reaches the stomach.
"Protein
foods such as meat, fish, and fowl require less mastication than complex
starches. It is just as well to chew them thoroughly anyway. The more
completely food is masticated, the more nourishing it will^e. This means
that if you thoroughly chew your food, the amount you eat can be reduced,
often by one half.
"Many
things which I had taken for granted before entering the monastery seemed
shocking when I left it two years later. One of the first things I noticed
when I arrived in one of the major cities of India was the large amount of
food consumed by everyone who could afford to do so. I saw one man eat in
just one meal a quantity of food sufficient to feed and completely nourish
four hard working Lamas. But of course the Lamas would never dream of
putting into their stomachs the combinations of food which this man
consumed.
"The
conglomeration of foods in one meal was another thing that appalled me.
Having been in the habit of eating one or two foods at a meal, I was amazed
to count 23 varieties of food one evening at my host's table. No wonder
Westerners have such miserable health. They seem
"The
right foods, the right combinations of food, the right amounts of food, and
the right method of eating combine to produce wonderful results. If you are
overweight, it will help you to reduce. And if you are underweight, it will
help you to gain. There are quite a few other points about food and diet
that I would like to go into, but time doesn't permit. Just keep in mind
these five things:
(1)Never
eat starch and meat at the same meal, though if you are strong and healthy, it need not cause you too
much concern now.
(2)If
coffee bothers you, drink it black, using no milk or cream. If it still
bothers you, eliminate it from your diet.
(3)Chew
your food to a liquid, and cut down on the amount of food you eat.
(4)Eat
raw egg yolks once a day, every day. Take them either just before or after
meals-not during the meal.
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