In an older world, we would pass by farms and see the crops which would soon be at the market. We would be concerned about whether there was enough rain, not just for the sake of food availability, but also for the sake of the farmer, whose very livelihood depends on the harvest. We would do rituals and make offerings to the forces of nature so that we may be more connected to it. The idea of a “whole food” is greatly expanded in this context, for it includes not only the importance of the food, but the importance of the grower, the land, the economy and the consumer.

Ayurveda states that one should eat meats of the nearby region, and make use local plants. Animals, as well as plants, raised for food in the same region as the people consuming them experience the same environmental conditions. This creates a relational principle. Acquired immunity is an example of this, when buffers to disease manufactured in animals are passed on to their consumers. One Ayurvedic text states that since goats are not susceptible to tuberculosis, one with tuberculosis should live very near goats so as to drink of their milk daily.

One of the virtues of the Slow Food Movement and an often overlooked aspect of beneficial eating is enjoyment. In an interesting experiment on digestion, subjects were found to absorb more nutrients from food they enjoyed than from food they didn’t enjoy. Ayurveda speaks of satisfaction being one factor that maximizes digestive capacity. If a meal contains each of the six tastes, is prepared by a loved one, the amount is just right, if it is eaten with company, quietly, slowly, is followed by a suitable drink, and is seasonally and constitutionally appropriate, then satisfaction is nearly guaranteed. It is no coincidence that by eating like this, adverse reactions to food are rarely, if ever, experienced.

Ayurveda says that the way to show the highest respect to its health philosophy, is to emulate nature. If we can overcome our own individual habituations and gain insight into the instru ctive rhythms of nature, then we can open ourselves to a freedom that transcends time, a freedom to not leave a path of destruction as we travel through life.

Contributed by David “Atibala” Thorp, February 2009