Food is Divine

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.