Re: yoga/spiritual studies and nutrition

[Guest guest]

I've noticed the same thing. In a last few years we've been doing a lot of

spiritual practices,

including meditation, chantings, yoga etc and we completely weaned off meat

(including

chicken and fish). I won't say we did it purposefully, but we just happen to

like it less and

less and eventually stopped eating it altogether. We've spent over a month

traveling

through India and staying at the ashram and after coming back I realized that

the thought

of eating meat absolutely repulses me and makes me physically sick. And then I

got

pregnant and I couldn't get enough from vegetarian diet - I always felt hungry

20 minutes

after I ate, so I went back to eating meat and realized that all my spiritual

practices have

fallen apart. I can't even sit and meditate for 30 minutes anymore - my body

gets all weird

on me, my mind goes all over the place and I have no desire to chant or do

anything

remotely spiritual. Of course I blame it all on the pregnancy

Only few years ago we were big meat eaters - we would have huge stakes, lamb

chops,

fish, chicken etc almost every day. In my wildest imagination I couldn't think

of giving up

meat. My husband is still a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) and won't even think of

eating a bite of

meat. He drinks almost half a gallon of milk and sometimes eggs from pastured

chickens.

He hadn't had a piece of meat in at least 2 or 3 years and have improved his

health

dramatically (he used to have constant acid reflux, colds and flu, headaches

etc). And no

matter how hard I try to seduce him with my new found meat dishes, he just looks

at them

like I'm eating some rubber or something. I myself hadn't been sick in at least

3 years (and

I used to get sick all the time) and have much more energy now than I ever had.

I don't

know what is going to happen after I'm done breastfeeding, but I will probably

fall back to

the vegetarian diet.

I'm not in any way huge supporter of vegetarianism and I see a lot of

vegetarians who

should never be. Truly heathy veg diet is a lot of work which requires a lot of

thinking and

creativity. But I truly believe that the most important thing is to listen to

your body and not

force anything like dead animals when it needs it the least.

Thanks,

Elena

--- In , Asutosh <pranicunfolding@...>

wrote:

>

> one thing that i have noticed with people studying yoga as well as with my own

studies

and practices is that often an intolerance for milk seems to happen that lasts

for a year or

more, and then suddenly it seems the body not only is fine with it, but cravings

for it

return. some still crave it, but the body won't tolerate it for a time it seems.

curious if

others have noticed the same thing.

>

> additionally for myself, i use the nourishing traditions cookbook, but find

that my body

generally does in fact not seem to want meat, and if i think about cooking i

think mainly

about cooking the meatless dishes, which are mainly what i use. there are

periods where

my body may crave meat, but it seems to be mainly short periods and then i find

myself

back to consuming less meat, however, i continue to consumer dairy products

(although

eggs too, i tend to eat less of generally, except for small cravings). i know in

yogic studies

they recommend a vegetarian diet, although i myself have not generally felt like

i was to

be a purist. i enjoy the flavor of meat and indian meat dishes are among my

favorite ways

to eat it, but so far it has seemed like something i am to avoid spending much

time

cooking. being that i try to listen to my body and my cravings which are

generally for

things like cabbage or kale or yogurt, i figure it is likely the yogic practices

(including

> chanting) that are part of this.

>

> -d

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search.

>

>

[Guest guest]

VEry interesting! I do wonder if Weston A. Price would be totally

compatible with a non-meat diet - just eggs and dairy. Of course the

karma issues would still be there - if you only value products from

the female animal, what happens to all the males? Someone else eats

them!

Interesting fact I learned last night - meadow voles are a keystone

species in my state - they reproduce so rapidly that starting with a

pair, in a year under ideal conditions they'll make enough offspring

to equal a full-grown elephant! I realize our ancestors used to eat

rats and guinea pigs, maybe that's the most sustainable meat? LOL!

> >

> > one thing that i have noticed with people studying yoga as well

as with my own studies

> and practices is that often an intolerance for milk seems to happen

that lasts for a year or

> more, and then suddenly it seems the body not only is fine with it,

but cravings for it

> return. some still crave it, but the body won't tolerate it for a

time it seems. curious if

> others have noticed the same thing.

> >

> > additionally for myself, i use the nourishing traditions

cookbook, but find that my body

> generally does in fact not seem to want meat, and if i think about

cooking i think mainly

> about cooking the meatless dishes, which are mainly what i use.

there are periods where

> my body may crave meat, but it seems to be mainly short periods and

then i find myself

> back to consuming less meat, however, i continue to consumer dairy

products (although

> eggs too, i tend to eat less of generally, except for small

cravings). i know in yogic studies

> they recommend a vegetarian diet, although i myself have not

generally felt like i was to

> be a purist. i enjoy the flavor of meat and indian meat dishes are

among my favorite ways

> to eat it, but so far it has seemed like something i am to avoid

spending much time

> cooking. being that i try to listen to my body and my cravings

which are generally for

> things like cabbage or kale or yogurt, i figure it is likely the

yogic practices (including

> > chanting) that are part of this.

> >

> > -d

> >

> >

> > ---------------------------------

> > Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with

Search.

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

On 3/20/08, haecklers <haecklers@...> wrote:

> VEry interesting! I do wonder if Weston A. Price would be totally

> compatible with a non-meat diet - just eggs and dairy. Of course the

> karma issues would still be there - if you only value products from

> the female animal, what happens to all the males? Someone else eats

> them!

If one really wants to eat vegetarian-ish, a better strategy would be

to do just shellfish and crustaceans in general. They are much more

nutrient-dense than eggs and dairy. So one can eat far less of them.

And of course they are far less conscious beings than dairy animals,

especially mollusks. Price didn't find anyone doing just eggs and

dairy but not meat; he did, however, find folks who just did

shellfish. In fact the closest thing he found to vegetarianism was

the island where the insland mountain-dwellers ate primarily plant

foods but found in essential to eat shellfish once every few months.

Where I come from, spiritually, abstaining from meat is seen as

" calming the passions, " but during fasting, eggs, dairy and non-fish

meat are always given up together; the absolute last thing to go is

shellfish.

On a moderation-related note: if this thread is going to primarily

discuss the adequacy of vegetarianism we don't need a tag, but if it

winds up primarily discussing the spiritual aspects of food we should

use the RELIGION tag.

Chris

[Guest guest]

Some of Price's natives ate no meat. I don't remember how many but there

was one tribe that mostly subsisted on milk.

Irene

At 08:14 AM 3/20/08, you wrote:

>VEry interesting! I do wonder if Weston A. Price would be totally

>compatible with a non-meat diet - just eggs and dairy. Of course the

>karma issues would still be there - if you only value products from

>the female animal, what happens to all the males? Someone else eats

>them!

>

>Interesting fact I learned last night - meadow voles are a keystone

>species in my state - they reproduce so rapidly that starting with a

>pair, in a year under ideal conditions they'll make enough offspring

>to equal a full-grown elephant! I realize our ancestors used to eat

>rats and guinea pigs, maybe that's the most sustainable meat? LOL!

>

>

> > >

> > > one thing that i have noticed with people studying yoga as well

>as with my own studies

> > and practices is that often an intolerance for milk seems to happen

>that lasts for a year or

> > more, and then suddenly it seems the body not only is fine with it,

>but cravings for it

> > return. some still crave it, but the body won't tolerate it for a

>time it seems. curious if

> > others have noticed the same thing.

> > >

> > > additionally for myself, i use the nourishing traditions

>cookbook, but find that my body

> > generally does in fact not seem to want meat, and if i think about

>cooking i think mainly

> > about cooking the meatless dishes, which are mainly what i use.

>there are periods where

> > my body may crave meat, but it seems to be mainly short periods and

>then i find myself

> > back to consuming less meat, however, i continue to consumer dairy

>products (although

> > eggs too, i tend to eat less of generally, except for small

>cravings). i know in yogic studies

> > they recommend a vegetarian diet, although i myself have not

>generally felt like i was to

> > be a purist. i enjoy the flavor of meat and indian meat dishes are

>among my favorite ways

> > to eat it, but so far it has seemed like something i am to avoid

>spending much time

> > cooking. being that i try to listen to my body and my cravings

>which are generally for

> > things like cabbage or kale or yogurt, i figure it is likely the

>yogic practices (including

> > > chanting) that are part of this.

> > >

> > > -d

> > >

> > >

> > > ---------------------------------

> > > Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with

> Search.

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

From my observation, I think it is not uncommon for people who do a lot of

spiritual practice to find themselves becoming more vegetarian. I have

never seen it happen as fast as it has with you. I have seen it in people

after many years. However I think that is where people get the notion it is

more spiritual to be vegetarian and they become vegetarian in order to be

more spiritual. I think they have it backwards. You do the practice first

and change your diet as your needs change, like you did.

Irene

At 07:49 AM 3/20/08, you wrote:

>I've noticed the same thing. In a last few years we've been doing a lot of

>spiritual practices,

>including meditation, chantings, yoga etc and we completely weaned off

>meat (including

>chicken and fish). I won't say we did it purposefully, but we just happen

>to like it less and

>less and eventually stopped eating it altogether. We've spent over a month

>traveling

>through India and staying at the ashram and after coming back I realized

>that the thought

>of eating meat absolutely repulses me and makes me physically sick. And

>then I got

>pregnant and I couldn't get enough from vegetarian diet - I always felt

>hungry 20 minutes

>after I ate, so I went back to eating meat and realized that all my

>spiritual practices have

>fallen apart. I can't even sit and meditate for 30 minutes anymore - my

>body gets all weird

>on me, my mind goes all over the place and I have no desire to chant or do

>anything

>remotely spiritual. Of course I blame it all on the pregnancy

>

>Only few years ago we were big meat eaters - we would have huge stakes,

>lamb chops,

>fish, chicken etc almost every day. In my wildest imagination I couldn't

>think of giving up

>meat. My husband is still a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) and won't even think of

>eating a bite of

>meat. He drinks almost half a gallon of milk and sometimes eggs from

>pastured chickens.

>He hadn't had a piece of meat in at least 2 or 3 years and have improved

>his health

>dramatically (he used to have constant acid reflux, colds and flu,

>headaches etc). And no

>matter how hard I try to seduce him with my new found meat dishes, he just

>looks at them

>like I'm eating some rubber or something. I myself hadn't been sick in at

>least 3 years (and

>I used to get sick all the time) and have much more energy now than I ever

>had. I don't

>know what is going to happen after I'm done breastfeeding, but I will

>probably fall back to

>the vegetarian diet.

>

>I'm not in any way huge supporter of vegetarianism and I see a lot of

>vegetarians who

>should never be. Truly heathy veg diet is a lot of work which requires a

>lot of thinking and

>creativity. But I truly believe that the most important thing is to listen

>to your body and not

>force anything like dead animals when it needs it the least.

>

>Thanks,

>Elena

>

>

> >

> > one thing that i have noticed with people studying yoga as well as with

> my own studies

>and practices is that often an intolerance for milk seems to happen that

>lasts for a year or

>more, and then suddenly it seems the body not only is fine with it, but

>cravings for it

>return. some still crave it, but the body won't tolerate it for a time it

>seems. curious if

>others have noticed the same thing.

> >

> > additionally for myself, i use the nourishing traditions cookbook, but

> find that my body

>generally does in fact not seem to want meat, and if i think about cooking

>i think mainly

>about cooking the meatless dishes, which are mainly what i use. there are

>periods where

>my body may crave meat, but it seems to be mainly short periods and then i

>find myself

>back to consuming less meat, however, i continue to consumer dairy

>products (although

>eggs too, i tend to eat less of generally, except for small cravings). i

>know in yogic studies

>they recommend a vegetarian diet, although i myself have not generally

>felt like i was to

>be a purist. i enjoy the flavor of meat and indian meat dishes are among

>my favorite ways

>to eat it, but so far it has seemed like something i am to avoid spending

>much time

>cooking. being that i try to listen to my body and my cravings which are

>generally for

>things like cabbage or kale or yogurt, i figure it is likely the yogic

>practices (including

> > chanting) that are part of this.

> >

> > -d

> >

> >

> > ---------------------------------

> > Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search.

> >

> >