Baba
Petroleum jelly: food
Namaskar,
Ananda Marga ideology states, “All-round restraint is indeed necessary. It will not do to simply eat what you get or do what you desire. When you eat you must consider if it is sentient, mutative or static. While eating you must think carefully as to what influence it will have over your body and your mind. You are not a goat or a camel that you will eat whatever you get. You have to think when you act.” (1)
Some people are eating petroleum and various waxes without realising it. This post examines who is most prone to ingesting petroleum, how to recognise it on your food, and how to remove it.
Who is at risk
Those who get their fruit and vegetables from large-scale supermarkets, those who live in big cities (especially in the US and Europe), and those whose food comes from far away locations are all eating petroleum on a regular basis - on all their conventionally grown produce (i.e. fruits and vegetables).
If you fall in one of the above categories then certainly you are eating petroleum on a regular - even daily - basis. This is an acute problem in the western nations which means that sooner or later all are at risk. Because the western lifestyle is being mass-replicated all around the globe. Really speaking then, this is a letter for everyone.
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What is the problem
The main problem is that a coating is applied to most of the fruits and vegetables that are sold in big food markets. The food comes from far away places - sometimes shipped from even halfway around the earth. So they apply a "coating" to protect and preserve the food, i.e. fruits and vegetables. Most often this coating is petroleum jelly, and sometimes jelly from a plant source. By this way the fruit and vegetables look bright and shiny even after being transported and stored for weeks in buses, trains, trucks and airplanes etc.
Coating fruits & vegetables with waxes
Here it should be understood that this problem is not limited to conventional (i.e. non-organically grown) produce i.e. fruits and veggies. Various types of waxes, though not petroleum, are applied to organically grown fruits and vegetables.
As sadhakas, we all try to make healthy choices in life. To that end, some may be spending a little extra to purchase organic produce. We see the label; we see the quality of the vegetable or fruit, and we think, "Yes, this is the healthy choice to make."
In His Ideal Farming book, Baba provides us with many excellent techniques for growing food organically, i.e. without pesticides and chemical fertilizers. So in our Ananda Marga way of life, we strongly support organic farming. But the way organic farming is done in today's ultra-capitalist schema is not 100% pure. In this big-business, high-profit era, organic produce (fruit and vegetables) has become a high-stakes market. The mega corporations have jumped into the organic food business. Even Walmart sells organic produce.
It is commonly known that big business bends the laws in their favour to increase profits. Nowadays it is legal for organic food distributors to coat their fruits and vegetables with various types of waxes. This is standard practice. What they are doing is affecting our health, so we should all be acutely aware.
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Simple rinsing will not remove wax or jelly
The application of petroleum jelly, and / or related synthetics or waxes, is especially common with harder fruits and vegetables or items with a peel. These include: Apples, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, citrus fruits, and many other items which are far too numerous to name here. Suffice to say that most fruit and vegetables are affected in this way.
Here are some of the most common responses to this unhealthy protocol:
1. The majority of the public simply does not notice. They think that they are eating a fruit or vegetable and therefore it must be healthy. They do not know that with every bite they are ingesting petroleum and / or wax.
2. Then there are still others who simply think that since their produce is "certified organic" or even regular then it must be perfectly pure. Such persons are also in the dark and we may or may not be able to wake them - though certainly we should try.
3. Those who are somewhat aware generally haphazardly rinse their fruit and vegetables in water and then eat it or cook with it. But a simple rinsing is not enough to remove the wax or jelly.
4. Some are more aware and use a brush to remove the petroleum. This is a step in the right direction but does not entirely solve the matter.
5. And there may be other techniques which people use. What do you do?
6. Further down in this letter is a very good method to fully remove the petroleum or wax coating from your food.
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Testing your produce
Firstly, you must determine if there is petroleum or wax on your fruits and vegetables. The tricky point is that petroleum jelly and these other coatings have no taste so you will not notice it if you take a small or large bite.
One of the best ways to determine if your fruits or vegetables have this wax or jelly is to submerge your organic tomato or apple etc in warm water. Let it sit there for 5 - 10 seconds or so and then touch it with your hand. If it feels sticky, slimy, greasy or waxy then you know that it was coated with petroleum jelly or some type of wax etc. To be perfectly sure, compare that with a locally grown item (i.e. the same fruit or vegetable) and feel the difference.
If you do not have access to warm or hot water, then simply put your fruit or vegetable in the sun or any warm area then the jelly will become apparent. Here again if you touch it, it will be sticky, slimy, and gooey.
How to remove the wax
There are a few ways to remove this petroleum jelly or wax from your newly purchased produce (fruit and vegetables):
1. You can peel your fruit or vegetables. This works with apples, carrots, cucumbers and so many others - but not with peppers and tomatoes etc. But then you have to realise that you are losing the nutrients of the peel, and even more critically the nutrients on the inside of the peel.
2. You may blanche it: Simply place it in a pot of boiling water and remove the peel. This works very well with grapes and tomatoes since the peel is easily removed this way. Plus the peel of tomato is essentially indigestible and should be removed anyway.
3. Another way to avoid the petroleum coating on your food is to purchase your fruit and vegetables from a local grower. It may or may not be organic, but since they need not ship it they will not be applying the petroleum jelly or wax. Best of course if it is organic, i.e. grown without herbicides and pesticides. If it is not organic then it will be covered with poisonous chemicals.
4. Finally, and this is perhaps the best way, if in fact you are sure that there is petroleum jelly on your fruit or vegetable. Wash or scrub your produce with wheat flour or baking soda mixture. Just take a partial spoonful of wheat flour or baking soda and mix it with just a touch of water on your hand. The mixture should be more like a paste than a watery solution. Then rub the mixture briskly all over the surface area of each piece of fruit or vegetable. It must be done one by one. Both wheat flour and baking soda are grease-cutting agents and will thus remove all the petroleum jelly completely. Rub strongly and then wash thoroughly with water to remove all remnants of the flour or baking soda. Then your fruit or vegetable will be perfectly clean and ready for eating.
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Eating the packaging of their food
Here is another way to think about this important topic. When someone gives you a gift of food and it is wrapped in plastic or paper etc, then you will carefully unwrap it before eating the food. You will not eat the packaging.
But nowadays, with today’s food industry the way it is, countless people are eating the packaging of their food - knowingly or unknowingly. All those foods - conventionally grown and organically grown - are “packaged” with either petroleum jelly, oil, or some type of wax in order to preserve it and keep it shiny and “fresh.” That coating that is applied is actually a way of packaging that food. But often it goes undetected by the consumer who then eats that wax or petroleum. In essence, they are eating the packaging. That is the unfortunate and sad reality for many people nowadays.
Conclusion
Usually people think that they are eating "healthy" if they are consuming a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. But in many cases they do not recognise that they are eating petroleum jelly and wax also. That is an unwanted chemical / additive for the body. Our bodies do not run on petroleum - we are not automobiles etc. If we ingest petroleum then it causes problems. Petroleum is not sentient - you will notice on the below list of sentient foods that petroleum is not included.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Sáttvika Áhára: All the staple food-grains such as rice, wheat, barley, etc.; all the pulses except masúr [an orange-coloured lentil] and khesári; all fruits and roots; all kinds of vegetables except violet-coloured carrots, white brinjals [white eggplants], onions, garlic and mushrooms; milk and milk products; all green and leafy vegetables except red puni and mustard." (2)
Namaskar,
In Him,
Citprakash
~ In-depth study ~
Onion came from beef
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “By gradual transformation their mind-stuff reaches a stage where they cannot be called human beings. Who can say that the fire-burnt cane has been transformed into the plantain tree, and the decomposed beef has been transformed into onion through natural changes, and that the rice-water has produced tańd́uleraka leaves? Likewise, no one will be able to recognize you as a human being in your degenerated condition.” (3)
Food for sadhakas
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "As a result of eating sentient food and performing spiritual practices, the cells of the human body become sentient. Naturally, an effulgence emanates from these cells creating an aura around the physical body of the spiritual aspirant. This is the reason why many pictures of mahápuruśas [highly-evolved persons] show them with radiant auras. If cells are affected by food and water, and if the nature of the cells affects the nature of the human mind, obviously human beings should eat the correct diet, because food and mind are closely related to each other. Any food item, whether good or bad, must not be taken indiscriminately because it may lead to mental degeneration. Sincere spiritual aspirants must follow the dictum: Áhárashuddhao sattvashudhih [“A sentient diet produces a sentient body”]." (4)
Ananda Marga ideology states, “Śaśt́haiṋca pramitáháro. There is a Bengali saying: uno bháte duno val, bhará pet́e rasátal. If one eats less, then one’s strength increases and one does not fall sick, but if someone overeats, then they fall sick. Here it has been said: pramitáhára. Pramitáhára and parimitáhára are not the same. Parimitáhára means that I have not eaten a lot, nor have I eaten a little. That is called parimitáhár. And pramitáhár means that I have eaten little but I have eaten nourishing food. That is pramitáhára. You have the custom of eating sentient food. If you follow that then you meet the objective of pramitáhára.” (5)
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 9, The Primary Causes of Success
2. Caryacarya - 3, Procedure for Eating
3. Subhasita Samgraha - 1, Spiritual Practice and the Cosmic Science (Sádhaná and Madhuvidyá)
4. Yoga Psychology, Food, Cells, Physical and Mental Development
5. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 9, The Primary Causes of Success
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Unique history of humans
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "In that era people used to live in trees. They used to secure themselves to the tree or the tree branch with their tail so that they would not fall out of the tree while they were asleep. Later on, when human beings began to build temporary dwellings in the trees, the possibility of falling out diminished. Naturally, since the need for a tail diminished, the tail became smaller. Later still, when human beings learned to build permanent dwellings on the ground the need for a tail completely disappeared. Since there is no need for a tail now, there is no tail. The need for a tail disappeared some hundreds of thousands of years ago. There is, however, a truncated bone at the base of the backbone which is a carryover from that past time. It is present in the fetus while it is in its mother's womb. Thereafter the tail does not grow in proportion to the rest of the body. By the time the human child is born the tail is no longer outside the body. A somewhat similar thing happens with frogs. The tadpole has a tail but when it gets bigger it falls off. This all happens in the path of emanation." (1)
Reference
1. Shabda Cayaniká Part 1, Disc 1
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
How to free people from religious bondage
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "You will have to advance with the true spirit of genuine social service, because the very characteristic of dharma is to promote the cause of welfare. Dharma and welfare are inseparable. Religion and intolerance have created enormous harm in the world, have caused torrents of blood to stain the rivers red. In the present twentieth century, religions have assumed the form of “isms”."
"The people of medieval times fought among the clans and communities, and the people of today are fighting over their “isms”. Just as religions did in the past, the “isms” are criticizing each other today, betraying their spirit of intolerance as they try to gag each other’s voices. It seems that they have no other goal than carping, criticizing, and slandering each other. They are befooling the ignorant masses by painting rosy pictures of service, peace and happiness. On the other hand they themselves are going far away from the path of selfless service and welfare. To emancipate the masses from the unhealthy influence of “isms” there is no other way than universalism. Only universalism is free from the defects of any narrowisms because every thing of this entire universe comes within its vast periphery."
"It is only with the help of átmánátma viveka that the human beings can emerge from the mire of the present century and move towards universalism with firm steps. By virtue of átmánátma viveka people can realize that Brahma is the Eternal Singular Entity, pure Consciousness." (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 7, The Five Kinds of Conscience
== Section 4: Links ==
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This email contains four sections:
1. Posting: Petroleum jelly: food
2. IT: Unique history of humans
3. IT: How to free people from religious bondage
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