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If we really sit back and watch nature unfold itself, we’d be flabbergasted. Let’s take a look at our bodies . . . we are created out of nothing; our bodies are made out of a natural material like dust, containing living cells. These cells have a life span. They continuously wear out and are replaced by newer ones which help rejuvenate and rebuild the body. The dead cells that are accumulated need to be expelled periodically. Besides being harmful by themselves, they also turn toxic and poisonous if these dead cells remain in the body for too long, as there is a tendency for them to mix with the metabolic reactions that are continuously taking place within our bodies. If we do not help in this natural process of expelling the toxic wastes from our bodies, in as reasonably a fast rate as they are produced, we are prone to a whole lot of diseases. The principle of Naturopathy is very straight and constant. It believes that any disease is a result of accumulated wastes in the body; the healing powers are all within our bodies and it is this power that is keeping our immune system in perfect condition. We fall ill, only because we go against nature.

When humans were created, we were also provided with the means to keep ourselves and our body fit and in order. Our bodies need natural fibre to thrive and survive; and therefore what is actually best for our bodies, is what grows from the earth and what comes out from the ground . . . the earth itself provides us with nourishment in form of fruits, vegetables and herbs that grow from it, and pure natural water which springs from the ground below.

Have you ever had the time to stand and stare at the miraculous working of nature?  How it protects us and our bodies against each season?  In summer it produces fruits - mangoes, watermelon, cucumber etc. - that are juicy, rich in water content, has a natural cooling effect on our bodies and prevents dehydration; in winter it produces foods like dates, oranges etc. that are rich in vitamin C giving us the much needed protection against common cold and keeping the body warm.  To go to an extreme extent, even non-seasonal fruits and vegetables have a low nutritional value when eaten out of season.

When we fall sick, we all blame it on the germs and unhealthy surroundings around us. Not every place on the surface of this earth is hospital-clean as we’d like it to be, or germ-free. We live in a very complex world. Living in close proximity with germs is part and parcel of our lives. But, as the science of Naturopathy says - germs are not the cause but just a result of the disease. We cannot eliminate the presence of germs from our surroundings; but what is within our power and what we can do is to build a strong immune system that would fight these germs, strengthen our bodies causing oxygenated blood to circulate within us, purifying the tissues and fighting germ activity. This is done through nutrition, exercise and living a stress-free life. Nutrition is got by eating pure and natural foods. Exercise is provided through asanas and pranayams; and a stress-free life is got through meditation. Pranayams induces a greater intake of fresh oxygen; asanas help in gently massaging the organs improving blood circulation and expelling toxic waste; and prayer and meditation helps in relieving one of stress. Stress is one of the major killers in today’s society; and no amount of good food or exercises can compensate for the stress that may exist within us.

Our wrong food habits, invariably, coupled with stress is the reason why diseases set in. Any form of food, that is not natural or not produced from the soil has a tendency to negatively affect the body. It is also a proven fact that food cooked artificially on fires is also not healthy.  Our bodies aren’t made to digest cooked foods either; cooked food that is eaten is first broken into natural substances in our bodies and then digested. The undigested food is then flushed out a natural filtration process of the body. We can save our body a lot of unnecessary work and energy if we consume natural foods in the first instance.

My grandmother died a few months before she touched 100. My great-grandmother died at 102. What’s the magic food that these old-time village folks lived on that stretched their lives to live beyond a 100 years? When talking about her childhood days, my mother fondly reminisces about her mother’s best friend, who, whenever she felt tired or unwell would walk up to her garden, tear off an aloevera, yank it open, scrape out the jelly and eat it . . . yes raw, and this lady is still living and in her 90s. Our systems are made to munch into raw foods that are less strenuous on the organs.

Perhaps, the next time, when you bite into yet another slice of delicious pizza washed down with gallons of pop. . . think again; go for a sushi instead fish in raw form!! Much healthier, easier on the system . . . Or perhaps, when you pick up a pre-cooked or canned food tin, picture the generous helpings of preservatives that go into it . . . feeding our bodies with toxins in its crudest form, think of the damage this would do to our bodies.

We may not be able to change ourselves overnight - to be like the herbivorous animals, chewing on grass; but what we could do, is to try and inculcate a finer balance between raw and cooked food . . . and say an absolute NO to junk! Because, at the end of the day, we must remember that our bodies are made to work like modern computers.

To put it into more technological terms - it’s GIGO: Garbage in, Garbage out.


Joyce d’Souza is a regular contributor of Yogic Arcles to Six Senses Yoga Society.  She is a trained instructor of Yoga, and a Yoga Therapist having studied Yoga at the Gurukul and at University level.  Joyce lives in India.