Raw V. Cooked Food – Mahatma Gandhi

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar, Professor, Editor and Linguist

Gandhi International Study and Research Institute, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

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Raw V. Cooked Food – Mahatma Gandhi

 

Some look upon me as a fool, a crank or a faddist. I must admit that wherever I go I am sought out by fools, cranks and faddists. One can conclude from this that I must be having the characteristics of all these three types. Andhra has its fair share of all three. Some mad men come as far as the Udyoga Mandir in Sabarmati. So, when I went Andhra, how could I escape running into them. But I do not wish, at the present moment, to introduce all the three types to the readers. Among my fads is the one concerning experiments in diet. I wish to present one such faddist, because I have begun the experiment which I wish to describe and which I am undertaking under his influence. His name is Sundaram Gopalrao. He lives in Rajahmundry. He runs an institute of hydropathy and dietetics; I have been told, and I do believe, that many have benefited by his treatment.

This Gopalrao has been living on uncooked food for the last one year. He believes that fire should not touch man’s food. The sun is a sustainer, fire is a destroyer. The sun matures food; fire takes away its essence. When food comes in contact with fire, its essence is burnt out. In accordance with this reasoning, he gave up cooked food and after gaining experience, he made the experiments on his patients. He holds that the most delicate intestines which digest cooked food will necessarily diget uncooked food as well. I have believed for many years that one should not eat cooked food. I had given up cooked food at the age of 20, but that state could not last beyond 15 days. I tried it again in the year 1893 in the Transvaal; and then too could not proceed beyond 15 days. I have been tempted by what Gopalrao says and by his experience and I have commenced at 60, an experiment which I had abandoned out of fear in my youth. In point of results, the experiment is very important and hence I shall tell the reader what it is. I have lived on raw fruit and dry fruit continuously for six years. But I have not lived for a long time on uncooked cereals and pulses and I have believed that a man like me could not digest it at all.

It is the opinion of contemporary Western medical men that our diet should contain a certain element in the absence of which a man cannot preserve his health. It is known as “vitamin”. Vitamin means the vital essence. Chemists cannot detect it by analysis. But health experts have been able to feel its absence. Having studied the effects of many types of diet, they have found out that this vital essence is a necessary thing. They believe that if any vegetable is cooked, this essence is destroyed. They have divided this essence into classes. Of them, vitamin A is to be found in leafy vegetables and germinated grains of cereals. Hence, they have been recommending for years now, the consumption of foods containing vitamins and therefore many people take raw vegetables, pulses, wheat, etc., which have sprouted after being soaked in water. But many experts hold and Gopalrao cites his own experience in support of it that uncooked and cooked foods should not at all be mixed. If one wants to benefit fully by uncooked food, one must give up cooked food altogether. I have faith in this argument. This view is becoming stronger day by day. We see support for this view even in the chapter on diets in the book by the T. B. expert, Dr. Muthu. Apart from health, there is for me a great attraction in this diet.

I regard the destruction of even vegetables as violence. Man cannot help such destruction. But despite knowing that, one who believes in the dharma of non-violence, will indulge in a minimum of such destruction. Moreover, diet has an intimate connection with physical celibacy. It has been the primary object of all my dietetic experiments to find out which diet is most helpful in the observance of physical brahmacharya. It is also the purpose of all my dietetic experiments to find out which diet can be taken in the least time and at least expense and can fully safeguard health. I saw all this included in Gopalrao experiment and so I too have plunged into it. None should hastily copy my experiment. He who has no experience of such experiments should never do so. My experiment has not yet proceeded beyond the initial stage. I cannot even claim that it has succeeded. I do not have Gopalrao faith. It is not even as simple as he believes it to be. I can say only this much now about that experiment that I have lost 5 lb. of weight. I shall not say that I have lost my bodily strength. Since last week, my weight has started increasing; I have regained one pound. There has been no obstacle in my incessant activities. Hence I wish to prolong the experiment. I shall keep the reader posted with its results.

If the medical men having some experience of such diet will communicate their experience to me, I shall be grateful. Now I shall describe my diet: Eight tolas of germinating wheat, eight tolas of almonds ground to a paste, eight tolas of green leafy vegetables crushed, eight sour lemons, five tolas of honey. When I do not take wheat, I take an equal quantity of germinated gram. From this week, I have started taking wheat and gram together. I sometimes take the grated kernel of cocoanut in place of almonds, and, if there is scope, I take dried grapes or some other fruit in addition to the five constituents. If wheat or gram is soaked in water for 24 hours and then the water is strained and it is then kept in a piece of wet cloth overnight, it sprouts. Salt is not considered necessary in this diet. I do not take it at present. I keep varying the proportion and mixture of wheat and gram. The above proportion is only by way of guidance. I have been taking wheat and gram together for the last three days.

There should be no almonds when there is gram because both contain muscle forming elements. I began with gram but the same purpose is served when it is replaced by moong and other pulses. It is possible that wheat can be replaced even by jowar and bajra. This field is wide and interesting and worthy of development. It is more useful in this poor country. There is a lot of truth in the maxim that our actions are influenced by our food. We have misused the above dictum by exaggerating our food habits to the point of looking upon them as our dharma and further have been fussing about pollution by mere touch. I have believed for forty years that, leaving aside exaggeration, the question of diet is a serious one meriting thought. I thank God because He has given me the good sense and the strength to try my last experiment today, and by means of this article, I share with the reader the pleasure I derive from my experiment.

 

Reference:

Navajivan, 16-6-1929