Cocoa or chocolate

[Vrindavan]

Dear Devotees

 

Someone send me this article.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3248455.stm

 

I know we should not eat any food containing

Cocoa or chocolate in strict sense.

plus, tea , red wine too mentioned in articles

 

But I do not have much knowledge about why ?

 

I wish someone can help, thanks in advance.

[theist]

caffein content plays a part. Better to drink that grape juice fresh, red or white.

 

Hare Krsna

[Priitaa]

There are plenty of herbal teas that also contain high levels of antioxidents, and I am pretty sure carob does too. I use to have an article about all the health benefits of carob. Tho I dont have it now, I remember it was packed! I bet if you do a netsearch for "carob antioxidents" you will find it is higher in them than chocolate. As for red wine, even Dr Weil said grape juice has the same antioxidents as the wine without the alcohol. Hope this helps.

[Guest guest]

Mr. Weil is not an authority. The OPC's are primarily in the grape seeds and skins, which are used to make red wine, but not grape juice, which should taste sweet. Both contain OPCs, but wine is richer.

 

If you want the benefit of red wine, buy OPC Vegicaps. Especially when your blood vessels are weak or you have skin problems.

 

Ivar

 

 

[Guest guest]

Cacao is considered a divine herb by other cultures, and indeed it is extremely healthy. Chocolate bars are not, however, due to their saturated fats and refined sugars.

 

Caffeïne does the same thing to your body that sport does: it boosts adrenaline levels. Not good for meditation, but good for working hard.

 

The caffeine content of cacao is very low. Cacao also contains chemicals that relax the nervous system.

 

Green tea also contains caffeine. It also contains chemicals that block the absorption of minerals from the food, and therefore it's better to take green tea extract Vegicaps, which don't contain this chemical (I don't know the English word, in Dutch it is looizuur, which is a certain acid).

 

Devotees should take as many anti-oxidants as possible, because from an orthomolecular viewpoint their diet (Indian)isn't at all healthy, even though vegetarian. Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and even damage to the nervous system (brain) are very likely.

 

Ivar

[Priitaa]

"Mr. Weil is not an authority."

 

He's not a perfect authority, but lets take the humble position, as he's spent his life studying this stuff and we have spent our life studying Krishna. Physically, he knows a lot about health.

 

"The OPC's are primarily in the grape seeds and skins, which are used to make red wine, but not grape juice, which should taste sweet. Both contain OPCs, but wine is richer."

 

Well, this is interesting but he may have more to say about it. I am not attached to that, but I do not believe anything that inclues alcohol is ultimately beneficial. It seems the alcohol would outweigh the good. Besides, I dont know why a devotee would want to ingest alcohol. As for OPCs, someone was just tellng me recently about something that had more antioxident power than these. Sorry, I can't remember what it was, other than an herb, but this is what they said.

 

"If you want the benefit of red wine, buy OPC Vegicaps. Especially when your blood vessels are weak or you have skin problems. "

 

Vegicaps and yet alcohol. hehe Interesting. Its still alcohol. As we age our livers get even worse. Even when we live healthy lifestyles or eat healthy foods, in this age of kali, due to pollution, stress, contamination, etc., organs start to fall apart too soon. People of course should do what they want, but I avoid alcohol and look for a solution elsewhere.

 

[Priitaa]

"Caffeïne does the same thing to your body that sport does: it boosts adrenaline levels."

 

Artifically. It jerks them aruond by suddenly raising the adrenaline levels, then suddenly dropping them. Better when the body is fed nutrients that helps it gradually raise adreneline levels on its own rather than from a drug (caffeine is a drug).

 

"The caffeine content of cacao is very low."

 

Srila Prabhupada says no caffeine, not just a little caffeine.

 

"Cacao also contains chemicals that relax the nervous system."

 

And it contains insect wings, as well as at least 80% of it is imported from other countries which have proven to have high lead levels in such chocolates.

 

"Green tea also contains caffeine."

 

Its possible to buy it decafinated.

 

"It also contains chemicals that block the absorption of minerals from the food, and therefore it's better to take green tea extract Vegicaps, which don't contain this chemical "

 

Thats a good point.

 

"Devotees should take as many anti-oxidants as possible, because from an orthomolecular viewpoint their diet (Indian)isn't at all healthy, even though vegetarian. Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and even damage to the nervous system (brain) are very likely."

 

And meat eaters don't have these complications? Actually they have them moreso. Do you really think the Ayurvedic diet is inferior? That a vegetarian diet is not healthy?

[Guest guest]

"Srila Prabhupada says no caffeine, not just a little caffeine."

 

 

I make and use herb tinctures, which contain alcohol, usually about 40%. A dose of tincture is usually 30-60 drops (2.5-5 mL). Is this an intoxicant? If I have time, I'll drop the dose into a cup of hot water, which will evaporate about 90-95% of the alcohol. Is it still an intoxicant?

 

 

Herbalists commonly describe the amount of alcohol in a dose of tincture as less than the amount that is in a ripe banana. Should bananas be forbidden? Sometimes my wife makes chocolate chip cookies. I would consider the sugar to be more of an intoxicant than the chocolate in them.

 

 

Sometimes (rarely) I have to drive even though I may be pretty sleepy. When that happens, I may stop and get a chocolate bar (and eat the whole thing) or an iced tea (drink only half) just for the caffeine to help keep me awake. Maybe I'm a fool because without the caffeine I would've died in a car crash while dreaming about Krishna, but I would probably wake up just before impact and wish I hadn't just made a widow and three fatherless children.

 

 

I think it's a good idea to keep things in perspective.

 

 

Hare Krishna

Pandu das

 

 

[theist]

One thing to remember is that those four regs are for strict following by those that have taken vows to their guru concerning them. They are not prerequisite for chanting.

 

That said caffein and stimulants in general tend to increase brain activity in a way that is not so conducive to meditation.

 

Someone said Jayananda das would sometimes drink a cup of coffee during Ratha-yatra preperation to help him get more service done. I DON"T KNOWN THAT TO BE A FACT myself. But I do know he did the service of 100 men.

[Priitaa]

Haribol Pandu prabhu,

 

Not to misunderstand me. I know sometimes devotees eat chocolate, drink cocoa, or cola, drink coffee, take herbal tinctures and the like. (Though with herbal tinctures, its easy to free it of alcohol simply by first putting it in a spoon and running a match or candle under it. That burns off the alcohol.) I am not concerned with a little soda or a cholocate bar, or even someone who drinks coffee to stay awake behind the wheel, and so on. Matter of fact, when someone has said to me in the past, "Did you know so-and-so is drinking coca cola (or eating chocolate, etc., etc.)." All I can think is, "And do you know that bigger devotees have had illicit sex or taken drugs, etc.?!" I don't say it (usually), but I think it.

 

My conern here on the boards is twofold.

 

One was -- its a health forum, so I wanted to give all the details on the health aspects of these things. And yes, there could be more. (Especially the comment that a vegetarian diet is not as good or healthy, whatever, needed clearing.)

 

Secondly, I feel we should try to give health information that is in synch with Prabhupada's books, especially when someone who either is new or doesn't know, is asking about them, as that is what the original poster said. When we discover something about health which is contrary to our teachings or at least what we aim for, I believe there is always something else that does the same beneficial thing, if we look for sometihng else that will do the same beneficial thing.

 

But I do not judge you, or anyone, who does whatever it is they do.

[Priitaa]

 

Someone said Jayananda das would sometimes drink a cup of coffee during Ratha-yatra preperation to help him get more service done. I DON"T KNOWN THAT TO BE A FACT myself. But I do know he did the service of 100 men.

 

 

Thanks Thiest Prabhu, for mentioning this. I do not know if Jayananda took coffee or not, but I heard he ate Twinkies. ha That is, until he found out they had eggs in them. Then he never touched them again. I suspect if he drank coffee, that may have been similar in reason. He simply did not know he shouldn't. Those were the early days. The devotees knew so little. ha It was what was in their heart which counted! And when they knew better, they did better.

 

Check out my husbands site:

 

http://www.jayananda.com

 

Couldn't resist the plug. lol

[paul108]

I do agree that it is best when we can avoid any intoxicants, even aside from vows, but sometimes adjustments should be made.

 

A few years ago I had mostly lost my patience for Krishna consciousness. I remember it had been a few months since I'd used my japa beads. I was staying in a hotel for a work-related indoctrination (I mean training), and a co-worker gave me some of an herb that I'd heard of but didn't know much about, _Salvia divinorum_. It's categorized as an entheogen, as in it makes it possible for an ordinary person to see God. After smoking a little of that, I chanted the rest of the night, and did some 30 rounds the next day. It helped me get back on track. By the way, it's a legal herb which I now grow, out of respect, but don't otherwise use. What it did that night was actually help me to see (through the real eyes of my soul) how the chanting of Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare actually lifts material nature away from me, an insignificant spirit soul, and renews my desire to find Krishna. The last time I used it was shortly before deciding I wanted to accept a diksa guru.

 

Having taken a vow against intoxication, I can no longer use this herb, but I do believe if ever (God forbid) I lose faith in God and guru, this herb has the potency to set me straight.

 

When I started this message I didn't know I was going to say that. Please forgive me if I've caused any offense.

 

Hare Krishna

Pandu das

 

[theist]

Priitaa, Nice site. I was fortunate to have met Jayananda and he engaged me for a couple weeks on building Lord Jagannatha's carts. No an easy task since I have no building ability and couldn't even build a box on my own.

 

Amazing soul. He kept so many people engaged. Some times he would disappear from the lot where we were building the carts and then shortly show up with piles of Krsna prasadam. He would drive up and distribute it to us himself.

 

I never understood at the time but I have grown some since then and now realize Krsna allowed me some brief association with one of His saints. Such an oceanic heart.

[theist]

Pandu das,

 

No offenses are made by such honesty. I and many others had some interesting LSD trips before taking up the chanting.

 

But let us not digress. If we do fall away the answer is prayer and association. That will lead to renewed chanting.

 

You've past the stage of drug induced states.

[Priitaa]

Pandu prabhu,

 

No offense taken! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

And saliva, I'm pretty certain that is sage.

 

Hey, we've all got our set of problems. No one escapes this material world unscathed. ha One purpose of that it to get it through our thick skulls that this is not a place to return to, therefore helping help us get serious about spiritual life. Gotta just keep chanting Hare Krishna and be happy.

[Priitaa]

 

Priitaa, Nice site. I was fortunate to have met Jayananda and he engaged me for a couple weeks on building Lord Jagannatha's carts. No an easy task since I have no building ability and couldn't even build a box on my own.

 

Amazing soul. He kept so many people engaged. Some times he would disappear from the lot where we were building the carts and then shortly show up with piles of Krsna prasadam. He would drive up and distribute it to us himself.

 

I never understood at the time but I have grown some since then and now realize Krsna allowed me some brief association with one of His saints. Such an oceanic heart.

 

 

Glad you liked the site.

 

Such nice stories you told here. I think there is a message board there to add any untold stories about Jayananda.

 

Yes, I have heard how he use to do things like what you described above. I think one of the most well known (at least I think its known) is how he would go regularly to this Bar & Grill, never to drink, but with bags of fresh groceries. Then he would cook them up, offer the foodstuffs to Krishna, and then share it with the man who owned the place and the man's customers. So he found a way to politely engage them in Krishna consciousness. He didn't tell them they were going to hell for eating meat or anything, just came in, cooked & offered, was polite and friendly, then left. One day one of those men saw a devotee and asked about Jayananda. He said "He use to come around regularly, but now we never see him." And the devotee informed him that Jayananda had passed over. The man became upset. Everyone liked Jayananda, even the mleccas.

[theist]

I never heasrd that one. There must be several for everyday he was among us.

 

How I met Jayananda was kinda odd. Before the Ratha-yatra festival the San Francisco temple sent out a request to other temples that they needed help preparing everything. I was living outside the ashrama and decided I would go early and help. It took a few days to hitchhike to San Francisco and I arrived on a Sunday. Great feast. It came to be around ten and the temple was closing up. I explained to the temple commander that I had come early to help and asked if there was somewhere I could sleep. I was told that since I had hairs I would not be allowed to stay any longer, the temple was only for the shaved up. I was outside, didn't know the area(Mission district if you know that area), and rather bewildered as to what to do.

 

Seeing my position a brahmacari said I could sleep in this particular van. So I crawled in and was about to go to sleep when two people jumped in. I was so embarrassed. The driver was initially startled but then explain they were headed for the carts and I should go along. The driver was Jayananda.

 

He took me under his wing at that point and engaged me. Funny how Krsna's grace sometimes comes during apparent adverse conditions.

 

About one year later the travelling sankirtana bus rolled up to the temple and I was hanging around so I went out to greet them. Turns out Jayananda was driving. He got out and said Haribol "theist" and asked how I was doing. He was concerned because he could see right off that I wasn't making nice advancement.

 

I remember being so amazed that he not only remembered me but my name as well. I know this sounds like a small thing but it has stuck with me and remains a high point in my little life.

 

It was also obvious that he and I lived in different worlds.

[Priitaa]

WOW I never heard that story either. Yes, I suspect there is one for every day he was with us.

 

I am surprised and somewhat disappointed to hear the devotees would not let you spend the night because you were not shaved up. That is not the standard, tho in the beginning, they didn't really know what the standard was. I wonder if they still do. ha

 

Well, it turns out for your benefit. Yes, sometimes mercy comes out of adversity.

 

Yes, he was very personal, with a good memory. So your name was Thiest even then? ha

 

And old friend of mine, tho I no longer know where she is, but she use to cook for Jayananda. Her name is Viharini. Expert cook and often helped make the LA Sunday Feasts. I think she may have also been in San Fran &/or SanDiago temple too.

 

Anyway, sounds like you got the mercy. Actually as the years go on, I see how there are so many ways we all get the mercy. We just need to slow down and smell the roses, or notice the blessings, cuz they are there.