Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Dr. Bhamgara (1928-2008) on natural health

  1. #1
    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Europe
    Posts
    4,830

    Default Dr. Bhamgara (1928-2008) on natural health




    "The food we are meant to eat is the produce of the vegetable kingdom: fruits, flowers, leaves, stems, grains, tubers, roots, seeds. Right food is the best medicine". Dr. Meherwan M. Bhamgara

    As a delegate selected by the government of India, Dr. Bhamgara lectured in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and other countries, and was teaching and learning about natural health and healing methods during his traveling on many continents.

    The association between the America Vegan Society and Dr. Bhamgara goes back to 1967. American Vegan has printed one of his articles about 'the curative power' of nature in their current issue.

    Let nature heal!
    Dr. Meherwan M. Bhamgara


    More from Dr. Bhamgara:
    http://www.healthlibrary.com/reading/reverence
    I will not eat anything that walks, swims, flies, runs, skips, hops or crawls.

  2. #2
    Knolishing Pob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Sittingbourne
    Posts
    1,523

    Default Re: Dr. Bhamgara (1928-2008) on natural health

    Just from that first excerpt I would be dubious about promoting this guy.

    Using the phrase "meant to eat" seems to imply something other than evolution. Also, we have clearly not evolved (been designed, etc) to eat most grains, as they need cooking, grinding, soaking etc.
    "Danger" could be my middle name … but it's "John"

  3. #3
    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Europe
    Posts
    4,830

    Default Re: Dr. Bhamgara (1928-2008) on natural health

    Using the phrase "meant to eat" seems to imply something other than evolution.
    I know the term 'meant to' is loaded with a generous portion of room for misunderstanding, but it's often only used as a way to describe what seems to be the most suitable diet for a species. If you eat a poisonous plant, saying that we aren't 'meant to' eat those plants doesn't imply any religious idea about a Creator with a long white beard setting up an ideal menu for every species on earth...

    Also, we have clearly not evolved (been designed, etc) to eat most grains, as they need cooking, grinding, soaking etc.
    Maybe you're right...? The Norwegian Seed Bank at Svalbard already contains between one and two million unique seed types, and since humans have been relying so much on animal products, we don't have enough information about all these seeds to say something about how many of them that are edible / can be eaten uncooked. Plus - a seed that needs grinding before it can be eaten is only outside our 'natural design' (another discussable term, I know) if one believes that humans aren't 'meant to' cultivate anything, in which case, we are 'meant to' freeze in the night since clothes don't grow on trees...

    On another note, I'm not really promoting the guy, but it seems that he has been an important part of the vegan/vegetarian movement, so IMO he's worth mentioning. I'll read his article over at healthlibrary.com when I have time.

    Remember that we have teeth! Lots of the seeds I often eat (eg. sesame, cumin, anis, coriander, pumpkin, sunflower, mustard etc) can already be eaten without any complicated processing - if any at all. That's also true for some legumes (like peanuts), but of course - many types of grains and legumes are dried, and are therefore hard to digest without being soaked/cooked/grinded in one way or the other. I don't really know a lot about this topic, but assume that many of the seeds we believe need a lot of cooking are edible when fresh. Sugar peas are edible straight from the plant, but would probably need soaking cooking if the seeds (peas) were dried first...
    I will not eat anything that walks, swims, flies, runs, skips, hops or crawls.

  4. #4
    Knolishing Pob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Sittingbourne
    Posts
    1,523

    Default Re: Dr. Bhamgara (1928-2008) on natural health

    I suppose I just don't subscribe to that kind of view that certain foods are intrinsically good or bad for us. Most foods seem to have some good chemicals in and some bad. If we're low in a certain nutrient then a good food to eat would be one that is high in that nutrient.

    Grubs and insects are doubtless very nutritious, and likely to have been a staple food throughout human evolution. That's not a reason to eat them, though.

    I just think that veganism is about something else than mystical healing properties of fruit and veg. Animal products can also be used to heal, and could also be called natural.

    It's just not something that could be used to argue for veganism, I don't think.
    "Danger" could be my middle name … but it's "John"

  5. #5
    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Europe
    Posts
    4,830

    Default Re: Dr. Bhamgara (1928-2008) on natural health

    I suppose I just don't subscribe to that kind of view that certain foods are intrinsically good or bad for us.
    You don't think that certain foods are intrinsically good for us? I think there are many: if they taste good, are loaded with stuff we know we need (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants/flavonoids and so on) - how can they not be good for us?



    Most foods seem to have some good chemicals in and some bad.
    Which bad chemicals would that be (if the food plant food we talk about is 'normal' food, and is eaten in 'normal' portions)?


    I just think that veganism is about something else than mystical healing properties of fruit and veg.
    Maybe the difference is that I don't see the existence of essential/important/necessary elements in a plant as something 'mystical'... If you need anti-oxidants to get well, and eat something with a high level of anti-oxidants in, those anti-oxidants have a healing effect on your health. More and more people are interested in using diet change to solve health problems instead of traditional medicine, which isn't very mysterious either... it's only about acknowledging that the cause of a disease actually may come from a diet (eg. lots of sugar, meat, junk food) that isn't good for them, and choose something else.

    Lots of people do miss out on phyto-chemicals, fiber and other stuff that's only available from plants, and since meat, cheese etc is so compact/filling, and doesn't contain important stuff humans need in any relevant amount, we may actually see proof some day that we actually need to avoid animal products in order to be able to (have hunger for) getting all the plant foods we need. Pure speculation, I know, but from all the research that has been published over the last years about link between eg. colon cancer and meat consumption, and link between the cancer preventing role found in a lot of plants, a lot o facts is already pointing in that direction.

    I don't know if Dr. Bhamgara is using the 'naturalness' of plants as an argument to avoid animal products. If I remember right, he started out as a non-vegetarian, and actually got cancer himself and apparently treated himself with a plant based diet (and fasting). Since pretty much any book on nutrition and nutritionists stress the importance of eating plants to remain/get healthy (sinceplants contains all these elements not found in animal products), the idea about 'healing plants' isn't as esoteric or mysterious as it may have sounded, say, 50 years ago. Any random omnivorous doctor or nutritionist will probable agree that 'plants can heal' (using a less 'mysterious terminology), and that they are important for our health.
    I will not eat anything that walks, swims, flies, runs, skips, hops or crawls.

  6. #6
    Knolishing Pob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Sittingbourne
    Posts
    1,523

    Default Re: Dr. Bhamgara (1928-2008) on natural health

    What I meant is that people see different components of food as good or bad. When what is usually bad is too much of that component. Too much sugar, too much fat, too many calories.

    If someone were starving, a big mac and fries would taste good and be loaded with stuff they needed!

    Bad chemicals in plant foods would include oxalic acid, lectins, solanine, amygdalin, and many other chemicals.

    Yes, a diet high in a good variety of plant products is healthy. But it isn't a cure-all, and it isn't exclusively vegan foods that have medicinal or healing properties. Nor is it exclusively non-vegan foods that have toxic/harmful/damaging chemicals in.

    What is the guy a Dr of? I couldn't find out in a quick google.
    "Danger" could be my middle name … but it's "John"

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 0
    Last Post: May 20th, 2010, 09:51 AM
  2. Natural Health & Vegan Diet - eBooks
    By llvnodr in forum VEGAN HEALTH
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: May 2nd, 2009, 06:50 PM
  3. Vegan Natural Health News
    By Korn in forum Animal products and health risks
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: Sep 21st, 2008, 08:35 AM
  4. Replies: 14
    Last Post: Jul 28th, 2006, 05:23 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •