Philosophy . . .
Continued from page 4
"The diet part of macrobiotics is a
study of the relationship between an in
dividual and his environment, realiz'ng he
is created by what he eats," Vasina said.
"It's a very individual thing," Black
said. "A lot of it (the diet) is observation
of your body and its reactions to the foods
eaten."
Although the macrobiotic diet is based
on Oriental philosophy, persons following
it need not eat seaweed and other such
"foreign" foods, Vasina said.
"The principals of macrobiotics can be
used anywhere without ever hearing of the
Japanese," he said. "You don't have to eat
any one particular food to be healthy. You
can be macrobiotic without ever eating
rice.:'
VASINA SAID there are four major
points in the macrobiotic diet.
Eat a grain-based diet. Grain provides B
vitamins, carbohydrates, roughage and
proteins needed for good nutrition. These
grains include millet, wheat, corn and rice.
Eat whole foods. This means eliminating
adulterated, refined foods such as refined
"white" sugar, refined flour and fruit juices
drained of their nutritive values.
Eat natural foods. Natural foods are
those grown without pesticides or chemical
fertilizers. If you can't grow them in your
own garden, several local stores sell natural
foods.
Eat locally grown foods. The macro
biotic diet emphasizes eating what is
appropriate to your environment. Tropical
fruits would not be part of a Nebraskan's
macrobiotic diet.
"Man is an element of his environ
ment," he said. "Animals eat out of their
environment, but our diet today is without
relation to our environment."
The result of such a diet is "physical
chaos" created in the body, he said.
VASINA RECOMMENDED the books
"Sugar Blues" and "Healing Ourselves" to
those seeking further 'information about
macrobiotics.
After the initial macrobiotic fast, de
scribed as "kicking cold turkey," tastes in
food change.
"The diet is simple in taste, few spices
are used and it is simple to prepare. The
hardest part is cutting up the vegetables,"
Black said.
The art of cooking completely from
scratch is not difficult once you get used to
it, she said.
There are many good natural cooking
guides available.
William Dufty, author of "Sugar Blues,
offers recipes foe the foods basic to a
macrobiotic diet. Here is one for a non
sugared pudding:
"Soak a cup of dried apricots or apples
in water with lemon peel and an uneboshi
plum. Stew slowly over a low flame for sev
eral minutes, then cool. Put the mixture
into the blender with several tablespoons
of tahini and blend. Pour this into individu
al dishes to serve. I sometimes add a dash
of coconut on top."
If we are what we eat, the proof may be
in this pudding.
Spiritual path . . .
Continued from page 4
Although it is time consuming, the
organized pattern of Ananda Marga appeals
to Tristani. He explained that he meditates
before breakfast and before supper. The
vegetarian diet also allows him implemen
tation of his beliefs.
Brought up as a Catholic, he said he was
told to follow God, but he couldn't under
stand that concept. He drifted from
Catholicism before he heard about
Amanda Marga, but he said he is certain he
will re-examine the religion. Tristani said
he thought he now would know more
about what he was looking for.
Jensen said she has found what she
needed in the group, especially in their
service orientation. The nurse has changed
her lifestyle to the point that she seldom
eats in restaurants, stays away from movies
with violence and spends time teaching
health classes.
"I SEE THE purpose in my life to try to
follow these practices as closely as I can,"
she said. "This is the best way I see of
getting closer to God. It feels like exactly
the right thing."
Vegetarianism is viewed as a key factor
to improve meditation. "People at work
used to ask me why I didn't eat meat,"
Jensen said. "I talked to my meditation
teacher and he told me that when meditat
ing, you try to think of pleasant thoughts.
Types of food are included in that."
The political consequences of consum
ing one pound of beef which requires the
production of seven pounds of grain is
overwhelming to Jensen and another
reason for her choice of diets. Carcinogens
existent in meat also add to an unhealthy
situation, she noted.
Cook said vegetarianism has allowed her
to appreciate what she eats. "Before, I
never learned what things tasted like," she
said "Meat drowned out the flavor of food.
EATING MEAT would make meditat
ing difficult, McElravy said, but he does
not degrade people who do not follow the
practice. "I subscribe to the philosophy
that what comes out of a person's mouth is
more important than what goes in. I do
believe in the moral idea that where it's
possible to eat without killing animals, it's
better."
Converting the world to vegetarianism is
not one of the goals of Ananda Marga,
Cook explained. "I don't like people pro
selytizing to me, so we keep it on a level
of, 'It's here, it's available if you want it.
At that point we leave it, because at some
point each of us has to make his own
choice of what he wants to do."
The two are so confident that they are
convinced recruitment must be based on
attraction, they said. "It's an individual
journey," Cook said. "You can't force a
social path on someone."
oM rife gs&r f ym&d m- f
Photo by Tom Gonwr
Meditation is one of the pdar upon which Ananda Marga followers has; then
beliefs. Steve McElravy, Cathy Cook, Mary Kris Albert Goode and Mingoel Tristisi
are part of the group which gathers on Sunday afternoons to meditate.
friday, September 21, 1979 fathom P27
