Google
Web         Gaudiya Discussions
Gaudiya Discussions Archive » HEALTH, TRAVEL, ENVIRONMENT
Health, travel, environment and other related topics. Tips and tricks for keeping your body in shape for spiritual life. Taking care of your health while traveling in India.

Special diets in India - What to eat?



Malatilata - Thu, 26 Aug 2004 02:08:10 +0530
I have been to India five times, and so far I have found enough things to eat. After our last visit, my diet has changed. I have diagnosed myself as having celiac disease, which means I cannot eat any grains containing glutein. That means no wheat, barley or rye. Spelt and other things connected to wheat are also forbidden.

Now I am thinking what to eat next time when we go there. I cannot make any bread or rotis (chapatis), no pakoras, samosas etc. At Radhakund there are only a few vegetables available, to some of which I am even allergic. That leaves a very few ingredients with which to cook.

My question is, is it possible (at Radhakund or Vrindavan) to buy rice flour, corn flour, potato flour or other non-glutein flours?

Buckwheatflour I haved used there, so I know that is available.

Another question is which vegetables are safe to eat. Nabadid wrote on another thread:

QUOTE
When you go to India, by all means avoid eating of Cauliflower, Grapes including raisins, and Cashew nuts. I would not even eat cashew nuts here, even if it is of organic origin. DDT is used on them, and it remains for a long time in the soil. Cauliflower in India is among the worst poison-carriers in food, since it is not pealable. Besides the fertilizers and pestizides used, whitener is also added if it travels long distances.

Does anyone know if the farmers around Radhakund and Vrindavan use DDT or other poisonous substances while growing the vegetables?

Where in Vrindavan is it possible to get organic vegetables, fruits etc.?

unsure.gif
nabadip - Thu, 26 Aug 2004 23:14:45 +0530
Joy Nitai. In this link you can see the poisons used and found on food-items in the Delhi area. I have no doubt that farmers use them all over India. DDT you find in the last column.

http://www.cseindia.org/html/lab/lab_pesti...lhi_mandies.htm

Here is a (costly) source for organic food in New Delhi. The organisation is founded by Dr. Vandana Siva, the prominent ecological activist.

http://www.navdanya.org/outlet/organic_products.php

Inform the vaishnavas, and especially your gurudev, of the problem. Most Mandirs in Vraja own land on which they grow food. If yours owns land, preach to everyone to change to organic methods and to plant trees on their land. Know-how and tech-support is available from organisations.
nabadip - Thu, 26 Aug 2004 23:54:08 +0530
How are you doing with oats? Oats are gluten-free, so there should not be any problem for you to get sufficient Carbohydrates plus plenty of Vitamin B and other vital ingredients. You can buy oats by the kilo at Loi Bazar in Vrindavan. In fact I am not allergic to anything except to the greasy style of cooking that they do all over India except in Tamil Nadu. To get at least one healthy meal a day, I prepare daily breakfast in the style of Bircher-Muesli, which is commonly eaten in Switzerland for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

I buy a pound of Dahi (yoghurt), in Vrindavan available unsweetened, otherwise like in Nabadwip only available as Misti Dahi, soak a handful or two of oats in it, add ripe bananas and other fruits of the season, and perhaps a little water, offer the whole thing to my Nitai who enjoys healthy food in general, and have a feast every morning. It is important to add at least one lime especially when you use misti dahi. It makes for that remarkable difference that you want in a refreshing breakfast. I recommend this to everyone who intends to stay a long time in India.
Madhava - Fri, 27 Aug 2004 03:37:03 +0530
QUOTE (nabadip @ Aug 26 2004, 07:44 PM)
Joy Nitai. In this link you can see the poisons used and found on  food-items in the Delhi area. I have no doubt that farmers use them all over India. DDT you find in the last column.

Here are some of the leading DDT veggies (ppm, parts per million:

Brinjal (eggplant) from Ahmedabad area: 0.1044
Cabbage from Hapur area: 0.3612
Cabbage from Sonipet area: 0.126
Cauliflower from Chandigarh area: 0.225
Radish from Haryana area: 0.6916


The vegs from Delhi area at Azadpur seem to have substantially smaller amounts of residual DDT, namely 0.0101 in cabbage and 0.0047 in cauliflower respectively. Okhala market vegs from UP area have 0.0090 and 0.0030 respectively. Azadpur's Radish from Delhi area has only 0.009 ppm of DDT.

The use of DDT seems to vary a great deal. I wonder if these are at all comparable to Vraja area, as much of what's in there seems to be locally grown, at Radha-kunda at least.

For reference, 0.1 ppm would mean 1.0 mg (milligrams) in a 1000g vegetable. The WHO recommendation for the ADI (acceptable daily intake) of DDT is 20 micrograms per each kilogram of your body weight. ADI is supposedly the amount you can safely take throughout your life without being harmed. For a person weighing 70kg, an acceptable daily intake of DDT would then be 1.4 mg.

However, loading my body with toxins that are hard to flush out gives me the creep neverteless. I wonder how much of DDT there is in grains and in the water.
Keshava - Fri, 27 Aug 2004 10:39:30 +0530
I lived for more than 10 years on and off in India. I used to find the Vrndavan area very austere foodwise. In general I agree with Nabadip that it's all pretty greasy except in South. In South they mainly eat rice and mix it with sambhar, rasam and buttermilk.

The best thing that I ever did for my health in India was buy my own house. Now I can control so much of what I eat. We make our own dahi, peanut butter, salads, etc. All things that were difficult before having the house. Whole wheat bread is now becoming available in India though it is not pure 100% wholewheat. I go to the local puffed rice man and buy the air puffed rice which we have for breakfast with banana, other fruits, peanuts, and dahi, with toast and peanut butter, or sometime just butter and occasionally some jam if we can find anything but that horrible mixed fruit jam (druk jams from bhutan are good, marmalade).

Oats are good also for breakfast but only in the colder months which are rare in South unless we go to a hill station.

Water is the most important thing. We have a swiss Katerdyn water filter and also now buy 50 liter kegs of bisleri (like a rupee a liter I think).

Milk we get delivered in the packets. It is toned. What to do. We used to have a good connection with some gosala we could trust but also had a lot of bad experiences with milkmen adding water etc. So now we just buy the packet stuff from the store. It makes good dahi and we keep some for hot chocolate and chicory coffee (or rava milk).

The local markets are really good in Sri Rangam. Okra (bendikai, bindi) is about 6 rupees a kg. We like to eat basmati rice even though South Indians prefer other stuff. For westerners 40 rupees a kg is not too much. There are plenty of other fruits and vegetables in Sri Rangam. The problem with Radha Kunda is that it is probably like what Vrndavan used to be like way back. Once when I lived in Vrndavan in the late 70's I went to the market and there was only potatoes and onions. I literally had to go to Mathura even to get a carrot.

I like to drink the vegetable juices in winter in North India. One other point is try to get the best oil or ghee that you can. Olive oil is very expensive and rare in India. I usually take a large container with me which will last 3 months. In South sometimes we go to the hill station to cool off. Kodaicanal is the closest to us (4 hours by bus). Mahamsa X-Swami X-ISKCON has a coffee plantation there with guestrooms for devotees. You can get real cheese there and berry jams like in the west. There is a so-called health food store in town.
Malatilata - Sun, 29 Aug 2004 02:29:59 +0530
QUOTE (nabadip @ Aug 26 2004, 05:44 PM)
Joy Nitai. In this link you can see the poisons used and found on  food-items in the Delhi area. I have no doubt that farmers use them all over India. DDT you find in the last column.

Thank you, Nabadip, for the links. It is very sad that they still use all these chemicals in India. I am really thinking of bringing food from here with me when we travel to India.

Have you yourself purchased organic food from this person in Delhi? How much more expensive it is than the regular food?

Thank you for your help!

Malatilata - Sun, 29 Aug 2004 02:38:37 +0530
QUOTE (nabadip @ Aug 26 2004, 06:24 PM)
How are you doing with oats? Oats are gluten-free, so there should not be any problem for you to get sufficient Carbohydrates plus plenty of Vitamin B and other vital ingredients. You can buy oats by the kilo at Loi Bazar in Vrindavan.

Yes, I can eat oat, and I do use oat a lot while baking. I didn't know one can buy it in Vrindavan. Last time I asked one of my friends at Radhakund about oat, and she said she hasn't seen it on the market.



Malatilata - Sun, 29 Aug 2004 02:55:47 +0530
QUOTE (Keshava @ Aug 27 2004, 05:09 AM)
Water is the most important thing. We have a swiss Katerdyn water filter and also now buy 50 liter kegs of bisleri (like a rupee a liter I think).

Thank you also, Keshava, for your tips!

What is the best method to purify the water in India? What kind of water filter would be good to bring there?

Usually we have bought bottled water, but we heard from Advaitadas that it is also not so good. He had read some article on that. There are some chemicals in the bottled water which will stay in your liver and damage it. Some brands have more of it, some less.

And another problem with bottled water is all those empty bottles, whis will accumulate in the room.

Last time we were also boiling water and then keeping it cool in a claypot. I am not sure if all the bacteria die in the process of boiling. I have heard that viruses in the water won't die while boiling the water. And it is not only some harmless bacteria and viruses that can be in the water and cause diarrhea, but there can be cholera also.
Keshava - Sun, 29 Aug 2004 09:56:08 +0530
QUOTE (Malatilata @ Aug 28 2004, 11:08 AM)
Yes, I can eat oat, and I do use oat a lot while baking. I didn't know one can buy it in Vrindavan. Last time I asked one of my friends at Radhakund about oat, and she said she hasn't seen it on the market.

When you are living in Radha Kunda just plan to go to Vrndavan, Loi Bazzar once a week or 10 days or whatever. Then just stock up while you are there and bring it back to Radha Kunda. Otherwise if you make have a big need or some other people in Radha Kunda who also need stuff make a deal for the guys in Vrndavan to deliver it to you.

Yes, oats are available. With most things now available in Loi Bazzar there are two qualities and prices. The western quality with a western price and the local version, cheaper. Personally I don't mind the Indian version, except when it comes to pasta. Indian pasta just doesn't cook nicely. It gets really sticky and sloppy. It's useless.

Mataji, I see you mention that you bake with oats. Now baking in India is just about the craziest thing that you can do if it's not winter. But if you are in Vraja in winter then try buying one of the cheap folding camp stoves that fit on top of a gas burner. If you can't get a good one in India (but you should be able to in North India) you can get one from the west (Coleman is a good brand).

Also I have not seen you mention rice. Do you not eat rice? This is of course the staple for most Gaudiya Vaisnavas. Most westerners I know are more accustomed to wheat based diets but since you have a problem with wheat, that's why I am asking about rice.
Keshava - Sun, 29 Aug 2004 10:32:54 +0530
QUOTE (Malatilata @ Aug 28 2004, 11:25 AM)
What is the best method to purify the water in India? What kind of water filter would be good to bring there?

Usually we have bought bottled water, but we heard from Advaitadas that it is also not so good. He had read some article on that. There are some chemicals in the bottled water which will stay in your liver and damage it. Some brands have more of it, some less.

And another problem with bottled water is all those empty bottles, whis will accumulate in the room.

Last time we were also boiling water and then keeping it cool in a claypot. I am not sure if all the bacteria die in the process of boiling. I have heard that viruses in the water won't die while boiling the water. And it is not only some harmless bacteria and viruses that can be in the water and cause diarrhea, but there can be cholera also.

OK, water is the number one important thing that you use in India.

The absolute best way to make pure water is to distill it. However this takes time, energy (electricity mostly), and creates lots of heat (not so good except in winter.

We actually have a water distiller here in Hawaii and also in Sri Rangam. But it's so hot in Sri Rangam that we don't use it there. When you ditill water all you are left with it H2O. No minerals, no bad taste, nothing, just hydrogen and oxygen, bas. That's the best. However some people say that if you only use distilled water the water leeches minerals from your body. Even if this were true you can easily take a multi vitamin/mineral supplement to counter this if you think that it's a problem.

Second best is to get a filter like the Katadyn water filters. They are a Swiss company and make filters used by the UN peacekeepers. Basically they work just like the candle drip filters many Indians use. Except that you do not have to boil the water first. This is a big advantage for several reasons.

1. Quicker, as you don't have that extra step.
2. You also don't have to wait until the water cools to put it into the filter.
(If you put hot water into a candle filter then mould and bacteria grows on the candles.)
3. THese filters take out everything down to 1 mircon size which the Indian ones don't. This means that they will filter out the gyardia (this is the most common parasite).

A candle will last about 6 months but it does not necessarily get the water to taste better. Whereas distilling and then putting water through a charcoal filter as our distiller does gets it all. In Vrndavan the probelm is that the water is very hard, lots of minerals, tastes salty, and you can't lather the soap much. If you notice what happens when you heat water with a hand water heater. A layer of minerals builds up on the coils of the heater. This is the same mineral layer that will eventually build up inside you too.

Nowadays however there are plenty of bottled water companies. In Sri Rangam you can get Bisleri water in 50 litre kegs which are replaced when they get empty by a delivery person. You pay a deposit for the plastic keg which you get bakc when you return the last one before leaving India. This brings down the price also of a litre of water to only 1 or 2 rupees. For short visits or even for long ones this is now probably the best way to go.

Just remember when you are out take water with you. Or buy bottled water. When at home use it for drinking and cooking and even washing vegetables if you can. Make sure to take tinctures like Black Walnut, Wormwood, Pumpkin seeds, etc available at Health Food stores in the west. And if you really develop a problem just go to the Doctor and get a course of Flagyl or something similar to kill whatever you have caught.

As far as diarrhea is concerned, I recommend Coke or Thumbs Up or any other cola drink. Fast and especially don't eat any sweets which the bacteria love. Then down about 2 or 3 cokes straight if you can. Coke is like draino and it kills pretty muh anything. Afterwards eat dahi to readjust your insides and put back some good bacteria. In fact probably the first thing you should do when you get to India is eat dahi. Eat it a lot, every day. And take vitamins when you go, at least a lot of Vitamin C. Dogs livers produce many times more vitamin C than humans do, and due to this they are able to eat and drink all sorts of dirty things without getting sick. Viamin C is essential to your immune system.

There is another thing that my wife and I do. We have a little maching that gives a little electric pulse through your body (actually you don't feel it at all) and this also kills off the bugs. If you are intertested in this let me know. I can probably find the info on it in the net.

Don't think that the Indian's aren't also sick. They are. They all get fevers and all sorts of problems. I think that because they eat so spicy (chili) the food goes more quickly though their systems. This is important because the human digestive tract is long and in hot climates food will begin to putrify if it isn't digested and the waste expelled quickly. To help with this (and also diarrhea) use Isabgol (flee seed husk). Telephone brand is the most common in Indian, it comes in a green box and you can get it at any chemist or general store. Mix it with water or milk, juice or milk for constapation and dahi for diarrhea.

Another ayurvedic purgative is triphala churna. It's a bitter mix of three powdered fruits. If you take it at night the next morning everything comes out. Good for purging everything out of you.
nabadip - Sun, 29 Aug 2004 17:03:42 +0530
QUOTE (Malatilata @ Aug 28 2004, 11:08 PM)
QUOTE (nabadip @ Aug 26 2004, 06:24 PM)
How are you doing with oats? Oats are gluten-free, so there should not be any problem for you to get sufficient Carbohydrates plus plenty of Vitamin B and other vital ingredients. You can buy oats by the kilo at Loi Bazar in Vrindavan.

Yes, I can eat oat, and I do use oat a lot while baking. I didn't know one can buy it in Vrindavan. Last time I asked one of my friends at Radhakund about oat, and she said she hasn't seen it on the market.

Oats are not affordable for regular Indians. A Kilogram costs around 80 Rupees, way too much for an Indian budget. The Indian kind comes in a yellow tin box into which it is pressed. The foreign kind, from some Arabian country, comes in plastic containers. Both the tin and plastic containers are useful afterwards as well.

A few years ago oats were not regularly available on the Indian market because the Indian Army bought it all up for its soldiers. I guess due to the cheaper imports more is availabale on the market now, and therefore readily available wherever there are people with larger budget.

Keshavaji mentioned olive oil a few posts back. It is also available in Vrindavan, even though ridiculously expensive, that Italian brand that comes in tin containers. Olive oil users should be aware that the olive oil market is one big cheating business, as far as claims to extra-virgine types etc, or also claims of origin. Oil from Africa, Turkey etc is bought up by Italian companies which then make you think you are buying an Italian product. It is the same thing like with the international honey market (real honey is unavailable in India which makes me wonder how Gaudiyas know about the real sweetness of Madhu tongue.gif )

Independent tests in Germany have shown that some popular olive oil brands contained Dioxin, but the brands that contained it were not named to not damage the market. I personally use only certified organic olive oil, because of that and other reasons. Olive oil is the only oil that someone with liver disease can take. In fact it is curative for a person like that. Olive oil is one of the healthiest substances in the world. If it had been known to the wise guys of ancient India, they certainly would have praised it far above the value of ghee. Obviously it protects the liver rather than putting stress on it. I know people in India who survive their liver-damage with the help of olive oil.

I have read of an observation that heart-disease is unknown in villages in Italy which use olive oil daily and on everything people eat. (When I started to do that I used about half a litre of oil a week per person, which certainly is much. I am over 50 and I started to feel my heart. With my starting to use much more olive oil I never experienced any kind of problem again.)

I think it is better not to believe into the fairy tales that Indians tell about their wonderful oils, especially considering the modern style of oil extraction which is done with heating and the use of chemicals. This applies also to the use of badam-oil, almond oil, which is excessively praised in Ayurveda. For external use that may be okay, but I would not recommend to eat that stuff.

Same thing with ghee. Avoid it if you can. Certain toxins like DDT are stored in fat (which is why you can ingest minimal levels of DDT and live a normal life, as Madhava quoted a study... until you get old, or in the case of a bout of tapasya when you start to fast and melt down some of your body fat).

Certain things are scary, but as we are transcendentalists, we can deal with almost anything when we face reality as it is.

Bottom line: Everything is available in Loi Bazar. Even olives. There is now a walk-in store near Mahesh Cloth merchant which allows you to see the merchandise better.
nabadip - Sun, 29 Aug 2004 17:34:40 +0530
QUOTE (Keshava @ Aug 29 2004, 07:02 AM)


Nowadays however there are plenty of bottled water companies. In Sri Rangam you can get Bisleri water in 50 litre kegs which are replaced when they get empty by a delivery person. You pay a deposit for the plastic keg which you get bakc when you return the last one before leaving India. This brings down the price also of a litre of water to only 1 or 2 rupees. For short visits or even for long ones this is now probably the best way to go.

It is nice to read about all these different experiences and advices.

I have always boiled my water in India when possible, especially in village situations. In my seven years in India I never experienced any health problem whatsoever, like diarrhoea. However this is only possible when I have my own gas bottle ready. Travel with gas bottles is prohibited, fortunately unsure.gif

For staying in the holy Dham at different places for periods of time, use of bottled water is alright. Big kegs of what they call mineral water is now also available in Vrindavan. I have seen and bought it in a store next to Sri Radharaman Mandir main gate. I assume it has caught on and is also available in different stores meanwhile.

If you can, avoid Bisleri. To me it has the worst taste of all the water brands. Bisleri is a franchized brand, which means you get all kinds of different standards most probably. Also the bottles are often not really tamper-proof. I guess you all know about the checks required when you buy bottled water in India. You always have to make sure that the bottle was really sealed by the manufacturer and not someone else. I have seen the most seemingly trustworthy merchant (including kunti-mala, and "Hare Krishna!" and all) trying to cheat with tampered bottles. The first check is before buying a bottle: turn it upside down to see whether it leaks. Then turn lightly on the lid, to see whether it opens easily or not. If it opens too easily, which means it was not sealed at all, you know, but it also might just turn "eternally" or come off without screwing, or together with the tear-off part.

If I forget to check when buying a bottle, and then have a doubt after opening it, I always pour out the bottle onto the ground. The few Rupees are not wasted when I consider the problems involved with polluted water. All of this is less problematic which bigger kegs of water, because it is most unlikely so far that some local person can get hold of such a relatively costly item to refill it on his own.

All of this might sound extremely complicated to someone coming with an open heart to India with a desire to love everyone without distinction. I know someone who drinks water from wherever possible, never buys any, never boils it, and never has a problem... so it is possible too, faith into everything, seeing everyting as divine.
nabadip - Sun, 29 Aug 2004 18:14:11 +0530
QUOTE (Keshava @ Aug 29 2004, 07:02 AM)


Another ayurvedic purgative is triphala churna. It's a bitter mix of three powdered fruits. If you take it at night the next morning everything comes out. Good for purging everything out of you.

Keshava ji, with all my respect, do you really have this experience with Triphala Churna? I have never seen this with any patient. I think it is one of these euphoric over-statements of Ayurveda. I think if you do have already a regular bowel-movement every day, it may assist that. But if you do not, it does not change anything. Especially to chronically constipated people it does not make a difference.

The best thing I know for general health as well as a good bowel-movement, is the regular eating of Bael-Fruit. It is one of these wonderful products of India. Not sure how it is available in Vraja Dham. In Nabadwip Dham it is, from winter to summer. A Bael-fruit is a meal in itself to me. I eat it raw, as it comes, with a spoon. Indians make a juice out of it. I do not recommend that, because they strain away that important rough part. (and you can't drink it any way because of the water).

Two Ayurvedic products that I always have in India is number one: Lavan Bhaskar. It helps digestion of unusual food combinations, and gives appetite in just about a minute if you have to be ready for that untimely prasadam-plate (one should never eat a large meal without that positve experience of appetite, which means an experience of lightness in the body, watering of the mouth etc). It is also a good seasoner on cucumber, in dahi, etc.

Number two for me is always: Maha-Sudharshan-Churna. It is the most bitter substance easily available in India. But you have to watch out which brand you buy. They have differing mixes. Ayurvedic recipes are not standardized. It should be Maha-, not just Sudharshan-Churna. If you ask for it in a good Ayurvedic shop, you are likely to get the right kind. A good ayurvedic shop is in New Delhi, at Paharganj Main Market, one mile down opposite New Delhi Railway station, at the fork take the right lane about 300 meters onward, to your right. The pharmacy near Banki Behari, next to the fruit stand on the way towards Loi Bazar, may also have some. (I do not know of any reliably good Ayurvedic shop in Vraja).

Maha-S.C. is good when you feel a fever is coming. It cools you down right away. For me it is more like a medicine, unlike the Lavan Bhaskar which is also an appetizer. I use it (Maha-S.C) a lot for Indian folks who eperience troubles. They over-eat a lot on oily stuff. (you'd be shocked to see how traditional Indians cook, also Bengalis... not a drop of water... all liquid is oil...)
Openmind - Sun, 29 Aug 2004 21:37:50 +0530
Is boiled tap water just as safe as bottled water?
gopidust - Mon, 30 Aug 2004 01:53:41 +0530
Boiling polluted water is not as tasty as drinking pure water bottled at the source. Krishna says,"I am the taste of pure water".

I have heard that some devotees drank contaminated water only one time and will never be the same for the rest of their lives because of the resulting disease or whatever.
Madhava - Mon, 30 Aug 2004 02:12:05 +0530
QUOTE (gopidust)
Boiling polluted water is not as tasty as drinking pure water bottled at the source. Krishna says, "I am the taste of pure water".

Well, the taste depends largely on the brand. Some brands taste awful, and some tap water actually tastes pretty good.

At the source? They don't carry it down the Himalayas you know. Most of it is just any water "cleaned by learned professional experts using superb equipment under most hygienic conditions".
Talasiga - Mon, 30 Aug 2004 04:13:26 +0530
UNSPRAYED VEGETABLES

I once lived in India for about 3 months (1985) and successfully managed on a fruitarian diet based around chikku (sapote?), papaya, citrus of all sorts and bananas (several kilos a day biggrin.gif ) supplemented with green leafy vegetables and tomatoes . I avoided apples and grapes.

I always asked the vegetable stall holders whether the vegetables had been sprayed before I bought them. However I was picky about who I asked such question.

1. They needed to be a small stall holder.
2. They needed to be the grower rather than the middle (wo)man.
3. They needed to not be pushy and to answer questions with gentle but direct eye contact.
and
4. Could they be in fact an intimate devotee in disguise?

The answers of such a person I would trust. For me, such persons were easier found in Rishikesh than in Braj.

Some of them have left an indelible impression in my heart.


Kishalaya - Mon, 30 Aug 2004 13:50:31 +0530
QUOTE (Keshava @ Aug 29 2004, 10:32 AM)
OK, water is the number one important thing that you use in India.

Get an ultra violet radiation treater for the organisms and pump the water out of it into a reverse osmosis filter for hardness and chemical poisons. There are multistage purifiers available.

Bottled water, coke/pepsi and other soda have been found flouting even Indian BIS standards of pesticide content.
Talasiga - Mon, 30 Aug 2004 17:48:14 +0530
PREPARATION OF DRINKING WATER

1. Filter water with preferred heavy duty filter system (I use a carbon block radial filter)
2. Bring to boil in a non aluminium pot for at least 5 minutes vigorously
and then for 15 minutes gentle boil
3. When water has cooled to at least luke warm filter it through an activated charcoal jug filter (only use this jug for boiled water filtration and replace cartridge monthly).
4. Bottle this water as your daily supply.
5. Add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice per litre of water. If this is not convenient add 1 tablespoon of apple cider or wine vinegar per litre. Use no other vinegar but these. Alternatively, but not preferably and only in emergency, a large washed chillie sliced in half per litre of water (ie only half a chillie per litre)

Incidentally, in my grandfather's (Brajbhash) Hindi, drinking water was never referred to as paani but as jal. One showered with paani but one drank jal. smile.gif
nabadip - Mon, 30 Aug 2004 22:51:09 +0530
QUOTE (Openmind @ Aug 29 2004, 06:07 PM)
Is boiled tap water just as safe as bottled water?

That boiled water is actually safer because you have boiled it yourself. The easiest way to boil it is (I forgot to mention it before) if you buy a heating coil in the market in India (cost about 70 Rupees), the larger kind, plus a stainless steel vessel of about three liter capacity, best with a matching lid (for cooling the water later). My minimum boiling time is 10 minutes, because Typhoid bacteria (unlikely that you get them from tab or pump water that you pumped yourself, but to be 100% sure...) take about 6 minutes to get killed.

Just do not forget not to touch the vessel while you plug in the coil. Most of the time they are not shock-proof. You also need an additional line (cost about 20 Rupes) to reach the plug in your house, because the line of the coils are not long enough.

1 Euro about 55 Rupees
Malatilata - Tue, 31 Aug 2004 01:33:30 +0530
QUOTE (Keshava @ Aug 29 2004, 04:26 AM)
Mataji, I see you mention that you bake with oats. Now baking in India is just about the craziest thing that you can do if it's not winter. But if you are in Vraja in winter then try buying one of the cheap folding camp stoves that fit on top of a gas burner. If you can't get a good one in India (but you should be able to in North India) you can get one from the west (Coleman is a good brand).

I haven't been baking in India, because we have not had a stove there. This time it will be winter when we are there. (November, December, January) I would very much like to have a stove, it would be a big help in the kitchen. I think I have never seen a folding camp stove, do you think I could find one in Vrindavan?

QUOTE (Keshava @ Aug 29 2004, 04:26 AM)

Also I have not seen you mention rice. Do you not eat rice? This is of course the staple for most Gaudiya Vaisnavas. Most westerners  I know are more accustomed to wheat based diets but since you have a problem with wheat, that's why I am asking about rice.

I eat rice very little, almost never. Somehow my stomach doesn't like it. But I do use rice flour in cooking.


Malatilata - Tue, 31 Aug 2004 02:18:16 +0530
QUOTE (Keshava @ Aug 29 2004, 05:02 AM)
The absolute best way to make pure water is to distill it. However this takes time, energy (electricity mostly), and creates lots of heat (not so good except in winter.

This sound good, but the electricity is very unstable at Radhakund. There is never a day when you can have the whole day electricity, or even half a day, and sometimes it is off for three days. So at Radhakund we need an option which doesn't require electricity.

QUOTE
Second best is to get a filter like the Katadyn water filters. They are a Swiss company and make filters used by the UN peacekeepers. Basically they work just like the candle drip filters many Indians use. Except that you do not have to boil the water first. This is a big advantage for several reasons.

Do these filters really kill all the bacteria and viruses without a need to boil the water first?

Do you know prices for these kinds of filters and where to buy?

QUOTE
Make sure to take tinctures like Black Walnut, Wormwood, Pumpkin seeds, etc available at Health Food stores in the west. And if you really develop a problem just go to the Doctor and get a course of Flagyl or something similar to kill whatever you have caught.

I haven't seen these tinctures here in Finland in Health stores. We have grapefruitseed extract, olive's leaf extract, oregano extract and beewax extract, do these have a similar effect?

QUOTE
To help with this (and also diarrhea) use Isabgol (flee seed husk). Telephone brand is the most common in Indian, it comes in a green box and you can get it at any chemist or general store. Mix it with water or milk, juice or milk for constapation and dahi for diarrhea.

Is this Isabgol same as Psyllium?
Malatilata - Tue, 31 Aug 2004 02:37:45 +0530
QUOTE (nabadip @ Aug 29 2004, 11:33 AM)
It is the same thing like with the international honey market (real honey is unavailable in India which makes me wonder how Gaudiyas know about the real sweetness of Madhu  tongue.gif )

What is it then that they sell as honey?

It sounds like a good idea to bring a bottle of honey and olive oil from the West. These items might also be nice gifts for some mandirs.

QUOTE
Bottom line: Everything is available in Loi Bazar. Even olives. There is now a walk-in store near Mahesh Cloth merchant  which allows you to see the merchandise better.

I know the place, they have toast, corn flakes, pasta, tomato puree, whipped cream, fruit jams, cheese etc. But the prices are almost the same as here, which is very expensive compared to the regular Indian food.

Malatilata - Tue, 31 Aug 2004 02:56:07 +0530
QUOTE (nabadip @ Aug 29 2004, 12:44 PM)
Maha-S.C. is good when you feel a fever is coming. It cools you down right away. For me it is more like a medicine, unlike the Lavan Bhaskar which is also an appetizer. I use it (Maha-S.C) a lot for Indian folks who eperience troubles. They over-eat a lot on oily stuff. (you'd be shocked to see how traditional Indians cook, also Bengalis... not a drop of water... all liquid is oil...)

In one book I have about ayurveda it says:

Mahasudarsan Churna
Ingredients: bitters (chiretta, guduchi, barberry), trikatu, triphala, cannabis.
Doshas: mainly anti-pitta
Properties: antipyretic, diaphoretic, diuretic.
Uses: fever, intermittent fever, debility after fevers, nausea, enlargement of liver and spleen.

I also heard that it can prevent Malaria. I did use this last time when we were in India, but then one devotee, who is somewhat learned in ayurveda, told me that it is not good for me, because it heats my body too much. In other words increases the pitta. But this description above says it is mainly anti-pitta. And she said it is also not good because it contains cannabis. unsure.gif
Madhava - Tue, 31 Aug 2004 03:01:55 +0530
QUOTE (Malatilata @ Aug 30 2004, 11:26 PM)
And she said it is also not good because it contains cannabis.

And I wondered how come we were so jolly in the beginning, but lost the spirit towards the end of the trip... laugh.gif

Seriously, if someone has tips on preventing Malaria, they would be more than welcome. Actually, I'll start a new thread for this.
nabadip - Sun, 24 Oct 2004 20:02:49 +0530
QUOTE
In one book I have about ayurveda it says:

Mahasudarsan Churna
Ingredients: bitters (chiretta, guduchi, barberry), trikatu, triphala, cannabis.
Doshas: mainly anti-pitta
Properties: antipyretic, diaphoretic, diuretic.
Uses: fever, intermittent fever, debility after fevers, nausea, enlargement of liver and spleen.

I also heard that it can prevent Malaria. I did use this last time when we were in India, but then one devotee, who is somewhat learned in ayurveda, told me that it is not good for me, because it heats my body too much. In other words increases the pitta. But this description above says it is mainly anti-pitta. And she said it is also not good because it contains cannabis. unsure.gif



The way I meant the use of Maha-sudarshan Churna initially was for accute symptoms of fever. If however, you feel you can take it on a continuous basis for some weeks, I would not consider the over-all negative impact for you, if you do it in a moderate way, that is: discontinue the intake after a few weeks or months. There is a difference whether we take something habitually for years of just therapeutically for a few months. To affect your basic prakruti (constitution) something more is needed than just a short therapy with a product. You might react temporarily, and when you feel such reaction, you will discontinue, which is natural.

Also there are heavy disagreements on constitution. Triguna for instance says that all westerners are prominent pitta-types. I doubt that is correct, or may mean something that is difficult to convey in its real significance. I think it can be ignored for practical purposes in the question of a temporary diet in India.
Malatilata - Sun, 24 Oct 2004 22:50:58 +0530
QUOTE(nabadip @ Oct 24 2004, 02:32 PM)
The way I meant  the use of  Maha-sudarshan Churna initially was for accute symptoms of fever.


Is this good for fever in general, whatever the cause?

QUOTE
If however, you feel you can take it on a continuous basis for some weeks, I would not consider the over-all negative impact for you, if you do it in a moderate way, that is: discontinue the intake after a few weeks or months.


Is it good to take this continuously for preventing malaria? Do you know if the mosquitos are around in the wintermonths (december - february)?

QUOTE
Also there are heavy disagreements on constitution. Triguna for instance says that all westerners are prominent pitta-types.


I think he also told me I am pitta, although I consider myself more vata-type. But also all the different test (on the internet) always give different answers. unsure.gif
Malatilata - Sun, 24 Oct 2004 22:58:30 +0530
We are still looking for a solution to the water problem.

QUOTE
Second best is to get a filter like the Katadyn water filters. They are a Swiss company and make filters used by the UN peacekeepers. Basically they work just like the candle drip filters many Indians use. Except that you do not have to boil the water first. This is a big advantage for several reasons.


Do you know prices for these kinds of filters and where to buy?

QUOTE
Make sure to take tinctures like Black Walnut, Wormwood, Pumpkin seeds, etc available at Health Food stores in the west. And if you really develop a problem just go to the Doctor and get a course of Flagyl or something similar to kill whatever you have caught.


I haven't seen these tinctures here in Finland in Health stores. We have grapefruitseed extract, olive's leaf extract, oregano extract and beewax extract, do these have a similar effect?
DharmaChakra - Mon, 25 Oct 2004 00:13:38 +0530
QUOTE(Malatilata @ Oct 24 2004, 01:28 PM)
We are still looking for a solution to the water problem.

QUOTE
Second best is to get a filter like the Katadyn water filters. They are a Swiss company and make filters used by the UN peacekeepers. Basically they work just like the candle drip filters many Indians use. Except that you do not have to boil the water first. This is a big advantage for several reasons.


Do you know prices for these kinds of filters and where to buy?

QUOTE
Make sure to take tinctures like Black Walnut, Wormwood, Pumpkin seeds, etc available at Health Food stores in the west. And if you really develop a problem just go to the Doctor and get a course of Flagyl or something similar to kill whatever you have caught.


I haven't seen these tinctures here in Finland in Health stores. We have grapefruitseed extract, olive's leaf extract, oregano extract and beewax extract, do these have a similar effect?



Here's more info & price lists:

http://www.katadyn.net/

http://www.bmstores.com/downloads.html

And the answer is very expensive...

I would assume you could order those tinctures over the internet?

Do you guys have to pay VAT tax on Internet items? Here in the states we do not have to apply sales tax (like a small VAT tax) on Internet items, which is why I prefer the internet for purchases like this... (we pay 5% on items here.. which if you were buying one of those filters would be quite large...)
Madhava - Mon, 25 Oct 2004 00:25:45 +0530
QUOTE(DharmaChakra @ Oct 24 2004, 07:43 PM)
I would assume you could order those tinctures over the internet?

Do you guys have to pay VAT tax on Internet items? Here in the states we do not have to apply sales tax (like a small VAT tax) on Internet items, which is why I prefer the internet for purchases like this... (we pay 5% on items here.. which if you were buying one of those filters would be quite large...)

Talk about your five percent! If we order anything from outside the EU which is more than 50€ worth, they apply the 22% VAT on top of the price, the only exception being books, for which VAT is 8%. Additionally, depending on the product category, additional toll fees may apply. For example, for the DV-camcorder Rasaraja sent, I had to pay (price+shipping) + 22% VAT, and additionally (price+shipping) + 14% toll fees, and ended up having to cough up some 140 euros for the gift I was sent before it was released from the customs. Anyhow the total was still a bit less than the retail price around here, but the experience was very annoying. Ah, the varieties of taxes here. According to a recent report, they have come down one percent from last year, and are currently only 44.9% of the GNP. crying.gif
Rasaraja dasa - Mon, 25 Oct 2004 01:20:01 +0530
QUOTE(Malatilata @ Oct 24 2004, 09:20 AM)
Is it good to take this continuously for preventing malaria? Do you know if the mosquitos are around in the wintermonths (december - february)?

Dandavats. All glories to the Vaaisnavas.

You shouldn;t have to worry about the mosquitos during the dates of your stay.

Aspiring to serve the Vaisnavas,
Rasaraja dasa
nabadip - Mon, 25 Oct 2004 16:35:36 +0530
QUOTE(Rasaraja dasa @ Oct 24 2004, 09:50 PM)
QUOTE(Malatilata @ Oct 24 2004, 09:20 AM)
Is it good to take this continuously for preventing malaria? Do you know if the mosquitos are around in the wintermonths (december - february)?

Dandavats. All glories to the Vaaisnavas.

You shouldn;t have to worry about the mosquitos during the dates of your stay.

Aspiring to serve the Vaisnavas,
Rasaraja dasa



It can be disappointing to find mosquitos in winter as well. I remember my times in Nabadwip (where it is perhaps not as cold as in Vraja) when I expected not to see any, but they do come out, even if in much smaller numbers. That those few mosquitos flying are exactly Anopheles ones who carry the germs, may be rather unlikely.

Over all, at my winter stays in Vraja, I did worry more about the severe cold, especially on overcast days... If I were you, I would bring some really heavy blanket from Finland, as a carry-on on the plane. They just do not know what a good blanket is like in India. I'd also bring a rubber water bottle or two, you know those bed-warming kinds.
nabadip - Mon, 25 Oct 2004 16:54:35 +0530
QUOTE(Malatilata @ Oct 24 2004, 07:28 PM)
QUOTE
Make sure to take tinctures like Black Walnut, Wormwood, Pumpkin seeds, etc available at Health Food stores in the west. And if you really develop a problem just go to the Doctor and get a course of Flagyl or something similar to kill whatever you have caught.


I haven't seen these tinctures here in Finland in Health stores. We have grapefruitseed extract, olive's leaf extract, oregano extract and beewax extract, do these have a similar effect?




These tinctures are the Hulda Clark items, and I personally would not bother about them because they are too complicated to take on a journey to India. I took them once when I was into this anti-parasite-mania (I even made my own Walnut tincture), and I did not feel any different from other stays.

What is helpful, however, and simple to use, is the so-called Zapper introduced by Hulda Clark. I have friends, long-term residents in India, who have remarkable results in times of need, such as a diarrhea, a cold etc.

One item that you do find in India prominently and that has anti-viral effects, is the use of Gewürznelken (cloves, thanks Advitiyaji), sorry at the moment the English name of it escapes me. It is used in the kitchen a lot, esp. in Rajasthani cooking. It is that little nail-like brown thing that is used in India to keep sweet paan leaves together when offered in restaurants as digestants.
Advitiya - Mon, 25 Oct 2004 19:31:15 +0530
QUOTE
It is that little nail-like brown thing that is used in India to keep sweet paan leaves together when offered in restaurants as digestants.


Did you want to say the "cloves"?
Malatilata - Wed, 24 Nov 2004 05:24:44 +0530
Does anyone know if it is possible to get good and clean soil in Vrindavana? I would need this for growing wheat-grass.
nabadip - Wed, 24 Nov 2004 22:10:55 +0530
I am sure you can get relatively clean soil. Do you need top-soil? If not, I would go out into a forest area and dig a little there. I doubt anyone wasted expensive fertilizer in the jungle. Possibly there is an option to steam earth in order to get rid of unwanted bacteria; I think that is what is done here for the better plant soil that you buy in markets.
nabadip - Wed, 24 Nov 2004 22:12:38 +0530
Did you decide yet on the way you want to treat your drinking water?

My best way is still boiling for ten minutes...