Recent
instructions from the Health Ministry about the poor nutrition of Monks, due to
the food they are given as Dana, is a wake-up call to all of us to be more concerned
about what we eat, taking into account our lifestyle and determine how we
should plan our eating habits.
This
news has aroused interest in the western world and has just resulted in two
articles both in the BBC and in Time magazine.
I
am surprised that it took so long for the Health Department to come to this
conclusion, especially due to the proclivity of the devotees to ply their monks
with goodies, which they believe will bring them merit in the next life.
Now
we must train the devotees, that what they are doing hastens illness and even
death as most monks do not indulge in exercise due to the strictures of their
behavioral characteristics, of not having solid food from noon till around 4
the following morning. So a window of 8 hours is all they have to consume
solids and therefore they either consume too much in that short space of time
or do not consume the right mix.
A
more important point is that drinking sweet tea is tantamount to giving energy
or a sports drink, as sugar is converted into energy. If the energy is more
than the body requires, sugar related illnesses such as diabetes could result.
Tea can be consumed throughout the day though strict adherents refrain from this
too, and all forms of liquid intake except water.
It
is important that monks know how to choose what is healthy from the food offered
to them, as they are generally prevented from asking for anything special in the
food they receive. It is further important that the adherents are mindful of this
problem and give them food that is healthy, and perhaps cooked or prepared in a
tasty way so they do not feel they are being deprived!
The
next step of the Health Department is to ensure citizens are aware of diet and of
what is healthy and unhealthy, so that they will be more careful about their consumption
habits. It is time we all learnt about everything we consume.
1 comment:
i agree. sri lankans need to be educated on healthy foods, but this is a great start, at least for the Sinhala Buddhist community that will come to understand healthy foods through their allowed donations to the monks.
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