My experiments with body (a twist on Gandhi's My experiments with Truth)

Over the years I have made many lifestyle changes in search of better health and well being both physically and mentally. Here is an attempt to document and share the experiments. My primary intensions of this blog are 1/ Improve my writing skills 2/ Keep my self accountable and track my progress towards the promises I make 3/  I may influence others if they want to learn from it. 

This week marks another important step in the series of lifestyle changes. Even though you will notice that I am easily influenced by the latest fad in diet or exercise it will take several years for me to made up my mind and commit to it seriously. One of my relatives passed away last week and though he was in eighties,  diabetes was key contributor for his death. I did not know half of the US population is at risk of metabolic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, cardio vascular diseases, cancer etc, due to the big elephant in the kitchen - SUGAR. There is enough science and evidence today to support that Sugar is one of the main causes for these diseases. I had heard stories on youtube or read about books where people described their experience after quitting sugar. This was always in the back of my mind and this week I am taking a plunge into it.  Here are other lifestyle commitments I have been following:

• About 6 years back I saw this movie Fat Sick and Nearly Dead and started juicing. I have not stopped since. With the new sugar awareness I will reduce the sweet fruits considerably and increase the use of vegetables. This was always recommended but I just ignored it.
• Around the same time I also saw a Netflix movie that talked about atrocities done to the cow in the dairy industry, why we don't need milk other than mother's breast milk, and why our body is not made to digest milk. I am a partial vegan, meaning, no more milk or cheese. However, I do take butter milk or plain yogurt in small quantities if I can't get coconut yogurt. Another one is ghee which is hard to give up. 
• About 2 years back I saw several videos of Sadguru, and decided to quit any food that impairs with the functions of the brain, meaning anything that stimulates or makes it numb. Read it as caffeine or alcohol. No more coffee, tea or any soft drinks. I have stayed away from alcohol for a long time.
• About 3 years back I ran into Millet man of India, Dr. Khadar, and decided to reduce consumption of white rice which is a staple in my diet. I have not completely stopped white rice but use a variety of whole grains including millets, brown and red rice.

What has this done to my body? I don't have any precise metrics to show nor have any great stories that some of the characters in the videos mentioned above or book authors talk about. However, I will write about a few of my observations in the coming episodes.

How is the no sugar diet going? today the only sugar I had was a teaspoon of gulcand along with paan leaves.  I will talk about few more of lifestyle changes in the next episode. 

सत्यान्वेषणार्थं (दैहिकहितार्थं) मम प्रयत्ना:

अनेकवर्षेभ्य: दैहिक मानसिक च आरोग्यार्थं नित्यजिवने अनेकानि परिवर्तनानि मया कृतानि । अस्मिन् जालपुटे तस्य विवारणानि दातुं मया प्रयते। अस्य लेखनस्य लक्ष्यानि सन्ति – १/ मम लेखनाभ्यास: २/ मम सङ्कल्पानां आवलि:, तस्मात् मम सङ्कल्पानां दायित्वं कथं प्रचलति इति मुक्त-चिन्तनम् ३/ एतेषां कथनेन कोsपि जन: तेन स्वस्य जीवनेsपि पाठान् अवगच्छेत् इति।

अस्मिन् सप्ताहे जीवनविधान-परिवर्तने इतोsपि एकं सोपानं भवति। यद्यपि अहं सुखेन नूतन-आहर-पद्धत्या प्रचोदित: भविष्यामि तथापि नव-पद्धति-अनुसरणं झटिति न भवति परन्तु कालक्रमेणैव भवति। गत सप्ताहे मम बन्धु: मधुमेह-रोगकारणात् मृतवान्। अमेरिकायां ५० प्रतिशतं जना: मधुमेह उच्छरक्त-निपीड (सम्मर्द) इत्यादय: रोगग्रस्था: संभवितुं शक्यन्ते इति अहं कदापि न ज्ञातवान्। तेषां रोगाणां मूलहेतु: अधिका शर्करासेवनं इति आधुनिकविज्ञानमपि प्रमाणीयते। अनेके शर्करां संपूर्णं त्यक्तवन्त: इति तेषां अनुभवकथा: लेखनमाध्यमे अपि च दृश्यमाध्यमे अहं दृष्टवान्। एष: विषय: मम मनसि सर्वदा आसित्। अस्मिन् सप्ताहे अहं तां प्रतिज्ञां स्वीकरोमि। अत्र मम अन्य जीवनविधान-परिवर्तनानि दत्‌तानि।

• षडवर्षपुर्वं अहं स्थूल: रुग्ण: मृतप्राय:  (Fat sick and nearly dead) इति चलनचित्रं दृष्ट्वा फलरससेवनं आरब्धवान्। इदानीमपि   नित्यं कुर्वन् अस्मि। इदानीं शर्करा-निर्बन्धकारणेन फलरसे शाकाया: प्रमाणं अधिकं कृ्‌त्वा फलानि न्यूनं भवन्ति। एष: सामान्य: नियम: एव परन्तु अहं न अनुसृतवान् ।

• अस्मिन् समये एव धेनूनां अत्याचारविषये चलनचित्रे मातु: स्तनपानविहाय दुग्धं न अवश्यकं अपि च मनुष्याणां उदरं दुग्धस्य पचनमपि सम्यक् न करोति इति ज्ञातवान्। अत: दुग्धं त्यक्तवान् परन्तु दधिघृत्यो: सेवनं किञ्चित् करोमि। नारिकेलफलरसं तेन कृतं दधिमपि खादामि।

• वर्षद्वायत्पूर्वं सद्गुरुमहोदयस्य दृश्यमुद्रणं दृष्ट्वा मनोद्रेकं मनोन्मादकरं च आहारान् त्यक्तवान् । इत: परं काफी चायं च शीत-कृत्रिम-पानीय (soft-drinks) सेवनं न भवति। 

• वर्षत्रयात्पूर्वं भारतलङ्गुरा-पुरुषस्य (millet-man) खदरमहोदयस्य दृश्यमुद्रणं दृष्ट्वा संस्कृत्रिम-तण्डुलस्य उपयोगं न्यूनं कृतवान्। संस्कृत्रिम-तण्डुलस्य स्थाने विविधानि समग्र-धान्यानि यथा लङ्गुरा रागी इत्यादय:।

एतानि प्रयोगानि मम देहाय कानि कानि परिणामानि कृतानि इति न जाने। तेषां कृते का: प्रमेया: वा आकर्षककथा: न जाने। परन्तु केचन परिणामान् आगामि लेखनभागे लेखिष्यामि।