Main Article Content
Abstract
Practicing ahimsa is also sometimes used as a justification for promoting healthy eating, as some Jains include harm to oneself as an act of violence. Jain cuisine is characterized by a strict adherence to ahimsa that excludes not only non-vegetarian foods from their meals, but some fruits and vegetables as well which are grown underground and with multiple seeds. Humans, animals, insects, plants, and microscopic organisms are all believed to possess a soul. Harming any of these jivas is considered sinful in Jain religion. Thus, Jains avoid certain vegetables and fruits because harvesting them may necessitate the killing of a plant or the destruction of thousands of microscopic entities that inhabit the plant. The unique and all-inclusive nature of the Jain doctrine of who (and what) possesses a soul adds another dimension to the already restrictive imperative of ahimsa in Jain cuisine. Abhaksha according to Jain philosophy includes foods that traditional Vaishnava Hindus refrain from consuming (mushrooms, garlic, onion, and carrots),as well as foods that are unique to Jain vegetarianism (snow, ice, poison, clay, seeds, eggplant, figs, pickles, potatoes, ginger, honey, butter, “empty” fruits, unknown fruits and vegetables, and spoiled foods). Consuming meat involves the slaughter of animals, an act most vigorously discouraged by Jain scripture. Some Jains also believe gathering honey harms bees and that the sticky substance traps insects and eggs that would later be killed by consumption. Underground vegetables are forbidden because their harvest necessitates the destruction of the plant as well as the microorganisms in the surrounding soil. Root vegetables are also classified as Anata-kayas, plants that contain not just one seeds, but an infinite number of seeds Many foods are forbidden simply because they are believed to induce undesirable qualities into the body and mind, such as laziness or aggression, excess heat, anger etc. This is also mentioned in many dietary guidelines as Tamasic food ingredients The Jain diet is ideally composed of sattvic foods, which are thought to give the consumer a pure and spiritual disposition. Sattvic foods are sometimes labeled as “simple,” lacking the luxurious taste that would otherwise induce passion. Many (but not all) vegetables qualify as sattvic food, as do breads such as chapatti. Tamasik foods should be forbidden at all costs, as they cause bad thoughts and create ill health. Meat, alcohol, and eggplant are considered types of Tamsik foods as they are thought to induce anger or lust in their consumers. Jain ideology encouraged its followers to only drink boiled or strained water. Boiled water is good for digestion and it is pure free from all harmful microorganism’s also the further development of microorganisms in boiled water is very minimum, Jains would also strain water through a cloth to rid it of invisible non edible and harmful impurities. The practice of ratri-bhojana bandh, the avoidance of eating food after sunset, is another important dietary practice that has been extolled by Jain philosophers for centuries. Many Jains believes it is prohibited by religion but scientifically the digestion power of human being is also poor after sunset and it’s highest during the noon period. Jains will sometimes forgo the consumption of green vegetables on holidays and festivals because they may contain small insects or other tiny jivas. Because the humidity in the air during these days is high which encourages growth of micro organisms