All things in nature can be shrunk into a few groups having tripartite significance,
that show similarity in from and functions.
(The explanation for this along with the original verse of the upanishad can be found
in my earlier post "The many gods of Hinduism and pithrus as gods"">
http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2008/03/many-gods-of-hinduism-and-pithrus-as.html )
Here is an article published in todays' issue of Chennai Chronicle on how the food
that goes to nurture a particular organ and its function,
also looks similar in shape to that of the corresponding organ.
For instance, walnut which is good for brains resembles the brain itself.
tomato which is too good for heart also is four chambered like heart
and the bunch of grapes having heart shape tallies with the function it does-
that of being beneficial to heart.
The list goes on but skeptics will however ridicule this.
But the similarity in form and works is defendable from the basic fact
that everything was one in the beginning
and systematically got divided, thereby making all those elements
coming into a particular category to behave with a similar function,
even after they got further divided and simplified.
By whatever name they may be known in the final 'avatar',
their similarities can be identified on the basis of form and functions,
says Chndogya upanishad.
Here is the article from Chennai Chronicle:-
Eat ‘organ’ic food
Carrots make your eyes strong, walnuts make the brain sharper, tomatoes are good for the heart et al.
These are theories most of us believe in, thanks to our parents, doctors and well-being books.
Consequently, we try and incorporate these “good foods” into our meals.
Now there seems to be another incentive to do the same.
Referred to as Teleological Nutritional Targeting,
scientists have now proved that
every whole food has a pattern
that resembles a body organ or physiological function.
These patterns act as a signal or sign of the benefit the food provides the eater.
For example, a tomato has four chambers and is red in colour.
The heart is also red and has four chambers. Research shows that tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.
Another paradigm, kidney beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.
Ms Jyothe Sharma, chief dietician, Talwalkars, Nungambakkam says,
“I think there is a connection between certain foods and the organ they are beneficial to.
Almonds are in the shape of the eye and they are also very good for them.
Similarly, a walnut looks like a little brain,
a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums
and it contains fatty acids that are essential for the brain.”
The parallel connection between food types and organs go back a long way, though proved recently.
It was referred to in the classical period of Rome as the ‘Law of Similarities’
or ‘The Doctrine of Signatures’.
“My daughter would never eat fish previously until I told her that her eyes would get the beautiful shape of the fish, if she ate it. She noticed that they actually looked alike and started having fish after that,” says Radhika Prasad, a homemaker, who has actually used the concept of Teleological Nutritional Targeting to her advantage, without actually realising the connection.
But not everyone as convinced as Ms Jyothe. Dr Bhuvaneshwari, chief consultant dietitian, Apollo hospitals, Chennai division says,
"I am not totally convinced about Teleological Nutritional Targeting. To one person it may appear to be true and to the other it may not. It all depends on the evidence one is able to gather.”
Nevertheless, whether this parallel connection between foods and organs exist or not,
this theory is just another motivation for everyone to devour these ‘good foods’.
Other examples:
Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart.
Each grape looks like a blood cell and all the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalising food.
Celery, bok choy and rhubarb look just like bones.
These foods specifically target bone strength.
Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.
Grapefruits, oranges, and other citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts.
Onions look like body cells. Research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells.
Bananas, cucumber and zucchini target the size and strength of the male sexual organ.
