Vegetarianism is an ideal New Age lifestyle choice: not only is it healthier, it is also more humane

MANNA FROM NATURE'S KITCHEN

The Jews, liberated at last from the Egyptian pharaoh's captivity, had been seeking the Promised Land for days without success. Desperate for nourishment, they turned their eyes, and prayers, heavenwards. The Lord responded by manifesting manna, a miracle food, for them to eat.

Today, in the 21st century, Christopher Hills, founder of the University of Trees, believes that he has discovered the source of that heavenly manna—spirulina. Spirulina is a highly nutritious form of plankton being hailed as a panacea for various diseases and as the solution to the entire world's hunger problems.

Nature seems to be abounding with wholesome comestibles just waiting to be discovered. Another celebrated nature food is wheatgrass, whose amazing healing and nutritional characteristics were first studied by Dr Ann Wigmore, founder of the Hippocrates Health Institute and a leading advocate of a natural food diet. Incidentally, she too chose to describe wheatgrass as "God's manna" in her many books devoted to this humble weed, like The Wheatgrass Book (1985) and Be your own doctor: Let living food be your medicine (1983).

What is the magic ingredient in turmeric (the haldi no Indian kitchen can positively do without) that has pharmaceutical giants hot on its heels? It is apparently phytochemicals-highly concentrated biologically active compounds, which are tissue-friendly antioxidants with potency a hundred times stronger than that of vitamin E. Consequently, milk thistle and turmeric, rich in phytochemicals and with an affinity for liver tissue, have a curative effect on hepatitis, liver inflammation and cirrhosis.

If it is green, it has to have chlorophyll, right? The little green cells' structure matches that of the human hemoglobin cell. Consequently, chlorophyll binds with hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying pigment in human blood, and replenishes it. So the next time you encounter palak ka saag or spinach, don't pass it up. Eat it!