Pure, White and Deadly by John Yudkin was first published in
1972. This book is very highly regarded by Robert H Lustig, M.D., a
professor working in the UCSF Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Lustig is recognized by Dr. Joseph Mercola (famous for his website
Mercola.com) as being an expert on the subject of sugar (fructose)
consumption and the consequences of it. The University of California has
released (for educational and noncommercial uses) a video titled Sugar:
The Bitter Truth, where Robert Lustig delivers a presentation in which
he claims to demonstrate that fructose is a poison. In this presentation,
Lustig mentions the book Pure, White and Deadly by John Yudkin and
his appreciation for it. Lustig describes himself as a "Yudkin acolyte" and
says that "every single thing this guy (Yudkin) has said has come to pass.
It's astounding. I am in awe of this guy."
Sugar Blues by William Dufty was released in 1975 and quickly
became a commercial success. According to the publishers, over 1.6 million
copies have been sold. William Dufty makes the case that sugar is an
addictive drug, that it is extremely harmful to the human body, and that the
sugar industry conspires to keep Americans addicted to sugar.
In her 1996 book, Lick the Sugar Habit, Nancy Appleton, Ph.D.,
shows you how sugar upsets the body chemistry and devastates the endocrine
and immune systems, leading to a host of diseases and conditions including
hypoglycemia, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, cancer, heart disease,
headaches, allergies, asthma, obesity, periodontal disease, tooth decay, and
more. A sugarholic since childhood, Dr. Appleton cured herself of chronic
illnesses including bronchitis and pneumonia by changing her lifestyle. Hers
is a self-help program to help you lick the sugar habit and live a healthier
life. She explains how it worked for her... and how it can work for you.
The evidence continues to mount. Vegan author Kris Carr, author of
Crazy, Sexy Diet (2011) and Crazy, Sexy Kitchen (2012), an
avid animal-lover, practicing yoga and meditation has taken a stand against
sugar on her blog...
"It’s time we talked sugar. White powdered gold. Legal crack. Sugar is one
of the most readily available and addictive foods out there—and you don’t
have to be a Pixy Stix guzzler to overdo it. I was pretty floored when I
began to really understand the abundance of sugars in food—did you know it’s
in everything from pancakes to potatoes?
"The average American eats an estimated 130 pounds of sugar per year. You
might think “I don’t eat that much sugar,” but this stuff is sneaky. It
doesn’t just hang out in the junk food aisle, it’s also in healthy foods
(don’t worry, I’m not saying that a sweet potato has as much sugar as a
Snickers bar!). Hidden sugar piles up fast, so you may need to budget less
sugar in your diet—especially if you’re dealing with a health challenge."
In 1985, there was some discussion among devotees at the San Diego Krishna
temple about finding substitutes for white sugar, which many of the guests
attending the weekly dinner program (often New Age and/or vegetarian for
health reasons), said was unhealthy. (A few of the guests were vegan, and
would politely decline the dishes containing dairy.) Fructose and honey were
discussed as alternatives to white sugar.
“Who cares what the karmis (nondevotees) think?” commented one female
devotee. “We should please the Deities.” (All food in the temple is offered
to the Deities before eaten, and — note that plural! — we worship the images
and expansions of a plural Godhead, like that of Trinitarian Christianity.)
In 1986, I lived briefly with a group of Jewish students. My roommate John
Anklow, a Reform Jew from New York visiting California, asked me if there
was an equivalent to the Sabbath in the Hindu religious tradition. (Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday are the days of rest for Muslims, Jews, and Christians
respectively.)
I told John that the closest parallel I could think of to the Sabbath is
Ekadasi: (Sanskrit: ekādaśī, “Eleven”), the eleventh lunar day
(Tithi) of the shukla (bright) or krishna (dark)
paksha (fortnight) of every lunar month in the Hindu calendar (Panchang).
In Hinduism and Jainism it is considered a spiritual day. Scriptures
recommend observing an (ideally waterless) fast from sunrise on the day of
Ekadasi to sunrise on the day following Ekadasi.
Two Ekadasis occur in one month according to positions of the moon.
The progression of the moon from full moon to new moon is divided into
fifteen equal arcs. Each arc measures one lunar day, called “tithi”: The
time it takes the moon to traverse that distance is the length of that lunar
day. Ekadasi refers to the 11 tithi, or lunar day. The
eleventh tithi therefore corresponds to a precise phase of the
waxing and waning moon: In the bright half of the lunar month, the moon will
appear roughly 3/4 full on Ekadasi, and in the dark half of the
lunar month, the moon will be about 3/4 dark on Ekadasi.
But as my buddy Randall (Ratha Yatra dasa), raised Catholic and an initiated
(ordained) disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda, serving as a lay
person or congregational member, later pointed out, the Sabbath is a day of
rest, whereas Ekadasi is a day of austerity (asceticism, penance).
In the ’80s it was reported that Hindu spiritual master Satsvarupa dasa
Goswami made it a point to abstain from sugar on Ekadasi, since
white sugar is processed through animal bones and thus isn’t even
vegetarian.
In the ’80s, I wondered why the Jains abstain from honey, which I naturally
assumed at the time as an animal by-product (like dairy and/or eggs) would
be cruelty-free and wouldn’t involve taking the life of a fellow-creature.
One of initiated (ordained) devotees at the San Diego Krishna temple,
Yudhistira dasa (Curtis Kribbs), understood the Jains’ rationale as
nonviolence toward other living entities, rather than as asceticism. He said
bees are often killed in obtaining honey.
In 1987, Krishna devotees were informed about Sucanat, a sugar product which
is strictly vegan and differed from white sugar (processed through animal
bones, and thus isn’t even vegetarian!). Ads for Sucanat appeared at the
time in Clarion Call, a Krishna periodical published by followers
of Tripurari Swami, out of the San Francisco Bay Area, and aimed at New Age
spiritual seekers.
In the late ’90s, my friend Gopisvara dasa (Tom Dudek), raised Catholic and
initiated by Tripurari Swami, made it a point to abstain from sugar. When I
brought up the subject of veganism, as opposed to the lacto-vegetarianism of
Krishna temples, he was sympathetic, saying he was vegan for a few years
himself.
In 2000, Gaverick Matheny of Vegan Action told me that Vegan Action had
started a campaign to have products in supermarkets labeled as vegan, but
they weren’t sure how to proceed with products containing white sugar, since
white sugar is processed through animal bones, and thus isn’t even
vegetarian.
Gaverick said there was debate among the vegans as to whether or not honey
(even if obtained humanely) could be labeled vegan (as an alternative to
products containing white sugar), since honey is derived from insects.
My friend Anantarupa dasa, who took his present birth in Ireland, and came
to Krishna Consciousness from an Irish Catholic background, commented,
“Honey isn’t vegan. Not by any stretch of the imagination.”
Anantarupa dasa, who had made his own soymilk before and was sympathetic to
veganism, said around that time as well that it’s doubtful if Krishna would
accept milk or dairy products from factory farmed cows, subject to torture
and abuse.
Anantarupa dasa, sympathetic to veganism, still saw veganism in the late
’90s and early ’00s as an extreme form of vegetarianism (like Dick Gregory’s
fruitarianism!), rather than just being realistic about nonviolence.
When I told Anantarupa dasa I wanted to sponsor a Sunday Feast at the
Berkeley Krishna temple, but insisting it be a strictly vegan Feast, and
invite SF Bay Area vegans to attend, so they could be purified…
(we believe anyone taking wait a, food
offered to the images of the Supreme Lord and His various incarnations and
expansions, is blessed by the Lord with a human birth in his or her next
life, and the opportunity to progress further in their relationship with the
Lord)
…Anantarupa dasa replied with mild sarcasm:
“Why not sponsor a raw food Sunday Feast, and invite all the raw food
faddists, so they can be purified?”
In 2002, a Southern California judge ruled animal activists cannot claim to
be exempt on moral grounds for refusing vaccines tested on animals…
(like pacifists or conscientious objectors during wartime, or pro-lifers
refusing vaccines containing aborted fetal cells)
…because, the judge ruled, veganism and animal rights are a secular moral
philosophy…
(like democracy and representative government in place of monarchy and
belief in the divine right of kings; the separation of church and state; the
abolition of human slavery; the emancipation of women; birth control; the
sexual revolution; LGBT rights, etc.)
…and not a religion!
Wait a minute! Isn’t the United States really a secular society?!
“This country wasn’t founded by Christians,” said Ron McClellan (Sarva Satya
dasa), a fallen Prabhupada disciple who really ought to just step down and
serve in FOLK (“Friends Of Lord Krishna”), the laity.
The judge’s ruling is another reason animal activists should be courting the
religious community for the inspiration, blessings and support of organized
religion.
The judge’s ruling has prompted some animal activists to now claim Jainism
as their religion!
One animal activist reported that when he visited a Jain temple and was
offered herbal tea sweetened milk and honey, he politely declined,
explaining that with modern factory farming, even animal byproducts cannot
be obtained nonviolently.
The person wanting to serve him tea said, “You are a better Jain than I.”
Sugar might be a health hazard, but so are alcohol, tobacco, and
caffeine. And sugar can be obtained nonviolently, whereas meat, fish, eggs,
and dairy products cannot be obtained without animal slaughter. Unlike
products tested on animals, sugar doesn’t scream in pain if you experiment
on it, etc. The vegetarian, vegan, and animal rights community has more
pressing concerns.
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