Letter from a Devotee

Dear Kanva prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

When I read your letter I felt impelled to offer another perspective.
Although I fully agree that management as well as any relationship, will
blossom if handled with love, care and simplicity, but I do not agree with
the assumption that "ISKCON" is run based on politics, diplomacy, power and
envy.

ISKCON is a huge organization comprising of thousands of individuals,
temples and communities in many countries around the world. To make a
blanket statement about ISKCON is unrealistic. We also have a choice on how
to look at a situation (the glass being half-full or half empty).

Personally, in my 19 years experience being in ISKCON, I have been, in
countless occasions, the recipient of many devotees love and care. I have
visited and stayed in temples, in Canada, US, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France,
Ireland and India, and I  only remember the sweetness, kindness and
dedication of the devotees involved in those yatras.
I have yet to meet a devotee who is solely driven by politics, diplomacy,
power, and envy. I have only met devotees who were sincerely trying their
best to serve Srila Prabhupada and his mission, there might have been some
shortcomings due to their past, to stress, being overworked, under pressure
or not particularly skilled in interpersonal communication. But at the core,
they are sincerely serving Srila Prabhupada's movement, they have love for
their guru, Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.

To give you a specific example, when my little 21 month old son, back in
2001, was diagnosed with cancer along with a debilitating auto-immune
disorder, the Dallas temple community, offered us varieties of support;
financial, prasadam, house cleaning, a loan of 8 months rent, prayers etc.
The temple president, Nityananda prabhu would monthly give some of his blood
to be kept for my son, if need would arise, his wife kept my son alive with
her iddlis, which was his sole prasadam while undergoing chemotherapy, as he
couldn't keep anything else down. Tamal Krishna Maharaja, who had just met
us a few months earlier, wrote us regularly beautiful, heartfelt letters and
even once, he quickly responded to my letter, from a train, while travelling
extensively in the Philippines.

Devotees from different parts of the world prayed for my son's well-being,
over his 7 years of chronic health conditions. Once when he almost died, the
whole Dallas community came together in the temple to chant and pray to
Radha Kalachand'ji for his protection. The Alachua community, where we are
now residing, have also been there for us whenever we were in need. I am
convinced that by the power of the devotees love and prayers, my son has
survived a Neuroblastoma (the most aggressive type of childhood cancer), OMS
(an extremely rare auto-immune disorder) and CVID (a severe immune
deficiency). As for my husband and I, we would have never been able to pull
through all this without the love, care and sincere prayers of the
vaishnavas.
Here in Alachua, they started a community service called Ashraya, to provide
different services to its community members in times of need.

Another example is when Syamasundhar prabhu needed a liver transplant and
they couldn't find a suitable donor. Mother Malati announced it on "pamho"
and shortly after, about 10 devotees, who had never met Syamasundhar prabhu
offered to donate part of their liver; which is an extremely painful and
dangerous procedure. The hospital staff were amazed, they said that this
never happened before, they were wondering what kind of movement is this,
where its members would exhibit such selfless love for one another. They
selected one devotee and the surgery was successful. That is not ordinary!

There are so many examples of extremely loving, selfless and compassionate
devotees in our movement, I wish I could name all of them but this letter
would become too extensive, it would be such a beautiful meditation though.
This movement is no ordinary movement, it is Lord Chaitanya's movement and
the vaishnavas aren't ordinary either, it is sometimes so easy to judge by
the externals, but once someone sincerely chants the Holy Names, he or she
comes under the direct protection of the Lord.
Devotees are very special and very dear to the Lord and we should be very
careful how we talk about them, especially when it is written and
broadcasted.

I am not saying that there is no need for improvement but each issue must be
addressed individually and specifically, as every situation is unique.
Radhanath Swami and the Radha Gopinath temple's spiritual counselor system,
as been successful in achieving what you have described as a temple
community which is based on love, care, simplicity and a high spiritual
standard. As ISKCON is expanding more and more, we can see the need for such
models, to provide the level of care each devotee requires.
Instead of demanding from our leaders, who are already spreading themselves
so thin that they are ruining their health, if we all offered them
assistance by extending ourselves in caring for 5 or 10 devotees in our
local community, or taking on some responsibility in our temple, or offering
some financial support, or some training, counseling, using whatever talents
we have in service or to BE the servant who would greet Krishna's guests in
His temple with genuine love, care and a beautiful smile.

Recently I read a quote from Gandhi which said: "Be in the world what you
want to see in the world."
It's quite simple but it works, if we treat others with genuine respect,
love and care, they will open their heart to us. And especially, if we look
for a devotee's unique qualities instead of their shortcomings, we will soon
find ourselves surrounded by exalted, jewel like, vaishnavas and we will
thank the Lord everyday with tears in our eyes and a grateful heart for the
unbelievable great fortune that has been bestowed upon us.
The Association of Krishna's devotees! It is very rare!!!

Your servant,

Vaishnavi Devi dasi.
# - Prahladananda Swami - 12/5/09; 10:24:11 PM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

Hope This Meets You in Good Health #12 in Serbian Language

The yearly Health and Welfare Ministry magazine, "Hope This Meets You in Good Health" #12 is now available for download from this website in the Serbian (Bosnian, Croatian) language.  Past and present magazines can be download from the "Newsletter Download" button on the right hand side of the web page.
# - Prahladananda Swami - 23/1/09; 11:39:18 AM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

The Best Doctor in the Universe

To All Vaishnavas,

         On 18th March,2008,Sri Maheshbhai Dhokia ,congregation member from
London called me and told me that His wife,Srimati Jayshree Dhokia is
suffering from acute uterine cancer and she is being flown to Frankfurt for
the last time.Maheshbhai asked me if the devotees in mayapur could do some
prayers for his wife. Doctors in London had given up the hope and claimed
that she may not last more then 3 months as the cancer had spread to most
parts of lower body that is Abdominal and pelvic area..
        The following morning,I humbly requested HG Pankajanghri prabhu and
explained him the whole situation.We were both in the pujari room near Radha
Madhav Altar.I was dressing mahaprabhu at that time of the year and HG
Pankajanghri prabhu was making his final preparations for all the abhisekha
of Lord Nrisimadeva.HG Pankajaghri prabhu asked what is the name of the
mataji.I just gave the name of the mataji writing on the piece of paper.
       Now in Germany,just during the same time the operation was going on
to save Srimati Jayshree mataji.After she gained her consciousness she told
her husband that she dream't of lord Nrisimhadev of Mayapur.Bhakta Pralad
maharaj was there  to tell her the glories of lord Nrisimhadev.She also told
her husband that she completely feels like a new person and something evil
has left her body.
      Now back in London,She was taken back to Doctors for a check up.During
the PET Scan,The Radiologist were shocked to discover that there was no sign
of cancer at all.They called up the hospital in Germany to confirm about the
the medical details of the patient.The German surgeons, who operated on her
could not believe what they were just hearing from the radiologist in
London.The German Surgeons were shocked to hear that there was no sign of
cancer at all.The German research medical unit is now deeply studying the
entire case.Now little do these Doctors know, that there is somebody by the
name of Lord Nrimimhadeva,Who protect his devotees.
     While both HG Maheshbhai and his good wife Srimati Jayshree came back
to Mayapur to really have a close darshan of Lord Nrisimhadeva and come to
their senses and understand  as to just what had happen .
    Srimati Jayshreeben just cried and cried in front of lord Nrishmdeva.HG
Jananivas prabhu summed up the whole transcendental episode,While blessing
both the couples,HG Jananivas prabhu said " Lord Nrisimhadeva performs
operation with his transcendendal nails and the devotees just feel
blissful".
    Jayshreeben now chants 16  good rounds and with this new Krishna
Consiousness life,She thanks all the devotees of ISKCON and she feels very
proud to join the real spritual family of Srila Prabhupada.She vows to come
to Mayapur every year and be near Lord Nrisimhadeva.
     She also thanks Both HG Jananivas prabhu and HG Pankajanghri prabhu for
having saved her life through powerful prayers to Lord Nrisimdeva .

           ALL GLORIES TO LORD NRISIMHADEVA !!!!!!!!!!!

Ys

Nandkishore das # - Prahladananda Swami - 28/12/08; 6:17:12 PM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

New Hope This Meets You In Good Health Journals

English issue #14 of the ISKCON Health and Welfare Journal "Hope This Meets You in Good Health" can be downloaded from the "Newsletter Download" page.  Under Navigation double-click on "Newsletter Download" and in the new window, download the magazine(s) you wish.  Issue #14 is a file of about 8MBs.  I will try to get a smaller file for the same magazine.

Lithuanian Issue #1 of ISKCON Health and Welfare Journal "Hope This Meets You in Good Health" is also available for downloading on line from the same links as the English magazine.
# - Prahladananda Swami - 20/12/08; 2:16:32 PM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

Spanish Health and Welfare Magazine #13 Uploaded

"Hope This Meets You in Good Health"  # 13 in Spanish can now be downloaded from this website.  See "Newsletter Download."

"Espero Que Esta Te Encuentre en Buena Salud" numero 13 se puede ser conseguido en pagina "Newsletter Download."
# - Prahladananda Swami - 11/12/08; 7:34:17 AM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

Hygiene horror in commuter study

 BBC NEWS
Hygiene horror in commuter study

More than one in four commuters have bacteria which come from faeces on
their hands, an investigation finds.

Scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine swabbed
409 people at bus and train stations in five major cities around the UK.

The further north they went, the more often they found commuters with faecal
bacteria on their hands - men in Newcastle were the worst offenders.

Experts stressed the importance of hand hygiene for preventing illness.

The bacteria found suggested people were not washing their hands properly
after using the toilet, said the researchers.

Toilet hands

In Newcastle and Liverpool, men were more likely than women to show
contamination - 53% of men compared to 30% of women in Newcastle and 36% of
men compared to 31% of women in Liverpool.

    We were flabbergasted by the finding that so many people had faecal
bugs on their hands
Dr Val Curtis, director of the Hygiene Centre at the London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

In the other three cities - London, Cardiff and Birmingham - the women's
hands were dirtier.

People who had used the bus had higher rates of hand contamination than
those who had used the train.

Manual workers had cleaner hands than other professionals, students, retired
people or the unemployed.

Dr Val Curtis, director of the Hygiene Centre at the London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "We were flabbergasted by the finding
that so many people had faecal bugs on their hands.

"The figures were far higher than we had anticipated, and suggest that there
is a real problem with people washing their hands in the UK.


DIRTY HANDS
Newcastle - men 53%, women 30%
Liverpool - men 36%, women 31%
Birmingham - men 21%, women 26%
Cardiff - men 15%, women 29%
Euston (London) - men 6%, women 21%

"If any of these people had been suffering from a diarrhoeal disease, the
potential for it to be passed around would be greatly increased by their
failure to wash their hands after going to the toilet."

Professor Mike Catchpole, director of the Health Protection Agency's Centre
for Infections, said: "These results are startling and should be enough to
make anyone reach for the soap.

"It is well known that hand washing is one of the most important ways of
controlling the spread of infections, especially those that cause diarrhoea
and vomiting, colds and flu.

"People should always wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating
or handling food, and after handling animals. And remember to cover all cuts
and scratches with a waterproof dressing."

Winter vomiting

The HPA's monitoring of infections over recent weeks suggests that cases of
norovirus - the winter vomiting bug - are rising and that the annual
norovirus season is likely to have begun.

Norovirus is the most common cause of gastrointestinal disease in the UK
with peak activity in terms of numbers of cases and outbreaks during the
winter months, from October to March.

It has been estimated that between 600,000 and a million people in the UK
are affected each year.

Professor Catchpole said: "Norovirus is highly infectious and easily spread
in settings where people are in close contact with one another so good
hygiene, including frequent handwashing, is really important."

The study was part of the world's first Global Handwashing Day, dedicated to
raising awareness about the importance hand hygiene plays in public health.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7667499.stm # - Prahladananda Swami - 16/10/08; 2:32:20 AM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

Sleep

Are you one of those individuals who works through the night? Do you spend
too much time hooked to the computer or the television till the wee hours,
compromising on your sleep?

Beware -- apart from leaving you red-eyed, weary and dozing off in the
middle of an office meeting, lack of adequate sleep can also result in heart
disease, obesity, diabetes and other stress-related disorders.

"As our lives get busier and we try to cram more and more activities into
our already-packed schedules, we sacrifice our sleeping hours," says
consulting dietician Priti Apte.

The amount of necessary sleep varies from person to person, with some
breezing through their days on just a few hours' slumber and others needing
10 hours of sound rest. "If you feel fresh after five hours of sleep and
complete your tasks with ease throughout the day, five hours is enough for
you,' she explains. "But most people need around seven to nine hours of
sleep and it's necessary that the person meet this quota for a healthy
life."

"Regular sleep keeps the mind alert and the body healthy, so that one can
complete one's daily tasks. It also ensures proper distribution and
digestion of all nutrients in the body," says Priti.

Apart from the fact that lack of sleep has a dire effect on general
wellbeing and health, creativity and mental alertness, people who are unable
to sleep properly at night tend to be weary most of the time and lack the
ability to concentrate.

Housewife Kunika Malhotra, 32, complains that she has problems coping with
minor hassles, gets irritated easily and cannot tolerate noise. Kunika has
been trying to juggle her husband's late working hours and her children's
early morning school preparations for some time now and can barely squeeze
in five hours of sleep every night.

"I always think that I will catch up on my sleep over the weekend, but that
has never happened," she says.

According to general practitioner Dr Manoj Bhise, this is not the solution.
He explains, "What one needs is regular, consistent sleep -- over-sleeping
once in a while to reduce the backlog won't help."

Apart from psychological effects, lack of sleep also has an adverse effect
on one's physical health. Dr Bhise informs us that a sleep deficit may put
the body into a state of high alert, increasing the production of stress
hormones and driving up blood pressure, a major risk factor behind heart
attacks and strokes.

The newest study on obesity, conducted by Columbia University, is the latest
to find that adults who sleep the least appear to be the most likely to gain
weight and to become obese. Says Priti, "Researchers have found that even
mild sleep deprivation quickly disrupts normal levels of the
recently-discovered hormones ghrelin and leptin, which regulate appetite.
Adds Dr Bhise, "Patients who do not get their daily dose of sleep also
complain about aching muscles and hand tremors, apart from drowsiness during
the daytime."

Other health problems brought on by sleep-deprivation include, dizziness,
hypertension, memory loss, nausea, fatigue, dramatic weight loss or gain.
Erratic sleep schedules also throw the digestive system for a toss, often
leading to constipation.

Says software engineer Mandar Bhave, "I have a US-based client and I was
working through the night most of the week. As a result, I started suffering
bouts of severe headaches and then one day I just collapsed in the office
due to heartburn. The doctors also diagnosed the formation of an ulcer in my
stomach. My body clock was all erratic thanks to irregular, inconsistent
rest. The first thing my doctor advised was to get eight hours of regular
sleep."

Though most of us know well enough that our bodies need sleep to rest and
recuperate, we continue to reduce our rest time so that we can squeeze in
the increasing demands of our lifestyle.

It's about time we started listening to our bodies and turning in for a good
night's sleep everyday. # - Prahladananda Swami - 22/9/08; 8:31:42 PM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

Cell Phones and Possible Health Risks

A prominent cancer researcher's warning to limit cell phone use has
rekindled anew the longstanding question over mobile-phone health risks.

The media is abuzz with news of the memo from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman,
director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. He sent it to
faculty and staff Wednesday, saying, among other things, that children
should use cell phones only for emergencies, since their developing organs
are the most likely to be sensitive to possible effects of exposure to
 electromagnetic fields. Dr. Ronald B. Herberman


 In his 10-point advisory (see below), Herberman also urges adults to keep
 phones away from their heads and use speakerphones or wireless headsets.

 He suggests that people try to avoid constantly carrying their cell phones
 on their bodies and also try not to keep the devices nearby at night under
 the pillow or on a nightstand. He even warns against using cell phones in
 public places like buses because it exposes others to the phone's
 electromagnetic fields.

 Herberman notes that the precautions have been reviewed by UPCI experts in
 neuro-oncology, epidemiology, and neurosurgery, as well as the Center for
 Environmental Oncology.

 The tumor immunologist's words are grabbing widespread attention both
 because of his professional position and because they contradict numerous
 studies that don't find a link between cancer and cell phone use.

 Herberman said his warning was based on early findings from unpublished
 data.

 "Recently, I have become aware of the growing body of literature linking
 long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including
 cancer," he says. "Although the evidence is still controversial, I am
 convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to
 share some precautionary advice on cell phone use."

 For anyone concerned about possible health repercussions of cell phone
 use, many of Herberman's suggestions are easy enough to implement and
 minimally disruptive at most. Still, the topic can prove daunting to
 consumers.


 Read the New York Times article.

 Practical Advice to Limit Exposure to Electromagnetic Radiation Emitted
 from Cell Phones


01 Do not allow children to use a cell phone, except for emergencies. The
 developing organs of a fetus or child are the most likely to be sensitive
 to any possible effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields.

02.While communicating using your cell phone, try to keep the cell phone
 away from the body as much as possible. The amplitude of the
 electromagnetic field is one fourth the strength at a distance of two
 inches and fifty times lower at three feet.

03.Whenever possible, use the speaker-phone mode or a wireless Bluetooth
 headset, which has less than 1/100th of the electromagnetic emission of a
 normal cell phone. Use of a hands-free ear piece attachment may also
 reduce exposures.

04.Avoid using your cell phone in places, like a bus, where you can
 passively expose others to your phone's electromagnetic fields.


05.Avoid carrying your cell phone on your body at all times. Do not keep it
 near your body at night such as under the pillow or on a bedside table,
 particularly if pregnant. You can also put it on "flight" or "off-line"
 mode, which stops electromagnetic emissions.

06.If you must carry your cell phone on you, make sure that the keypad is
 positioned toward your body and the back is positioned toward the outside
 so that the transmitted electromagnetic fields move away from your rather
 than through you.

07.Only use your cell phone to establish contact or for conversations
 lasting a few minutes, as the biological effects are directly related to
 the duration of exposure. For longer conversations, use a land line with a
 corded phone, not a cordless phone, which uses electromagnetic emitting
 technology similar to that of cell phones.

08.Switch sides regularly while communicating on your cell phone to spread
 out your exposure. Before putting your cell phone to the ear, wait until
 your correspondent has picked up. This limits the power of the
 electromagnetic field emitted near your ear and the duration of your
 exposure.

09.Avoid using your cell phone when the signal is weak or when moving at
 high speed, such as in a car or train, as this automatically increases
 power to a maximum as the phone repeatedly attempts to connect to a new
 relay antenna.

10.When possible, communicate via text messaging rather than making a call,
 limiting the duration of exposure and the proximity to the body.

11.Choose a device with the lowest SAR possible (SAR = Specific Absorption
 Rate, which is a measure of the strength of the magnetic field absorbed by
 the body). SAR ratings of contemporary phones by different manufacturers
 are available by searching for "sar ratings cell phones" on the internet.

# - Prahladananda Swami - 10/8/08; 12:14:36 AM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

Garlic--Toxic Shock

The reason garlic is so toxic: the sulphone hydroxyl ion penetrates the blood-brain barrier, just like DMSO, and is a specific poison for higher life-forms and brain cells. We discovered this, much to our horror, when I (Bob Beck, DSc) was the world’s largest manufacturer of ethical EEG feedback equipment. We’d have people come back from lunch that looked clinically dead on an encephalograph, which we used to calibrate their progress. “Well, what happened?” “Well, I went to an Italian restaurant and there was some garlic in my salad dressing!” So we had ’em sign things that they wouldn’t touch garlic before classes or we were wasting their time, their money and my time.

I guess some of you who are pilots or have been in flight tests... I was in flight test engineering in Doc Hallan’s group in the 1950’s. The flight surgeon would come around every month and remind all of us: “Don’t you dare touch any garlic 72 hours before you fly one of our airplanes, because it’ll double or triple your reaction time. You’re three times slower than you would be if you’d not had a few drops of garlic.”

Well, we didn’t know why for 20 years later, until I owned the Alpha-Metrics Corporation. We were building biofeedback equipment and found out that garlic usually desynchronizes your brain waves.

So I funded a study at Stanford and, sure enough, they found that it’s a poison. You can rub a clove of garlic on your foot, and you can smell it shortly later on your wrists. So it penetrates the body. This is why DMSO smells a lot like garlic: that sulphone hydroxyl ion penetrates all the barriers, including the corpus callosum in the brain. Any of you who are organic gardeners know that if you don’t want to use DDT, garlic will kill anything in the way of insects.

Now, most people have heard most of their lives that garlic is good for you, and we put those people in the same class of ignorance as the mothers who at the turn of the century would buy morphine sulphate in the drugstore and give it to their babies to put ’em to sleep.

If you have any patients who have low-grade headaches or attention deficit disorder, they can’t quite focus on the computer in the afternoon, just do an experiment – you owe it to yourselves.
Take these people off garlic and see how much better they get, very very shortly. And then let them eat a little garlic after about three weeks. They’ll say, “My God, I had no idea that this was the cause of our problems.” And this includes the de-skunked garlics, Kyolic, some of the other products.

Very unpopular, but I’ve got to tell you the truth.

From Nexus Magazine Feb/Mar 2001.
Source: From a lecture by Dr. Robert C. Beck, DSc, given at the Whole Life Expo, Seattle, WA, USA, in March 1996.

# - Prahladananda Swami - 3/7/08; 9:00:37 PM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

What are We Really Eating

[1]

Image: Gavin Bell

We live in a world of enticingly packaged, processed foods where nobody really cares what they’re eating, so long as it looks good. As a child, I remember seeing a guest on a TV chat show say that they were allergic to various products, and therefore had to check the ingredients on everything when they went shopping. “Oh my God!” the host exclaimed in horror. “That must be such a pain! I could never do that!”

More recently, I was traveling in California with some friends and decided to visit Universal Studios in Hollywood. When hunger struck, we searched for the most vegetarian restaurant we could find and discovered one with a delightful buffet-style line featuring a variety of salads, pasta and pizza.

The girl at the counter filled up our plates with pasta once she’d let us know, none too confidently, that it didn’t contain eggs.

Then the fun really started.

“Do you know if there’s animal rennet in the cheese?” My friend Janmastami asked.

The girl looked blank. He tried to rephrase the question. “What is the cheese made with?”

This time she stared at him with an expression reserved for the severely mentally retarded. Her jaw slackened a little. Her eyes opened wide.

“Cheese is made with milk,” she said. “Milk comes from a cow.”

If only it were that simple. As a vegetarian, I may find this kind of routine ignorance funny – at least in retrospect – but it doesn’t inspire confidence in our eating establishments. Food companies themselves, while presenting a slightly more sophisticated front, aren’t much better. For a start, there is no law in any country that requires retailers to mark their products as vegetarian.

When you do find a “vegetarian” label, it’s simply a voluntary practice on the part of the manufacturer, and doesn’t reflect any universally agreed upon standard. Different manufacturers have their own opinion on what is or isn’t vegetarian, so even if a product announces to you that it’s fine for you to eat, it may actually contain, for example, animal-derived glycerine. Certain labels, like that of the Vegetarian Society in the UK, are reliable – but ISKCON devotees must be sure to double check, as they generally consider eggs suitable for vegetarians.

So what can you do? Shock that poor TV host from the eighties, and check your ingredients every time. It’s the only way. Checking once and creating a list of “safe” products isn’t reliable, as manufacturers often change the ingredients in a product without warning – for instance, a rennet-free cheese may start using rennet again at any time.

But you’re still not in the safe zone yet. When you do check your ingredients, you’ll probably find that most of them might as well be written in Arabic. Packages don’t inform you that your ice-cream contains a gelling agent derived from animal ligaments, skins, tendons, bones and hooves. No, that would take up far too much space, and ruin your appetite. So instead, they use a neat little word like “gelatine.” You might be surprised to know how many ISKCON members don’t know this – a disturbing thought.

Here are some more common animal ingredients you should watch out for:

Cochineal, also known as E120, is a red dye often used in ice-cream, yogurt, glacé cherries, jams and drinks. Sound delicious? You’ll stop licking your lips after you’ve heard that it’s made from the crushed female un-hatched larva of the Cochineal beetle.

Animal rennet is an enzyme made from the stomach of calves and lambs, and is often used in cheese. Fortunately, it’s usually listed in ingredients as “animal rennet,” since rennet can also be made from vegetables.

Gylcerine is a type of animal fat that is often blended with vegetable fats. Many soap products contain it, and do not always state whether it is plant or animal-based. If in doubt, contact the manufacturer. Glycerine is also found in some chewing gums.

Lecithin is found in egg yolks, the tissues and organs of many animals, and some vegetables such as soybeans and corn. It’s often used in butter and margarine, and other foods high in fat and oils. If it’s vegetarian, the ingredients will state “Soy Lecithin.” Luckily, Lecithin is usually made from soy these days.

Beware of the phrase “Natural flavors,” on a product. Sounds friendly, doesn’t it? But often, these will be derived from beef or other meats. Contact the company and ask them what they use in their natural flavors. They may not always tell you, but the more people that do this, the more they’ll be likely to start making it available knowledge.

The world of processed foods is a strange one that seems to be intent on making sure you don’t know what you’re putting in your mouth. Today’s world, as Srila Prabhupada’s guru Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati so succinctly put it, is “No place for a gentleman.” But while you’re here, you would do well to brush up on your knowledge of animal ingredients.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) have a comprehensive list [2] that should get you started. Good sources of additional information are the Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients and the Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, available at most libraries or bookstores. And of course, if you have a question regarding an ingredient in a product, just call the manufacturer.