Pardon me for combining two replies into one post - I really didn't want to,
but I am afraid I would go over the limit of 5/day. (Actually, this
is the sixth post since 10 PM Pacific time last night, the 5th for
today Pacific time; I hope no one is upset. If this bounces, I will repost
it tomorrow.)

Robert Wynman <[log in to unmask]>:
>Tom, please to suggest a source for organic sprouting oats.  I spoke with
>Jaffee & they say theirs are dead, as are those from two other sources I've
>tried.  HELP!

Tom:
I have bought sprouting oats from Jaffee in the past, and they have indeed
sprouted for me. It has been nearly a year since I last bought oats from
them (I buy 25 pound bags, store it). I'm surprised that they now say their
sprouting oats will not sprout! Are you sure you asked about their sprouting
oats, rather than their hulled, "whole oats"?

If indeed they no longer carry viable, sprouting oats, then the only alternative
I know of is:
1) call grain suppliers in your area, see if they carry it (probably not, but
maybe for the following..)
2) check with feed stores - see if any feed stores carry unhulled oats as
horse feed. This is slightly riskier than buying for human feed,  as the
Agriculture Dept. regulations on grain grown for animals, are much looser
in regards to pesticides and contaminants.

If you cannot get sprouting oats, buy hulled oats and soak them overnight
in the refrigerator - use as replacement for sprouted oats in any recipes.


Robert Wynman <[log in to unmask]>:
>Yes, Instinctos seem to define "poison" or "toxin" that anything the body
>doesn't NEED NOW, so the finest durian or watermelon or broccoli becomes
>optimum food one instant & poison the next.  (Interesting definiton which I
>find useful!)  What do you consider an "honest" definiton?

Tom:
The finest nectar, in excess, can be a "poison". Anything in excess can
cause harm to the person indulging in the excess.

The following is adapted from "Prakruti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution", by
Robert Svoboda, pages 57-58.

Let me answer the question in a simple way. Assume you ingest a substance.
It can be food, poison, or medicine. Foods are those substances which
nourish and maintain the body, mind, and spirit. Those substances that
enhance digestion (both physical and mental), and enhance nourishment,
are medicines. Poisons are those substances which interfere with digestion
and the nourishment of the body.

Food is any substance that you can dominate (burn in your digestion and
use), medicine is anything that assists you in that domination, and
poisons are anything that challenge your domination, that try to dominate you.

The above approach has a beautiful logical symmetry, and is the reason I
think the natural hygiene idea that medicines don't exist, is nonsense
and denial of reality.

So, a cooked item that you can digest (like steamed veggies, steamed rice, etc.)
is a food, while any item - raw or cooked - that you cannot digest, is
poison to you. If something is poison to you, but not to others, it may be
idiosyncratic, or a sign that your digestion is weak. After following a
fruitarian diet for years, I had difficulty digesting protein. Some
fruitarians go off the "deep end" when that happens and claim that raw
protein foods (like sunflower seeds) are poison. So, one must not jump to
conclusions quickly on such matters. Those fruitarians, if they strengthened
their digestive fires, could easily digest protein. Similarly, they could
also digest simple cooked food - but their digestive fires are weak after
years of fruit - a heavy, watery, substance that is high in sugar (which
interferes with digestion if consumed in excess). In other words, if you
strengthen the digestion, it may become food, and is no longer "poison" to you.

Regards,
Tom Billings
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