Book Kemetic Diet -C ePub.xhtml

toconductfarmingalongitsbanks,whichfromtimetotimefloodintothevalleyandleavedeposits.
Thesedepositscreateextremelyfertilesoil,andtherefore,goodconditionsforfarming.Thegreat
rivervalleysoftheworldareknownastheNileRiverValley(Africa),theEuphratesRiverValley
(Mesopotamia),TheIndusRiverValley(India),andtheYellowRiverValley(China).However,in
AncientEgyptthesituationwasevenmoreoptimumthantherest.NotedbyHerodotus,theregularity
oftheNilefloodallowedearlyfarmerstheretoplantheircropsandcultivatethelandwithgreater
easethananyotherpeopleintheworld.Thisallowedthemtousethelongestandmostreliableriver
intheworldasasourceofsustenance,sothattheymightengageinotherpursuitssuchascivilization
intheformofart,architecture,religion,philosophy,medicalscience,etc.ThefertilityoftheNile
coupled with the stability of the climate went along way to promote the general health.
Breastfeeding
Therearefewthingsinthisworldthataremoremysteriousthanlife.Modernsciencestillcannotex-
plainlife,thatis,whylifeexists,howdoesitperpetuateandwhydoesitreproduce.Forallthean-
swersaboutwhichsciencecantheorize,the“how”ofthereproductionprocess,thereisnoscientist
thatcanpenetratethewhyoflife.Thisgloriousmystery,whileunexplainable,isdescribable,andthe
meanstopromotehealthareknown.Theindustrialandtechnologicalrevolutionswouldhavepeople
believethatcannedfoodsarebetterthanfreshfoods,andinthelate 19 thandformostofthe 20 th
centuriestheseindustrieshadconvincedpeopleinwesterncountriesthatbreastfeedingwasonemore
unnecessarytradition.Now,inthelate 20 thcenturyandaswecommencethe 21 st,thereisagrowing
realizationthatthelackofbreastfeedingorshortenedperiodofbreastfeedingisacontributingsource
tocompromisedimmunesystemsandchildrengrowingupwithbehavioralproblemsandother
diseases.
Ithasbeendiscoveredthatmotherstransferessentialnutrientsandantibodiesthroughbreast-milk,
nottomentiontheimpactofbondingandnurturingaswellasthedevelopmentofthechild’semo-
tions.Thereisnoquestionofacorrelationbetweenlackofbeingnurturedasaninfantand/orchild,
andthedevelopmentofemotionalandphysicaldisabilitieslateroninlife.Thelackorreductionof
breastfeedinghasbeenfoundtopromotemorediseaseandmentaldisorderswhencomparedtoa
groupofthepopulationwhohavebeenbreastfedforlongerperiodsaschildren.Innon-westerncoun-
tries,theperiodofbreastfeedingis 2 to 3 ormoreyearsafterbirth.Bycontrast,virtuallyallchildren
intheUnitedStatesareweanedbythe 12 thmonth,andmanybythefirst,sothatmotherscanget
back to their jobs or careers.
TheAncientEgyptianpracticeofbreastfeedingprovidesfurtherinsightintothehealthofthepeople.
Itwasgeneralpracticetobreastfeedchildrentotheageofthree,andifneeded,awetnursewouldbe
commissionedforthetask.ThefollowingpassagefromtheWisdomTeachingsofAnyprovidesin-
sightintothepracticeofbreastfeedinginAncientEgypt.SageAnyextolsthevirtueoftakingcareof
one’s parents, in this case the mother, who breastfed for three years.

Double the food your mother gave you,

Support her as she supported you;

She had a heavy load in you,