For Good Health, Eat Like A Rasta! - "Ital is Vital"

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As my love for Reggae has grown, so has my interest in the Rastafari diet.  As it turns out, they are a people after my own heart - with a love of fresh, natural, organic foods, and a rejection of artificial, processed and refined foods.  Hooray for the Rastas!

The Rastafari diet centres on ital, which has profound spiritual significance as well as physical.  Ital means 'vital' and refers to whole foods in their natural and unaltered states; foods that nourish the body and cause no harm.    
 

Ideally they prefer local foods produced by their own hands (without the use of chemicals) rather than packaged foods purchased from supermarkets.  Eating food fresh from the land – pure and organic - strengthens the connection between man and nature.
 

They absolutely do not eat any processed, refined or artificial foods.  Nor do they add salt to cooking, but are impressively savvy in their use of herbs and spices for flavouring dishes.    

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Ital cooking is predominantly vegan, though many Rastas eat some fish.  Their dietry laws are based on the Biblical guidelines set out in Leviticus 11, showing respect for their bodies by eating only 'clean' foods.  As with the Jewish diet, Rastafari don't eat shellfish or anything from the ocean without scales.    
 

Avoiding processed foods means they can avoid the illnesses associated with a processed diet, and therefore don't have to rely on Western medicines.  They commonly say “let food be your doctor” (source).  In the same way they're careful to  protect their kidneys and liver by using clay pots for cooking rather than metal ones.

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Some popular ingredients in ital cooking are:
 

coconut (oil and milk) 

scotch bonnet & other peppers 

collard greens 

kale 

pumpkin 

callaloo (similar to spinach) 

avocado 

mango 

passionfruit 

banana 

sugar apple 

guava 

breadfruit 

soursop 

tamarind 

lemongrass 

plantain 

sweet potato 

lentils 

beans 

rice 

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("5 Cs" shared with kind permission from @kiwideb)