(This blog is in continuation of previous two blogs in this thread Story of THE FOOD WE CONSUME (1/3) and Story of THE FOOD WE CONSUME (2/3))
So far, we have understood the
dynamics of food we eat and how it affects our long term health. The objective
is to find the right food to eat on daily basis in our busy lives.
One of the biggest problems with
modern food habits is that much of our food is refined or highly processed.
Refining helps giving the end product a softer texture and also extends its
shelf life, however, the refining process removes important nutrients like
fiber, iron and vitamins. Nutrient content of any food is directly related to
spoil rate of that food. A highly processed food is going to last longer on
supermarket shelf because pests like mold are less attracted to foods that are
low in nutrients. A ready to eat highly processed and packaged Vegetable Rice Biryani will
spoil much more slowly than a Vegetable Rice Biryani cooked at home with
natural fresh ingredients. This brings us to an interesting question: if highly
processed food is so low in nutrients that even pests do not want to consume
it, how healthy can it be for us? Thus thinking about nutrient density of food
is also a sensible way of making food choices.
Michael Pollan simplified the
complexity of our relationship with food. Based on years of research he gave a
seven-word simple rule: Eat Food, Not Too
Much, Mostly Plants. The key issue is: Are we eating real food? Isn’t all
the stuff in supermarket food? Well not really. Michael explains “A lot of the
products are relatively new, highly processed edible food-like substances that
are really what gets most people in trouble. They tend to have lots of refined
sugars, refined fats and very little fiber, very little of antioxidants you
find in plants. And basically they were designed for long shelf life, these
processed foods. And the way you make food last longer is you take out what is
nutritionally valuable.” The rule given by Michael can be interpreted as:
Substitute highly processed food with less processed whole foods, do not
consume excess calories, and consume a diet rich in plant-based food.
The ideal food to eat on regular
basis is undoubtedly home cooked food. In many ways, Cooking is empowerment.
The person stirring the pan has the final say on how much fat, sugar, salt and
total calories end up in the foods we eat. Unlike the processed food industry
or supermarkets or restaurants we have the long term health and the consumer in
mind when we prepare our own food.
Many will argue that cooking is
time-consuming and needs multiple resources but I believe it is time to make a
conscious decision. Do we really want to
take back control on our health and lifestyle? It’s all about changing the
modern mindset. Cooking could be a great opportunity towards a more harmonious
life with our family and friends. Instead of seeing as loss of time, cooking
can be seen as investing time into people who matter. Teaching cooking to younger
generation, who are missing this traditional art, will not only be fun but a vital
lifelong skill. This is not only healthy but also an inexpensive way to live a
longer life.
Eating in moderation is another
great tool towards a healthy body. If we can master the skill of eating with
moderation, then no single food need to be forbidden. We can eat the food we enjoy as long as we don’t consume too much of
them. The moment at which you are no longer hungry is many bites before the
time you are stuffed. Having a control on food portion size can help immensely.
We can also opt for portion control for effective weight management by buying
smaller size plates, bowls and cups.
Simple ways to start healthy
eating habits is by increasing daily consumption of fresh fruits and
vegetables, replacing unhealthy snacks with healthy homemade options, controlling
the quantity of fat, salt and sugar. Prepare dishes with a wide variety of
different colored vegetables as they contain different micro-nutrients. Sharing
cooking process with all family members is a great way to save time. One half of your plate should be plant
based food, one fourth in whole grain and the rest in lean protein rich food. Most
of the time the best drink to quench our thirst and keep us hydrated and
healthy is plain, clean water. Drinking water before each meal may even be
helpful for weight management. Eat slowly, eat socially, eat better quality
food.
By doing the best we can with the
resources that are available to each of us, we can optimize our nutritional
health and prevent many of the chronic diseases we as society are fighting
with. The possibilities are endless. But getting into the habit of creating a
healthy plate, sitting down for mealtime, and taking time to enjoy our meals.
These are the pearls of wisdom our great grandmothers wore every day. Eating
and sharing food is an ongoing celebration in each culture and it must remain
so, only we have to make right choices.
No comments:
Post a Comment