It's 2019 and we probably have the best tasting food that the planet has ever had. From gooey chocolate cakes to savoury samosas, to tangy aam panna...the list is endless. In fact, we have upped the ante when it comes to the focus on taste. Cooking shows and MasterChef programs are all about 'packing the flavor' into minuscule serving portions. With increased focus on food, one would expect the health of the population to go up substantially. Sadly, that is not the case. Our generation could arguably be the most unhealthy, in all the time we have been on this planet. We, as a population, seem to focus what goes on our tongue rather than what goes into our stomach. The ancient systems of medicine have been very focused on two things. Less processing and more diversity.Our ancestors ate meat and drank brews but their health issues were mainly related to infections and lack of food.
We have infections and lack of food largely covered. We strove to improve our economy and get more people into the factory line and opened the stage to a whole bunch of man-made diseases. It may be time to review what food goes on our plate and how we cook and eat.
Maybe we could change a few lifestyle practices and utilize our farming, logistics and storage practices for enhancing the quality/quantity of nutrition in our food. Currently, a large percentage of our population has better access to processed/outside food, rather than fresh home made food. In addition to the lack of freshly cooked, minimally processed food,we also have very little food diversity to pick and choose from. This statement takes into account that we now have access to produce from all over the world. Let us delve into this point a little, to get a proper understanding. If we take the carrot, in India, we have access to the orange and red carrot. At a pinch, if we have access to some expensive ' exotic' veggies, then we have have access to purple carrots, purple cabbage etc. However, the way they are grown, shipped, stored and sold, their nutrition is less than a quarter of what a single red carrot's nutrition used to be, 4 decades ago. We have unblemished fruits and vegetables, but not dissimilar to elaborate movie sets, these have no value apart from the visual.
In the early 1980's, a trip to the local markets of Mumbai would reveal produce that would take you a couple of hours to peruse, choose and purchase. In the months of April-May you would have Gunda fruits, 15 varieties of raw and ripe mango, 6+ varieties of beans, pomelo, grapefruit, Sweet lime, bitter lime, achar lime, citrons,loose-jacket oranges, purple yam, elephant ear yam, leaves, sweet potatoes, methi leaves, Agasthi leaves, 5 varieties of Amaranth leaves, tadgolas, tender coconuts, red guavas, yellow guavas, white guavas, 9 varieties of bananas, 7 varieties of chillies, pandan leaves, fresh turmeric, mango ginger, black ginger, regular ginger, banana stem, banana flowers, neem leaves, large karela, small karela, sugarcane, turmeric leaves,baby jackfruit, baby breadfruit...
I could go on, but moving to June-July, you would be met by Kantolas, Tinda, Parwal, Takla(Cassia tora), Laal math leaves, Arbi leaves, Shevlya(Dragon stalk yam), Phodshi(Chlorophytum borivilianum), Mahua fruit, Fatangdi, Charbhandi, Ambushi(Indian sorrel), Mayalu(Malabar spinach), Kaapal fodi(Balloon vine), Nali (Water spinch), Aghada(Prickly chaff flower), Gokhru (Small caltrops), Bharangi (Clerodendrum serratum), Chiu (Portulaca oleracea),Kurdu (Celosia argentea), Kakad (Garuga pinnata), Korla (Bauhinia malabarica), Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera), Kavla (Smithia sensitiva), Ikra (Duranta erecta ‘Alba’)...Need I say more?
We have infections and lack of food largely covered. We strove to improve our economy and get more people into the factory line and opened the stage to a whole bunch of man-made diseases. It may be time to review what food goes on our plate and how we cook and eat.
Maybe we could change a few lifestyle practices and utilize our farming, logistics and storage practices for enhancing the quality/quantity of nutrition in our food. Currently, a large percentage of our population has better access to processed/outside food, rather than fresh home made food. In addition to the lack of freshly cooked, minimally processed food,we also have very little food diversity to pick and choose from. This statement takes into account that we now have access to produce from all over the world. Let us delve into this point a little, to get a proper understanding. If we take the carrot, in India, we have access to the orange and red carrot. At a pinch, if we have access to some expensive ' exotic' veggies, then we have have access to purple carrots, purple cabbage etc. However, the way they are grown, shipped, stored and sold, their nutrition is less than a quarter of what a single red carrot's nutrition used to be, 4 decades ago. We have unblemished fruits and vegetables, but not dissimilar to elaborate movie sets, these have no value apart from the visual.In the early 1980's, a trip to the local markets of Mumbai would reveal produce that would take you a couple of hours to peruse, choose and purchase. In the months of April-May you would have Gunda fruits, 15 varieties of raw and ripe mango, 6+ varieties of beans, pomelo, grapefruit, Sweet lime, bitter lime, achar lime, citrons,loose-jacket oranges, purple yam, elephant ear yam, leaves, sweet potatoes, methi leaves, Agasthi leaves, 5 varieties of Amaranth leaves, tadgolas, tender coconuts, red guavas, yellow guavas, white guavas, 9 varieties of bananas, 7 varieties of chillies, pandan leaves, fresh turmeric, mango ginger, black ginger, regular ginger, banana stem, banana flowers, neem leaves, large karela, small karela, sugarcane, turmeric leaves,baby jackfruit, baby breadfruit...
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| PhotoCourtesy: rushina munshaw ghildiyal |
Keep in mind that this list of vegetables is just for Maharashtra. If you check Rajasthan, Assam or Kerala the list would be different, albeit with a few overlaps. The Japanese have an understanding about nutrition, where they try to use a variety of foods without repeating the same everyday. The Siddha way of nutrition is to ensure that the same vegetable is not repeated within 48 hours (Unless for medical reasons) to ensure food diversity. Most eastern cultures give utmost importance to freshness, reducing storage time from market to plate. The concept of a vegetable cart is very popular in several countries, so people store produce just for 3-4 days. India is part of this culture which has nutritious recipes effortlessly blending taste with goodness. Where are we going wrong? Two useful inventions have possibly reduced our focus on fresh food. Refrigerators and Canned/ Packaged foods. Before fridges, food could be kept for a couple of hours and then fresh food had to be cooked. After the technology of canning, food that could be kept for up to a week in the fridge, could now be consumed after a year. Despite these 2 wonderful entries into our kitchen, our food diversity and nutrition have reduced. We can broadly look at two ways that nutrition is being compromised in our homes:
One is routine. The comfort of routine has us looking at idli sambhar on Thursday morning, with the same sambhar used for dinner with dosas. Friday would have toast and eggs on the breakfast table and dinner out to celebrate the weekend. Saturday would possibly be aloo paratha with pickle and a lavish dinner with rotis, paneer butter masala, raita, papads, lemon juice, a couple of beers etc. The late Saturday dinner would greatly aid long and luxurious sleep on a Sunday morning with Biryani for Brunch. Sunday evening colors one blue with the impending work week, so its probably left overs or take out. All of this is peppered with generous cups of tea and coffee and OTC snacks that are now easily available. The second is change in lifestyle. The extended families are now tiny, nuclear families which have both the parents working, with the children being a guilt-heavy responsibility to the already stressed adults. Now Individuals need to work, clean, cook, manage a social circle, bring up children and earn their living. Keeping this backdrop, it is easy to see why kadak chai, sliced bread, cooking for the week and Swiggy dominate our lives. Convenience!
It is important to make a few changes here and there to improve our health. The change will not be immediate. A slow and calculated approach can easily balance the body's requirement for nutrition and the need to balance work stress. Some markets in Mumbai have very rich and diverse produce, like Matunga market, Dadar and Grant road. You can get local exotics for very reasonable prices and the vendor will probably also tell you how the new vegetable can be cooked. Once the demand for variety increases from the customer's side, the vendors will happily stock many different produce, instead of the same lettuce-cauliflower-carrot-Aloo mandate. Promise yourself at least one new vegetable every week. The more wild vegetables we bring into our kitchen, the better our health
One is routine. The comfort of routine has us looking at idli sambhar on Thursday morning, with the same sambhar used for dinner with dosas. Friday would have toast and eggs on the breakfast table and dinner out to celebrate the weekend. Saturday would possibly be aloo paratha with pickle and a lavish dinner with rotis, paneer butter masala, raita, papads, lemon juice, a couple of beers etc. The late Saturday dinner would greatly aid long and luxurious sleep on a Sunday morning with Biryani for Brunch. Sunday evening colors one blue with the impending work week, so its probably left overs or take out. All of this is peppered with generous cups of tea and coffee and OTC snacks that are now easily available. The second is change in lifestyle. The extended families are now tiny, nuclear families which have both the parents working, with the children being a guilt-heavy responsibility to the already stressed adults. Now Individuals need to work, clean, cook, manage a social circle, bring up children and earn their living. Keeping this backdrop, it is easy to see why kadak chai, sliced bread, cooking for the week and Swiggy dominate our lives. Convenience!
It is important to make a few changes here and there to improve our health. The change will not be immediate. A slow and calculated approach can easily balance the body's requirement for nutrition and the need to balance work stress. Some markets in Mumbai have very rich and diverse produce, like Matunga market, Dadar and Grant road. You can get local exotics for very reasonable prices and the vendor will probably also tell you how the new vegetable can be cooked. Once the demand for variety increases from the customer's side, the vendors will happily stock many different produce, instead of the same lettuce-cauliflower-carrot-Aloo mandate. Promise yourself at least one new vegetable every week. The more wild vegetables we bring into our kitchen, the better our health
Process just your thoughts. Keep your food wild!
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