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Home » Diet » Diets in times of disequilibrium – The Hindu

For the first time in years we have been stirred by images of migrant workers attempting to cross borders within our country, hungry and powerless. Perhaps it is because we have finally had the time to feel. In our comfortable homes, we have experienced empathy, some guilt, a great deal of thankfulness, and a sense of responsibility in the way we procure food and eat. We are finally measuring our lives in coffee spoons not a bad thing in times like these.

It is a good time to reflect on what we are eating, says Manjari Chandra, a functional nutritionist in Delhi. She talks of minimalism when it comes to food, looking at fasting (for 14 to 16 hours) instead of feasting, and building responsible food practices like stopping before we are full or cutting down the number of meals we have in a day. Here is how you can buy and eat more mindfully taking into account our own nutrition, the health of our community, and our environment, because in the end, everything is connected.

Your only innate guard is immunity, and because we have a long way to go, it is best to try and get this strengthened, says Chandra. It is not like popping a pill though a couple of bone broths and salads may not immediately get you a more robust immune system. Look at it as working on the terrain. She means when every part of the body is strengthened, and all your systems are working like they should, it is likely you will have good immunity.

The immunity function lies in the gut, so those who have constipation, acidity, or any other gut malfunction, could strengthen it with vitamins (especially vitamin C) and minerals (zinc, magnesium, selenium), adds Chandra. Again, people who are immune-compromised are those who have hormonal imbalances, endocrine-related disorders like diabetes, and autoimmune conditions. It is important to know that everyone can gradually build immunity.

Onion, ginger, garlic, tulsi, pomegranate, and eucalyptus are all anti-viral foods that can reduce the chance of you contracting a viral infection. However, there are no definitive studies on how much of each is good to consume. It is safe to put these in the traditional foods we eat. Star anise can be had in a tea with mint: it has shikimic acid that is used in the medicine Tamiflu to treat the H1N1 virus. Black pepper, asafoetida, and carom (ajwain/oman) are also helpful.

Internal inflammation makes you susceptible to disease. Highly processed foods, and a diet rich in refined oils, high carbohydrate, high protein, and simple sugars cause inflammation. Cut down on sucrose-rich fruits that cause insulin spikes.

Dietician Sheela Krishnaswamy says we need to use this time as an opportunity to eat healthy. Cooking fresh, not ordering in, and not buying processed-packaged food are valuable practices we can take into the days ahead.

In Goa, where she is based, and fruits are a currently a rarity, (while vegetables are not regularly supplied in the market), she says it is possible to work with what is at home cereals and dals, changing these up if possible, millets-dal, brown-rice-dal, wholewheat-dal. These give the macronutrients and some micronutrients.

She says it is a good idea to add ghee and/or coconut oil and simple spices and herbs to the food for antioxidant protection. If you can set some curd at home, nothing like it, for beneficial bacteria. The availability of minerals and vitamins in whole sprouted grains, like ragi, green gram, chana, goes up and their digestibility increases as starch is partially broken down.

It is also a time to look around the house and consume all the little bottles of ingredients that we have put on the backshelf. Finish the raw peanuts and the leftover nuts and seeds do soak them overnight to get rid of the anti-nutrients, which are plant compounds like phytates that reduce the absorption of minerals. And while you are drinking manjal, have it with milk it needs a fat medium to be better absorbed, says Lovneet Batra, a sports nutritionist in Delhi.

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Diets in times of disequilibrium - The Hindu

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Home » Diet » Diets in times of disequilibrium – The Hindu