Grow, Nourish, Sustain Through Food!
It’s said the basic need of the individual is roti (food), kapda (body) and makaan (shelter). Give a deep thought to this, you will be amazed that food influences the clothes size that we wear and the kind of sleep that we get each day!
Is it that people who are not getting enough food are in the category of malnourishment? And what about obese individuals? Hunger once seemed like a simple problem. But increasingly, hunger exists side-by-side with obesity. Within the same community, some people are overweight & obese while others don't have enough to eat.
The dual burden of malnutrition is - undernourishment and obesity. Undernourishment causes stunting, wasting, lack of vitamins and minerals; whereas in obesity there is deficiency of essential vitamins and minerals caused due to poor gut health. And the tricky part: You can't "fix" hunger by just feeding people empty calories. You've got to nourish people with healthy, nutrient-dense foods, so they don't become obese.
Along with COVID 19, we are also at the global pandemic of obesity. One of the major reasons that today most of the population have struck obesity is due to imbalance in the intake of right nutrients and second is the way we are perusing our meal time rituals.
Let me make food very simple for you by giving some easy to do tips –
- Practice Gratitude –
In the midst of hush-hush life, day by day we are forgetting the beautiful culture practiced by our ancestors of paying gratitude to your food. Each religion across globe calls for some kind of prayers before eating and after eating. The wisdom behind this is there is shift in your mind and preparing your body to start your digestion system and maximises digestion and absorption of the food post consumption. Do practice gratitude before start of every meal, and definitely post completing.
- Food vs Food -
How much time does it take to peel a banana OR open a packet of high salt-high sugary food? It’s the same right? Here’s a classic saying - “You are What you eat.” remember just 5 words whenever you crave for packet food! More the food is wrapped, more its processed and least and cheapest nutrients available in them. However, all natural foods are great in vitamins and minerals which has tremendous health benefits. Ensure that a good amounts of seasonal and naturally grown foods is going in your system as compared to pampered (wrapped) or hybrid foods.
- Eat Seasonal, Eat local –
More the food is travelled, more are the nutrients lost. Seasonal, easily available and local foods should be the criteria to opt for. Eat a balanced and complete meal. The best practice is to have small kitchen garden in your house and eat garden fresh vegetables. Planting like tulsi, coriander leaves or microgreens can take great to begin with.
- State of Positive mind –
Right from buying the food to making the food, till the time food is served and consumed. The mindsets of all these various individuals handling foods matters the most. Afterall, it’s all about intentions. Positive mindset has positive intention and thus makes the best food on this earth. Shift your mind from any negative feeling /emotion/ thought to a positive mindset before you start cooking or eating your meal. This can be easily achieved by practising 3 deep inhales and 3 deep exhales with closed eyes before starting your meal. Practise this daily and see the shift in you!
- Basic Movements –
We humans are caveman’s and with every passing century we are getting closer to strain our brain cells and not our limbs. This is why the whole chaos that we are facing in our body systems today. Completing workout for 150 minutes/week is just not enough, however we should be moving on every 30 minutes to 1 hour for the food that consumed to be digested well.
Make Food your BFF and not fear. Relish each morsel and enjoy each delicacy with the above pointers. This will help to make your food as your BFF and be a better person to be around. Food is Power, Food is Energy, Food is Life!
Writtern by,
Alfana Khatri
Head Holistic Health Coach at Gold’s Gym India