Begin typing your search...
Style your menu to suit the summer
Lifestyle expert Pankhuri Agarwal on how whimsical diets cause more damage than good, what healthy food is according to one’s body and eating habits to be followed during summer
Chennai
The world’ attitude towards food has changed, what people eat is based on a new fad rather than need — this debate has two sides and for today, we speak to Pankhuri Agarwal, who supports this argument. She is a lifestyle therapist hailing from Chennai and constantly finds herself rolling her eyes at the ‘stupidity’ people exercise when it comes to food.
Most trends originate from the West and we follow them blindly; Pankhuri urges us look at the new craze of plant-based diets. She elaborates, “I’m using the example of London, where such a diet consists of kale, sourdough bread, black beans and avocado, plus alternatives to cow’s milk with almonds. Does this satiate the body’s need of phytonutrients? Is it feasible or sustainable for us Indians?” The answer, according to her, is a big, fat NO! So how does one determine what healthy eating is? “If a particular kind of food is what your family has been eating for generations, then that’s what your body will accept. In addition to this, food that makes you happy, which is clean and fresh and which is conducive to the environment around you is healthy food,” says this expert. “Trends should not determine what you eat, but the above factors should.”
According to Pankhuri, here’s how one must opt for food that is good for them:
- If you like eating a certain kind of food but don’t like something else, apples for instance, then don’t force yourself to eat it
- Locally grown produce is better; also, choose foods that suit the weather conditions in your region
- Every food group has its pros and cons so it’s better not to be greedy — even water, which is said to be the elixir of life, can damage your kidneys if consumed excessively
- Understand what is the best, innate quality in each ingredient and prepare it so that the nutrients are not lost
- The intention with which you cook food affects its energy, in turn affecting you. So be positive while cooking.
Common food myths busted
- Being a non-vegetarian is cruel: Cruelty of a person doesn’t depend on what they eat, it’s industries that ought to be regulated. Drinking milk or eating meat is not bad but the barbaric methods in which these products are harvested
- Keto diet is good in the long run: This diet works for a certain amount of time but eventually the body needs carbohydrates to function. Keto diet is a treatment, not a sustainable lifestyle
- Reducing oil reduces cholesterol: The plant kingdom doesn’t contain cholesterol so oils taken from plants don’t either
Dos and don’ts during summer
- Salty, pungent and sour food is recommended. Moderately spicy food is acceptable because its post-metabolic effect cools down the body by making one sweat
- Butter, ghee and cool milk should be consumed
- Seasonal fruits, certain dry fruits like raisins and cashew nuts, cucumber, pulses and gourds are must eats
- Avoid alcohol, urad dal, curd at night and mustard oil. Instead of refrigerated, store water in earthen pots and drink on an hourly basis
— AR
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android
Next Story