Indian Food Habits

The normal Indian meal across the nation generally comprises of pulses , rice , rotis , a vegetable preparation . I am not including the other trappings and frills that could accompany the food based on the geography . And these add ons could be pickles, jams , papads etc . I have two observations to make a)This combination of high proteins and carbohydrates that has been designed since ages and passed on to the average Indian as a full meal best suits an agrarian life style b)It is time that we start rethinking about the composition of the normal Indian meal . This might sound a bit drastic to many folks . But I think that we were traditionally an agrarian society . The particular food composition and pattern that we consider as normal Indian diet has been existing since ages . But who consumed that food before the industrialization of society took place ?They were the people who were used to physical labor and a rugged lifestyle shorn of modern day amenities . Thus a rich diet suited that lifestyle . Our society definitely has changed -at least the urban one, but the food habits remain the same .Thus the modern lifestyle which is characterized more by mental labor rather than the physical variety requires an alteration of the traditional Indian diet . We definitely need to cut the carbohydrates and the oil / ghee involved in cooking . India, if lot of health reports and studies are to be believed , will potentially have the highest number of diabetics in the world after a few years .I think diet along with other factors will contribute to a large extent to this medical pandemic .

This change of diet requires a change in mindset and a break from old habits . The breaking of old habits will involve a transformation in the vegetables , snacks , cooking medium that we use and thus calls for a change of lifestyle . Now this is very difficult to bring . There are several reason for this . Some of the important ones being that a) we are used to a certain pattern of purchases and consumption of food items and that would be tough to change b)Availability !!! That is the biggest challenge . Even when you travel , go to work the food that is available in India is mainly rich and full of carbs and proteins . It is difficult to get what is called light lunches or snacks easily c)Our palate as such is conditioned to a certain taste and in case we want to adopt a different food pattern we will have to cultivate those tastes . It will not come naturally . There are a lot of people who have already made that transition and have adopted a more healthy food pattern . But this transformation needs to percolate to the masses as well . In addition to this the so called health or diet food as it is called also comes at a premium . So how will the masses afford that ? There are other alternatives present eg instead of a fried snack one could go in for a lighter food item like a dosa, idli ,roti . Then TEMPTATION too plays a vital factor . We have such tasty food easily available everywhere …. How do we consciously take to food( read health food) that is not so terribly tasty and may be even bland at times … Well that is a matter of individual choice even as I try to resist a tasty ( but fat and carb filled ) pav bhaji or samosa as I see it daintily spread in the office cafeteria most of the times !!!