In this time of lockdown or quarantine for some, there are many simple truths that come to the forefront. Eat simple, be humble and remain grateful. These key lessons for life should bring to mind the basics – no, not toilet paper, but food.
“We’ve gotten back to eating home cooked nutrition packed foods.” Well for the most part atleast. Now I crave fresh drumstick leaves but I can’t head to my neighbors tree or even go out to buy some. Have you noticed what you are craving to eat?
I have access to loads of processed food and the ready to eat kind but somewhere inside I thoroughly relish cooking fresh food, reading up new recipes and even discussing recipes on groups.
We all still work from home and at home so what had changed? Our body too like the earth has reset itself to a healing mode. What better way to heal than food.
“Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go.” – Anthony Bourdain
Early diet in India mainly consisted of legumes, vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products, and honey. Staple foods eaten today include a variety of lentils (dal), whole-wheat flour (aṭṭa), rice, and pearl millet (bājra), which has been cultivated in the Indian subcontinent since 6200 BCE, there’s much more like that.
Some common observations:
1. Eating fresh food for every meal.
2. Following new recipes with ingredients locally available, some of which we haven’t tried before.
3. Eating together as a family.
Let this not be a wasted exercise but one by which we reset our lives and choose healthy options of food. We can simply choose to be mindful of what we eat because we become what we feed our bodies. A shout out to all our farmers for providing for us.
So journey with us as we bring back traditional foods starting with your baby.
