In today’s fast driven life health has become a primary concern, irrespective of age group. As we all know, health is now a comprehensive term encompassing not only what we eat and the physical activity we undertake but also how we lead our lives and even how we think and react to our surrounds and people. In other words, our eating habits, exercise schedule, lifestyle and patterns of thoughts and emotions.
At my age, I know it’s important to eat healthy, do exercise in moderation, take walks regularly keeping in mind the climatic conditions, have a disciplined routine, keep a tab on blood pressure, sugar and other body parameters and think positive and be happy, grateful and content.
But out of all these, at least in my case, I have seen that the diet I follow has the greatest impact not only on my body but also on my mental state. It took some time for me to grasp that eating healthy and health food is not the same. Through advertisements and other marketing gimmicks, Companies producing food supplements , make us believe that what they are selling is the best for our health and if we are not consuming them we are depriving our bodies of their benefits.
Almost every day there is one article or the other in newspapers and magazines on exotic fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts proclaiming them to be health mandates or better sources of nutrients than what we are usually partaking in our everyday meals.
My personal experience tells me that the gut works on its own memory – what it has been fed all along and what it is used to digesting. Experimenting with food does not always produce desirable results. If our gut is not used to these items it may not be able to extract the best out of them. As a result, we may develop allergic reactions or simply end up with an upset stomach.
We have to simply monitor that our daily intake has sufficient amounts of fibre, protein, the requisite amount of fat and carbs (on the lower side) and liquids. The spice and oil level should be controlled. And voila! We have our healthy khana ready.
It may sound rather funny but I have seen whenever I stick to a vegetarian diet low on spices and oil I have a heartening feel – a sense of well being. This reaction may be purely psychological. The fact remains that I am a non-vegetarian. Medically I am required to have fish, egg and chicken. And after sticking to a prolonged course of vegetarian meals I do get a biological urge to have non-veg.
However, since I have got into the habit of often excluding non-veg from my diet I have developed an intolerance towards the raw smell of fish and meat. As a result, I avoid going to meat and fish shops and usually order over the phone or online. Also post preparation the kitchen needs a thorough cleaning too.
My peevishness has made me depend on veg proteins like soya (beans), paneer, and whole pulses more. To make things exciting I try out new recipes and also create my own. Recently I have been trying my hand at soya kebabs. My idea of cooking is tasty but easy preparations in less time. If the process is unavoidably long I do it in phases.
Like in the case of soya kebab which requires three to four steps – (i) pressure cooking the overnight soaked dal with soya granules and all the masalas, (ii) grinding them into a preferably coarse paste, (iii) drying the water content in the paste on slow fire (iv) rolling into shape when in room temperature (and freezing them, if required, for later use) and (v) frying them in a non-stick pan brushed with oil.
Lo! Your chatpataa soya kebab is ready!!
I am sure you all must be knowing better ways of making kebabs. But this is the way I cook. So far they have turned out well though I am still refining the process. In case you’d like to share some tips I am eager to know.
Looking forward to your value addition.
I am participating in Blogchatter’s #WriteAPageADay Campaign
What a gut feeling Greta Ji 🌹🌹 well I advise you to search old friends with whom you enjoyed non veg food in your youth. Arrange a feast together. I modestly guess that you will feel less nauseating. Something which is missed by all diet talkers is the company in food. It cannot be necessarily your family.
LikeLiked by 2 people
What a value addition!!
Yes, the like minded company while enjoying one’s most favourite dishes.
You are correct we never talk about them.
Why? Because our whole concentration is on the food.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent response. You made the day pleasant 🌹
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahaan… what a recipe! I might give it a try soon and let you know how it turns out. 😁
Indeed, health is wealth. You’re mentioning your age… but these tips are useful for everyone, regardless of age. With diabetes and a sweet tooth, I know exactly what I miss. 😕
LikeLiked by 2 people
Aparna, I too have the same vice. Last night writing this post I finished one whole Cadbury Dairy Milk…😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🫣Oh… must have tasted heavenly 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amrit samaan…
LikeLiked by 1 person
😅I can taste the sweetness dripping from these words 🍫
LikeLiked by 1 person
It seems you are in a healthy lifestyle, gc and that’s wonderful. Stay healthy. What we eat reflects what we think and act, too.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Absolutely correct Hazel. Even I think food has a direct connection with our thought process.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Truly!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Everyone has their own little kitchen magic, and your method delicious.
I feel good food has no strict formula. It grows with love and patient experimenting.
You are already creating lovely dishes.
One simple version I enjoy is mixing soaked and boiled chana dal with grated paneer, ginger, sugar green chilli, salt, and a little roasted jeera powder. Grind it slightly coarse. Shape and shallow fry. It turns soft inside and crisp outside. (Dal paneer tikki).
I am not sure, how sensitive your gut is.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The recipe sounds yummy..I will try it out. I do have a very sensitive gut.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. Is your gut is sensitive to chana dal and paneer combination?
LikeLiked by 1 person
No. But I just made paneer balls with jeera, salt and grated ginger and fried them with a wee bit of oil brushed in Appe Pan. They turned out well. Though I made kofta curry you can have them as it is. Very tasty.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent, and I am happy to know the outcome. Thank you. 🙏
LikeLiked by 1 person
A very practical and grounded take on health and diet.✨Loved your approach to cooking easy, tasty, and mindful. The soya kebab sounds delicious! 😋Would love to try it🤍✨
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you very much. Do try it and let me know how it turned out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll definitely try it and let you know how it turns out.😋
LikeLike
A very relatable and insightful read.
I loved how you’ve explained health as a balance of diet, lifestyle, and mindset.
The distinction between “healthy eating” and “health food” is so relevant today.
Your gut-memory perspective and simple cooking approach make a lot of sense.
Enjoyed the soya kebab idea—looking forward to more such honest writes! 🌿
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you very much Mahananda…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have been a vegetarian all my life but never use soya in my cooking. Glad you are experimenting. For me I eat anything oily I feel sick after some time. My personal food enemy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it has that effect. One should banish the oily from the kitchen at the earliest. I learnt late.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liked this post from all the aspects and agree to your thoughts regarding one’s gut. Am an eggitarian and your idea of making soya kebabs has fascinated me though I am not a good (and regular) cook. Compliments for the nice post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A very useful post dear friend. Maintaining a balanced diet is essential. I too feel a disinclination towards chicken and eggs. I love daal and dairy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Given your recent surgeries I am not surprised you concentre on the food aspects in this excellent article
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Derrrick 🙏. Your words of appreciation means a lot to me
LikeLiked by 2 people
Enjoy soya kebabs. Take care.
The food platter looks so good. I miss them all 😍
LikeLiked by 3 people
Isn’t it delicious 😋?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Absolutely!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Health is definitely wealth. I enjoy your interesting posts and adorable images, Geeta.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Mary. You’ve made my day.
LikeLiked by 2 people
what does ‘health is wealth’ mean to you in terms of daily food choices? 🤔
LikeLike
Yes! What good is money if you can’t enjoy it because of poor health!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Absolutely correct
LikeLike