7 critical food choices to make on this National Nutrition Week

The National Nutrition Week is an apt time to remind ourselves of how important our health is and to kick-start a process of weaning off wrong food habits, opting for the right dietary tweaks and making some critical health decisions to lead a more - like I always say a sarvagunn sampann life. I have seven suggestions that can help you overhaul your menus and the grocery list to make you a smart and super healthy eater.

Stick to the Indian way of nutrition: Food of India is a festival for the senses - aromatic and appetising. The way it is assembled, the way we eat, and the way we spice it up - all done to make the body feel better. Cook and eat more of it and feel the difference in your health. Don’t underestimate the power of an Indian Thali.

Use the spices and herbs with a little twist: Get experimental. Have you ever had turmeric-spiked mashed potatoes? Try it, they pair up brilliantly. Similarly, curry leaves work well in dishes outside of South Indian and Maharashtrian cuisine too. Add to bottle guard, taste it and you’ll know what I mean. Just imagine and then give it a try. Some of the pairings might just surprise you.

Depend on spices: All spices have something going for them like turmeric delivers curcumin which is a brilliant anti-inflammatory, garam masala delivers the goodness of multiple spices, coriander seeds help reduce bad cholesterol, etc, - but it is important to choose the spices very carefully. For example, using turmeric with 3 per cent curcumin is very essential, similarly, always only opt for powdered spices that have their natural oils intact are the only ones you must put in your masala dani as all the goodness lies in their oils.

Be Vocal for Local: Buy locally grown produce as far as possible as they just don’t suit our bodies better but are also fresh as they are grown closer home. The sooner you eat a fruit or vegetable after it’s picked, the better it is nutritionally for you. Tastes better too. Also, remember that the vegetables that ripen fully on the plant will have more nutrients than those that are picked early and left to ripen in storages.

Eat more lentils: Include them in your everyday diet more consciously. They are delicious and are a great source of protein (particularly for vegetarians) and packed with a lot of other essential nutrients and antioxidants. So enjoy them to the fullest, cook them in the way you want, but make sure you pick up the unpolished dals. Also, pick a brand that is trusted, so you can be assured of the quality and better nutrition. That way, you will be able to get their benefits fully.

Follow seasonal eating: The seasonal rule of eating is the bedrock of Ayurveda and is a time-proven one to deliver health and prevent disease. For example, some vegetables like cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, bottle gourd, spinach are considered cooling as they help to lower the body temperature. Eat more of these in summers. And some foods, such as raw garlic cloves with allicin, which are known to improve circulation and warm the body.

Finally, slow down: Please eat mindfully. Take time to chew and enjoy your vegetables. The age-old rule says chew each bite 20 times but if that’s too hard for you to fathom (forget practice) then do your best. Remember the more you chew, the more vegetables you will break down, resulting in better absorption of nutrients in the gut.