New Delhi: The therapeutic effect of food on our overall health has probably never been felt so deeply. As the world enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, here are 5 trends that will further enhance the nutritional impact of food on our physical and mental health and wellbeing. Uma Prasad of The Organic World shares with us this year’s top 5 food trends.
churning ghee by hand
To maximize production, many factory-based ghee makers cannot go through the traditional and healthy process of extracting ghee from buttermilk obtained from curd. Instead they often buy cream or other types of fat in bulk and process them using machines to speed up production and production. While it helps increase yield, the use of chemicals and heat means that this ghee may be lower in nutritional value than traditional, hand-churning ghee – a time-tested, healing food, thanks to the use of heat. Made without and using the traditional hand churning method.
Today, with a growing awareness of raw materials and processes affecting food quality and nutrition, pure, hand-made ghee is set to make a comeback in homes and kitchens as a staple. Many grocers, stocking clean and organic food items, already have homemade ghee on their shelves.
locally sourced material
Food sourced from miles away is often high in chemical preservatives to ensure it doesn’t go rancid. For example, sodium orthophenylphenate (SOPP) and thiabendazole (TBZ) are used to prevent and delay visible molds, while kinins and kinetics keep your greens from turning yellow.
On the other hand, locally grown food can reach you within hours of being picked; Its natural goodness and nutrients are not contaminated by chemicals. They are likely to be in a naturally mature state. This is important from a health point of view because once fresh produce is harvested, cells begin to shrink and nutrients are soon depleted.
Nutritious and traditional breakfast
Nuts and seeds are some of the most powerful immune-boosting foods. Now is the time to opt for snacks that are more intuitive to our regional cultures and are prepared using the goodness of nuts, seeds and millets. What about some live laddus and makhana chikkis?
Most of the traditional snack recipes are seasonally based and hence, provide us with the necessary nutrition and strength to keep pace with the changing rhythms of nature. For example, molasses, a widespread blood purifier, and gum, a strong source of vitamin D, are frequently used as binding ingredients in traditional winter snack recipes to restore vigor and vitality.
organic and clean foods
If you pick up a pack of your favorite traditional crunchy and read the label of the ingredients, chances are you see palm oil. You may see parabens and sulfates on the label of your shampoo. Your favorite cream cheese may contain carrageenan. It is staggering to see how many chemicals we now encounter at various touch points in our daily lives. Studies have suggested that some of these chemicals may be linked to adverse health effects.
Clearly, a growing number of consumers are replacing groceries containing artificial preservatives and harmful chemicals with better alternatives—be it clean foods, organic products, or foods that provide wholesome nutrition. It is important for consumers to choose food that is transparent, natural and understand the harmful effects of chemical-containing ingredients – the only way to a more aware, natural and healthy lifestyle.
Cold Pressed Oil for Daily Cooking
From sunflower and mustard to rice bran and groundnut – processed and refined oils will make way for cold-pressed oils derived from seeds and nuts. They will become more common in everyday cooking.
Cold-pressed oil is obtained by slow crushing the seeds and nuts and at room temperature to release optimum produce, without harming their innate flavor or nutrition. In this way, the oils retain maximum goodness. This is not the case when oils are processed at extremely high temperatures for quick and high volume production. They lose their natural properties, including nutrients. Also, they undergo processes such as hydrogenation, which alter the natural chemical composition of oils, including the good fats. This poses health risks, especially when such oils are consumed regularly.
big picture
What will really set 2022 apart from its predecessors in terms of food trends is the underlying theme. From a community focused solely on the experience of food, we will grow into a community that equally cares about what goes into making it and how it affects the quality of our food and our long-term health.
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