Food

I must admit that I’ve spent most of my life not really thinking about food. First, I have been privileged to have food security and I don’t spend time thinking about obtaining food on a day to day basis. Second, unfortunately I never really considered it a topic of priority. I’m used to just eating whatever’s around- chips, cakes, sweets of all kinds. Workplaces seem to be especially full of sweet and salty snacks. My saving grace has been that I’m vegetarian so my main diet has always consisted of things that are healthy and full of fruits and vegetables. Salad is pretty much my favorite thing to eat, along with rajma chol. 

Our gut health has been shown to be extremely important. The microbiome (gut flora) is currently being studied for its link to diseases. We know that when we are stressed and in a “fight-or-flight mode”, our bodies are doing the opposite of “rest and digest.” I’ve noticed in particular in the hectic lifestyle I lead, that I have learned to eat my lunch on the go. I eat the sandwich I packed in 2 minutes and go back to working. Many times, we get so caught up in our lives we forget to eat. This form of rushed eating certainly doesn’t give us time to reflect on our thankfulness for the food, to enjoy the food, or to properly even digest it. My Massi Ji says a prayer before she eats her food. I think this is a nice way of remembering where our food came from. I know many Christian families that say grace before dinner as well. 

I’ve spent the last few weeks thinking more about what I eat and the nutrition that I actually get from it. My cousin is a vegetarian and also a body-builder. He has long since been telling me that I don’t have enough protein in my diet. I brushed it off, after all I’m not the one body-building. One day I looked through and realized he was right. I don’t even have enough protein to sustain what I need to maintain my body- my nails are breaking off and my muscles are slow to repair when I sustain an injury. Furthermore, iron is always an issue as a vegetarian woman. I always just made assumptions about what my diet was giving me and never actually realized what it might not be. Our food is what is giving us the nutrition to form up each individual cell that is repairing and renewing itself in our body. The vitamin and mineral absorption plays a role in generation of hormones in the body that regulate its function. Food influences our mood and energy in multiple ways as well. It formulates the absolute foundation of our wellbeing. We all know of course about diseases from eating excessive cholesterol and salt. I wasn’t used to thinking about the opposite- what about the things that I am not getting enough of? This includes not drinking enough water.

One of the other things about food is that we are disconnected from its source. My grandparents have a wonderful farm in Quebec. They grow their own vegetables in the summertime and get to make sabji out of them. It is the best tasting food I have had. I still remember the smell of the fresh tomatoes. When we think of our lives in India, we are traditionally from farming families and used to have our own cows/goats to milk and make thayee, and our own crops to eat from. This is not our way of living anymore in the urban cities of Canada. We miss out on the physical labor of farm-work, the togetherness that comes from working on a farm, but also we miss out on learning where our food comes from and what gets sprayed on it. Here in Prince George our food travels a very long way to get to us. We also sometimes don’t know about the qualities of those foods. Luckily in the summer we do get local carrots, berries, etc, but for the large part a lot of our food comes from far away. The food we grow in our gardens also doesn't seem to grow the best due to our climate. I think we would waste less if we really thought about the cow that gave us the milk, and the farmers that worked to grow those vegetables. It is important for us to appreciate where our food comes from. 

I had an appointment with a dietician that was very helpful. She taught me a lot about strategies to introduce better nutrition to what I had been eating previously, for example adding in nuts to oatmeal in the morning. She also talked about the importance of the experience of food- its relation to our social circles. For example at the Gurdwara, food is one of the ways we gather for langar. We share degh or parshad at the end of the program. This is similar to what is done in church services as well. Food is not just about food. 

I hope that this article has given you something to think about. A dietician is definitely a useful helper when it comes to figuring out how to get the nutrition you need. I had never been one for meal planning, but I’ve realized now is the time to maximize the nutrition in what I am eating so that I can live the fullest life possible. Making food a priority is about making health and wellbeing a long-term priority. We can’t be so busy for others that we forget about ourselves. Many of us have learned to put others first, but I think it is important to remember that taking time to sustain ourselves and eat properly isn't selfish. In fact, serving your body is also a type of sewa. 

Picture from: https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-store-vegetables-4687049