In this post, I will share with you 5 foods that you are eating the wrong way. Also, I will share with you the right way to have them to derive the maximum benefit. So, without any further ado, let’s get started.
Roti
It’s a filling food and most of us have it every day in our meals. Not a day goes by without having rotis. It’s a staple Indian food, delicious and nutritious. However, often people complain about digestive disorders after consuming roti. The prime present behind it is the way we prepared. Blame it on our fast lifestyle, nowadays, we often cook roti on a tawa for a few minutes and then transfer it to the gas flame until done. It provides an inflated look as well as saves a lot of time. The outer portion is cooked properly in this process, but many of us fail to understand that it remains half cooked from the inside.
You can even imagine roasting potatoes in a similar process where the outer portion looks cooked and even burnt but when you take a bite, you will see the inside portion is half cooked or undercooked. When you cook roti on tawa and then transfer it to the flame for getting done, it can cause flatulence and bloating. It is not the traditional way of cooking it. If you even ask your grand mom, she will tell you that roti is prepared solely on the tawa. Of course, it will take a few minutes longer, but it will be evenly cooked from both inside and outside. Similarly, it will be easier to digest and tastier as well. Wait, are you worried about the look and puff? Oh, let me tell you the secret! Just press it on the tawa using a cloth, and you will get a similar puffed-up look. Press on the sides, and it will automatically blow up.
I am sharing another tip for puffed-up pulkas, just knead the dough well. Give some time in kneading for softer and lighter rotis. Do not knead the dough at the last moment. It’s advisable to knead the dough and let it rest for some time, while you prepare the curry. Kneading the dough using milk and having it with savoury dishes can invite skin problems. You can avoid putting ghee on rotis if you are on the journey of weight loss. However, you can add it to the curry instead.
These simple yet powerful tips will help to change the food game for you, and you will gain maximum of the traditional foods.
Red chilli powder
We know spices are the soul of our Indian cooking because they not only have flavour but also dissociate their therapeutic elements into the food. But if you often suffer from body heat problems, hair fall, excessive sweating, and premature greying of hair, skin pigmentation, then you should avoid having red chili powder. Being a highly inflammatory and strong stimulant, if used indiscriminately, it can lead to inflaming issues including piles and peptic ulcers. Red chilies are used mainly in the coastal regions of India like Tamil Nadu, Andhra, and Kerala. The excess moisture results from the temperature weather conditions. But when you replicate the same in the plains, it’s like using a heater in the summers.
Then are you worried about having bland food? Of course not. You can easily replace it with green chilies when preparing something like a paratha. For curry preparations, you can replace red chili powder with black pepper. You can come up with Trikatu churan in the ayurvedic scriptures, which is a combination of black pepper, dry ginger, and long pepper. We can say it as an ideal swap of red chili powder. It’s definitely worth a try! Soon, you will notice a reduction in body heat.
Bananas
It’s an easily available food having an impressive nutrient profile and is even quite easy on the pocket. As compared to other fruits, it’s an energy-giving and filling fruit that stands out in the crowd. It’s easy to eat and does not need any sort of preparation. You can gulp down by peeling the outer cover, and that’s it. It contains all the ingredients that boost up instant energy when consumed. It has all the ingredients that you require to recharge yourself mentally and physically.
Are you eating the right bananas? I mean, are you having ripened bananas? Do you know how to choose between ripe and unripe bananas? Ripened banana will not be solid yellow but have small invariably black spots on it. The stem of a ripened banana is usually blackish and not greenish. Another such indicator is that an unripened banana will not be very much sweet in taste. Instead, it will have an unpalatable bitter and starchy taste. It’s difficult for the body to digest unripened bananas and fails to assimilate the main nutrients from them.
When you have such bananas on a daily basis, it can invite problems like allergic reactions, constipation, bloating, and acidity. So, when you go to buy bananas next time in the market, look for the ones having black spots on them. If you do not get any, just purchase them and let it sit for a few days. Once you see the black spots arriving on them, it’s ready to hop on. Banana is a superfood and the taste of a ripened banana can even beat some of the tastiest sweets in the market. These are high in calcium. But the content in the peel has more fiber. Don’t forget to scratch them using a spoon. It helps with weight gain as well.
Having one banana cut into slices and sprinkled with black pepper can help with fat loss from the body. Just have this combo 30 mins before having your breakfast. Again, bananas with jaggery and ghee can be a natural weight gainer. So, it’s not the food we have on the plate but the way we actually eat it that makes the major difference.
Onions
Onion comes with a list of benefits attributed to its name. Do you ever wonder why they are not allowed to be consumed when on a fast? Why should we abstain from onions on fast? Well, it’s because of its Tamasic nature. In simple words, the inherent property of onions promotes lethargy.
You can even go for an experiment yourself. Just have gobi paratha on one day and onion paratha the next day. You can find a significant drop in your energy level in the latter case. However, onion is significantly less stimulating than garlic. If consumed in moderation can help with memory boosting. If consumed on a daily basis can reduce concentration power as well as promote the feeling of agitation and anger. If you are a student preparing for the upcoming examinations or dealing with depression or anger, it is suggested to skip onions for a while to get relief.
We know Indian curries are incomplete without the use of the onion tadka. But when we excessively fry onions, they soak oil like a sponge. This oil is released inside the body, which leads to weight gain. So, it would be really smart to just sauté the onions mildly; and not fry them for taste and colour. When the onion is consumed in a salad in small quantities, it can benefit our hair problems and thyroid issues. It is a powerful food when consumed with limitations.
Honey
The composition of honey is similar to human blood, it gets readily assimilated by our body. Along with a natural sweetener, honey is also a storehouse of micronutrients and hailed in Ayurveda for its medicinal properties. Honey consists of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, Vitamin B-complex, minerals, enzymes, Beta-carotene, and essential oil.
It’s a sensitive food, so should be taken with utmost care. Consuming honey can help you with healing wounds. It opens subtle channels, removes intestinal worms and make our voices melodious. Besides, it serves as an energy booster and has microbial properties. Honey keeps our heart healthy when consumed in limitation. It has medicinal properties. Excess consumption of honey can even harm your body.
Often, we add honey to boiling hot water and herbal tea; and sometimes directly on the flame while preparing dishes like honey chili and baking cakes. But you will be surprised to know that it is one of our biggest mistakes because heat alters the natural composition and turns it into a glue-like substance. Ayurveda equates this as a slow poison that tends to stick to the subtle channels of the body, leading to blockages.
Modern studies have confirmed that heating honey leads to the production of a compound called HMF. This when fed to bees it significantly increases their death rate. When fed to rats it causes kidney and liver damage. Even in human beings, it leads to cytotoxicity in the mucous membranes, carcinogenicity, and lung damage.
If you want to lose weight with honey, then mix it with lukewarm water and not boiling hot water. You can even mix it with milk for a tasty and healthy drink. Equal portions of ghee and honey should be avoided. To be on the safer side, when you are adding him to a particular dish, avoid using honey in it. Undoubtedly, honey is a superfood but needs to be consumed in the right way.
So, I have stated above the major foods that are eaten in the wrong way. But when the same foods are consumed in the right way, it can provide endless benefits to our body. Knowing the benefits of food is one thing and eating it in the right way is an entirely different story altogether. And, this is even focused on Ayurveda for having perfect health.
