Food And The Body

I started reading this beautiful book “The Soul Of A Chef – The Journey Toward Perfection” written by Michael Ruhlman (2001).  What a genuine book to read!  This book gives some important facts, history of American cuisine, and insights on food writing.  I am still reading the book and will surely share more interesting details in my future blogs.

Who is not obsessed with food? We work for food and we all eat to live.  Hunger is a natural process of the body and our body requires energy to perform its various functions.  There are many functions of our body that is purely dependent on the nutrition that we get from our food.  Have you ever imagined how many people in our world go to bed without eating food?  According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 793 million people across the globe suffer from chronic hunger.  FAO defines chronic hunger as “undernourishment caused by not ingesting enough energy to lead a normal, active life”.   

I usually don’t skip my meals and I strictly follow a disciplined meal regimen.  Though I am a non-vegetarian I prefer to have veggies in my food.  Dark green leafy vegetables attract me the most and of course many other vegetables are my favorite.  I don’t believe in dieting and I’ve never dieted in my life.  Contrary to that I eat what I want to eat and stay away from junk and fast food as much as possible.  I was never skinny and I don’t desire to be.  A lot of my physique and body structure comes from both of my parents who have been healthy.  However I am very particular about my yoga, exercises, and my regular walks.

A balanced food, good sleep, regular exercise, and an active life keeps a person glowing not only from outside but also from inside the body.  All these things are interlinked and either have a positive or negative effect on our personality.  Make-up can only hide our blemishes but will not remove impurities from within us.  It is very important to detoxify and cleanse our body from inside to remove toxins that enter our body through various channels such as food, water, air etc.  Water and fiber rich fruits and vegetables are a good source to detoxify and cleanse our body.  Many of us don’t have access to all these sources for various reasons but believe me use the resources that are within our reach and use whatever is available.  There are some simple ingredients in our kitchen that can do wonders.  Few changes in our dietary and food habits can have a longer and positive impact on our health, body, and lives. 

Very recently I learned to make garlic bread.  It was just delicious and I still remember its flavor.  Do you know garlic has many health and medicinal properties? It is nutritious, can combat common cold, reduce blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels thereby reducing risk of heart diseases, it is an antioxidant and can detoxify heavy metals from the body, it improves bone health and has many other health benefits.  However it should be taken in a limited quantity as it can have an adverse effect.

How to make garlic bread?

Ingredients:

A Long bread of your choice

Garlic oil (which has chopped/minced garlic in it)

Butter

Olive Oil

Cooking time (10 minutes):

Cut the bread horizontally from the centre and open both sides.  On the inside part of the bread apply olive oil with a brush, put some garlic oil (with some garlic), and spread some butter.  Close the bread, wrap the bread in an aluminum foil and place it in a pre-heated oven (350^o F) for 5-10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and slice the garlic bread according to desired serving size pieces and enjoy with your meals or favorite soup.  It is easy to make and the taste and flavor is just awesome.   

See you soon with few more food experiences and also a quick and simple recipe. Till then eat healthy and stay fit!

Shabeena Saveri