Food Rules And Us!
A journey to understand the politics of food and agriculture | Sreedevi Lakshmi Kutty
On Feb 21, 2014
In our journey to understand the politics of food and agriculture we (my husband and I) began with changing our food habits. Across the last eight years, starting with going organic to eating mostly plants, consuming local and seasonal foods as much as possible, we have come quite a way from where we used to be, particularly me. I try to keep away from animal foods but eating fish when I am in Kerala, lapsing to tasting meat dishes when our meat-loving son visits and succumbing to hot drinking chocolate are among my weaknesses. It is an ongoing battle not to eat the delectably displayed array of snacks and goodies made so accessible by the modern day retail juggernauts who are constantly wooing us with ads, displays and deals. Like many of us I battle with it and it is particularly galling, while living with a veritable saint (my husband) who can say no to almost any food, to my everlasting consternation and envy.
Michael Pollan is one of the authors who I have read avidly on food issues; and picked up his “Food rules” a year back. I had assumed that I already knew what he had to say in this book – a correct assumption. But I realized that many times breaking the rules was easier than following them. So there was a point in reading this slim book, and in re-reading it periodically! A book, which takes less than two hours to read, was a revelation, reiteration and a reminder about food and eating which Pollan sums up: “Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much”. Simple, elegant and succinct, but oh so hard to follow…. According to Pollan, processed food and easy availability of food is one of the fundamental problems and his solution is – cook. He says that if we had to make all those snacks ourselves, naturally the frequency with which we consume it would come down. If I followed this I wouldn’t eat any junk; because preparing delectable snacks is a skill that has passed me by! While reading the rules it flashed through my mind that Pollan’s wisdom distilled and presented for the average American audience is applicable universally. Let me examine some of Pollan's adages … “Eat mostly plants , especially leaves” and “eat wild foods when you can”, is a clarion call for us when moringa leaves, the various spinaches and the beautiful colocasia ( chembu)leaves and many others, which were favoured foods once upon a time, have been discarded by many a family as difficult to cook, or disliked by the children. These along with uncultivated greens need to come back into our plates, to ensure health and wealth – in these times of rising life style diseases and food inflation! He recommends not going to supermarkets for purchasing food; this is good to remember as many in Indian cities are becoming addicted to supermarkets and their infinite array of processed foods. “Eat only foods that have been cooked by humans”, would mean banishing factory made goodies, which Pollan rightly classifies as “food like substances” that aid ill health and obesity! |
Another interesting rule is “the whiter the bread, the sooner you will be dead”, this applies to the bleached and denatured Maida found in the parottas (which are ubiquitous in Kerala and here I have to confess I like them too; but try to avoid them), the white rice and the bakery goodies made with bleached flour. A doctor friend of mine, who spends considerable time advising his patients to improve their diet, said that every junction in any town in Kerala has mostly bakeries and medical shops in large numbers– and obviously these are connected.
Another abandoned practice of ours, which Pollan highly recommends is using oils and grains which are stone ground. Our modern day oils are denatured; same is the case with bleached flours and polished grains. There are also things that Keralites do right, like eating small fish with high oil content ( which Pollan recommends. Also Pollan highly recommends foods predigested by bacteria, yes our idlis and dosas, which continue to rule the roost in most Kerala homes, qualify. Those of us who want to move to the imported oats and corn flakes might want to save our money! There is also more good news; many natural stores have begun stocking unpolished rice, red rice flour, whole wheat atta, and cold pressed oils, making it convenient to adopt these healthy options. g is that there is no contradiction between what is good for us and What is interesting and encouraginwhat is good for nature- going against nature is what is causing harm ( to both). Another advantage for Indians is that many of our food traditions, cultures and practices have not died, we remember our grandmothers and mothers making chakka varrati, banana chips, pickles, chammathi podi and other assorted foods at home . But we are on a slippery slope with bakeries becoming our preferred snack destination and hospitals our panacea to address the problems resulting from this new greed! Pollan’s final edict is “plant a garden”, every household in Kerala used to have a kitchen garden, the mandatory curry leaves, the papaya, banana and coconut trees, the chilli plants, spinach and many others. Now in many homes these have given way to fancy lawns and those palms one can’t name. It is time for us to grow some of our food, either in the garden, terrace or wherever we have space! Enjoy reading “Food Rules” and hope we can follow at least some of the rules for healthy eating! Sreedevi Lakshmi Kutty 
Devi works on issues related to sustainable agriculture and safe food. She is associated with Thanal (www.thanal.co.in) in Kerala and is a founder member of Urban Leaves (www.urbanleavesinindia.com) in Mumbai
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