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CHEF'S CORNER

Food? Yes, naturally!

The mantra to stay healthy is to pitch in for organic and natural food

FROM NATURE There is no substitute for natural food. It is pesticide-free, healthy and aesthetically appealng

Every food festival talks of natural food. Every other food book talks of the benefits of natural food. And all those well read and well travelled swear by it. There is constant talk of organically grown crops. We come across recipes that refer to exotic sounding ingredients like brown rice, unprocessed cheese, fertilised eggs. It's enough to make you feel natural food is anything but natural, something that requires some research and patience, and a visit to a special shop to lay one's hands on it! So pray, what is natural food?

Without chemicals

Broadly speaking, it is food produced on fertile land without the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides or other chemicals. The only reason such foods are not as readily available as the `normal' variety is that over the years, farming has come to rely heavily on chemical fertilisers and pesticides since it is a cheaper process. These foods, however can play havoc with our body. We must wash the vegetables, grains and pulses, etc., thoroughly with lukewarm water to rid them of all the chemicals.

But it is not difficult these days to come across food chains specialising in natural food. The taste might be a bit different but that is a small price to pay for health.

Whole wheat flour has proteins, natural oil, minerals, other elements, vitamin B and E in good quantities, but in producing white flour, most of them are lost. You could say white is a `dangerous' colour when it comes to eating! As nutrition goes, white bread is not a patch on brown bread. Brown sugar and jaggery are far healthier than white sugar. Brown or red rice — like the Kerala variety with its springy grains — is any day better than white rice.

Even pasteurised milk doesn't remain natural food. Most of the enzymes are lost in pasteurisation. Fresh fruits and vegetables are considered the epitome of good taste and nutritive elements in large quantities. But if fresh vegetables are left in an open room for a day, almost half of their vitamin C is lost. Since many people cut their vegetables much before cooking, they must realise that in doing so most of the important elements evaporate from the outer surface.

It is not difficult to introduce healthy changes in our daily cooking. Even cakes, biscuits and pies can be made with whole wheat flour (the regular chapati atta) and sweetened with honey or jaggery.

Eating jaggery is even considered a good way of cleansing the system, absorbing harmful effects of smoke and air pollution. Another way of cleansing our system is through the time-tested basil leaves. Basil means fundamental, basic, divine or imperial. Since time immemorial basil (tulsi) has been considered a basic, pure and most sublime plant. Wherever basil grows even the soil becomes potent and naturopaths say mud bath with basil soil is good for various skin ailments. It also has an element called thymol that clears some skin disorders effectively. Some nutritionists have come to the conclusion that volatile oil in tulsi destroys most of the disease-producing bacteria. It has unique power of purifying blood and it also cleanses the intestines of the toxic matter.

Juice of basil if taken with lemon and honey helps in curing cold. So does the tea made of tulsi leaves, black pepper and ginger. Tulsi has live mercury in organic form and fortifies the chemical factory within our body.

The moral of the story? Have natural food. And in case it is difficult to lay your hands on it, make sure you clean your food well before you consume it.

MONISH GUJRAL

(The author is MD, Moti Mahal Tandoori Trail chain of restaurants. He can be emailed at motimahal@vsnl.com)

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