The health benefits of Indian food need no reiteration. Many experts say that the medicinal qualities are a result of the cooking methods.
Indian food does not always mean using large quantities of cream, fat, yogurt, ghee or oil to make it rich in taste and texture. In such cases there is a chance of the nutritional value getting compromised. Food prepared with deep fried onions, ginger and spices in oil or ghee will have a high fat content. Deep frying can be replaced by stir-frying which is much healthier.
Spices and Herbs
The marvel of Indian food is also credited for its unique flavors and scent where a combination of spices is used. India, being the land of spices produces food naturally containing an abundance of tropical herbs and plants with medicinal properties.
Lentils and Legumes
The use of lentils in Indian cuisine helps control bad cholesterol and blood sugar disorders preventing blood sugar from rising rapidly after a meal. Legumes in food works like a catalyst in checking diabetes and also reduce the risk of cancer. Beans help insulin resistance or hypoglycemia for diabetics
Ayurvedic theory
The maxims of Ayurvedic medicine attributes all diseases to the gastrointestinal tract caused by decreased enzyme activity and low digestion. The undigested food forms a substance that blocks the body’s digestive and energy channels. Proper eating habits and consuming nutritional food are indispensable.
Indian Vegetarian food
Indians prefer vegetarian food comprising of vegetables, fruits, grains, milk and plant-based proteins. Collectively they take care of the micro-nutrients and vitamins that produce antioxidants. Ultimately this helps sort out serious ailments of the heart, blood pressure and diabetes.
Balanced Meat
When Indians cook meat, they add herbs and spices to make it taste as simple as vegetarian dishes. It is either cooked in a wok or tandoori oven which reduces the fat content. The meat is served along with vegetables and rice making it a well-balanced mixture of carbohydrates and proteins. Indian cuisine is also very helpful in protecting people against heart problems, strokes and obesity.
Capsaicin from Spices
The daily consumption of spices offers protection against cancer and other dreadful diseases. The rate of cancer among Indians is relatively low. Thanks to a chemical called capsaicin present in spicy foods there is resistance to cancer inducing elements from outside. Capsaicin kills cancer cells by targeting their energy source.
Read Also: Role of Spices in Enhancing Quality of Indian Food
The mushrooming of Indian restaurants in global cities is an indicator that there is a perceptible yearning particularly in the West to rediscover the positive energy from Indian food.
The rising awareness about the healthy attributes of Indian food is attracting more non-Indians to enjoy Indian food as a change and also as an excursion to the oriental tastes. Certainly when you eat healthy at the Indian Restaurant in your city, the rejuvenation you feel can be correlated with the points discussed above.
