Four Reasons Why I Love Indian Cuisine

Raj

October 18, 2024

The National Millet Campaign in India is designed to increase national consumption of this ancient grain, which is good for health and highly resilient in the face of climate change.

India is honoured to be at the forefront of popularising Millets. Millet consumption furthers nutrition, food security and welfare of farmers.

Hon. PM Narendra Modi Ji

If you watch any of the popular medical shows like Dr. House, you will get to hear many medical terms but you will never hear the doctors say these two words – ‘gut microbiome.’ And yet, if thousands of physicians, epidemiologists, and researchers around the world are to be believed, the next century will witness a revolution in medicine based on effects of the gut microbiome on our health.

Gut microbiome is a generic term used to describe the trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi that reside in our gut (actual numbers are difficult to estimate and hence vary). In the last twenty years, scientists have uncovered a dizzying array of areas where our gut microbiome plays a vital role including our physical and mental health, immunity and overall well being. The gut has an estimated 168 million nerve cells which is why it is sometimes called “second brain.” Gut microbes produce chemicals such as neurotransmitters, hormones, and metabolites that affect neurological functions and can influence behavior. These microbes are also control how your immune system works by communicating with immune cells.

Everybody is interested in the gut microbiome. From cardiology to oncology, from psychiatry to endocrinology, health-care professionals of all disciplines are beginning to realize the immense potential of the trillions of bacteria that reside in our gut.

Mary I Butler et. al., Annu. Rev. Clin. Psy., Volume 15, 2019

The good news is we know how to make the gut microbiome happy. And if the microbiome is happy, so are we. The trick is to eat 30 different plants a week. This magic number comes from the ZOE podcast (not a paid promotion) and has been obtained through double-blind clinical trials. One of the co-founders of ZOE is Prof. Tim Spector, who is a professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College, London and is one of the world’s leading researchers.

Back to 30 plants. The definition of ‘plant’ is much more expansive and includes nuts, legumes, lentils, spices etc. Also, the quantity of consumption is less important than variety so a pinch of black pepper is as valid a plant as anything on your salad plate.

First reason why I love Indian cuisine is that the requirement of eating 30 plants a week is easily fulfilled if you stick to traditional Indian cuisine.

I was listening to one of the ZOE podcasts where they were brainstorming different methods of incorporating 30 plants into the diet. This gave me an idea. There are many side dishes in Indian cuisine that can contribute very well in this regard but are often neglected. So here is a small list. I bet you will never find these items listed in the healthy food lists that are regularly published.

Papad

A papad (or papadum in south India) is a thin circular slice made from lentils and spices. Roasting a papad is super easy, just put it in a microwave for 1.5 minutes. Tastes amazing and is a great source for proteins.

Chutney

Chutney is a generic term that encompasses 250+ different varieties. In principle, you could eat one type of chutney every day and not repeat it for months. Wet chutneys are made to be consumed fresh but dry chutneys have a shelf life of few months without the necessity of adding any preserving chemicals.

Roasted Chana (split Bengal gram)

Generally considered poor man’s food, this is a great source of proteins, calcium, magnesium, and fiber. If you are prone to snacking in between meals, this is a great option.

My personal hack – chutney + olive oil

In europe, it is customary to add a spoonful or two of olive oil to salad. (Extra virgin olive oil is rocket fuel for your gut microbes – Prof. Tim Spector). We don’t have the first course of salad in Indian cuisine but we do sometimes add raw oil to dry chutney so I usually add a spoonful of olive oil to my chutney. By the way, if you swallow a spoonful of olive oil, you may feel discomfort in your throat and that’s perfectly fine. It’s the polyphenol in olive oil and it’s very good for you.

Raw onion

This is an acquired taste. In some Indian dishes, raw onion is used as a topping. In Maharashtra, it can also be use as a side dish, like a pickle. Onions are rich in inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Other cultures do make it more of thing to get that wider range of tastes and we in the UK and the US have really lost that.

Prof. Tim Spector

Golden opportunity for Indian entrepreneurs and restaurateurs

As the western world realises the importance of plant based food, the demand for such products is going to increase. Indian companies that export products such as those listed above need to highlight their special qualities – no ultra processing, made from fully natural ingredients and great for your gut health. Similarly, Indian restaurants abroad can also mention all the qualities that make plant based Indian food good for your health.

There is tremendous scope for business within India as well. For instance, I would love to taste the chutney from Dibrugarh or Mysore. Not only that, there are many side dishes and toppings that are specific to that culture and are not that well known outside the state. Here’s an example.

Metkut is a spice powder from Maharashtra. It is made from rosted lentils, rice and spices. It can be used as flavour enhancer over a variety of dishes including rice, curd, raita etc. Added to rice with ghee makes the rice super tasty. There are many such products in each of the Indian states that are not known to the rest of the India. Entrepreneurs can identify and market such products throughout India.

Second reason why I love Indian cuisine is that it is very, very tasty.

The microbiome has profoundly transformed our understanding of biology by revealing the essential role of microorganisms in human health and development. The microbiome is now considered a new and essential organ, with links to human physiology, metabolism and the immune system.

Maria Carmen Collado et. al., Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, October 30, 2024.

Reduce consumption of ultra processed foods

There are many definitions of ultra processed foods. If you could show the product to your great-great-grandmother, would she hesitate to eat it? Do you see any ingradient that is not found in a normal kitchen? Does the product never ever go bad? Do you fail to feel satieted and are always craving for more when you eat it? If the answer to any of the questions is yes, then the product is ultra-processed. Many clinical trials have repeatedly shown that ultra-processed foods are bad for your health and they promote the bad kind of gut microbes and supress the good kind. Unfortunately, this includes almost every kind of bread, breakfast cereals, protein bars, sauces, ketchups, jams etc. (Pro tip: skipping many rows in a supermarket is great for your health.)

One image that I regularly see and that I would like to change is school children in India eating packets of chips every day after school. Every day they are consuming chemicals that have no business to be inside the body and have been added only for commercial purposes, not to mention the excessive amount of sugar and salt. And they are bad for the gut microbiome. Imagine consuming these for 10-15 years regularly and the long term effects it will have.

What if we could get the children to eat papads instead?

Random tips to improve gut microbiome and overall health

Most of these are from the ZOE podcatsts. All mistakes mine.

Just as our body needs rest, so does our gut microbiome. The microbiome rejuvenates during the night. Midnight snacking upsets the regular microbiome cycle. It’s a good idea to give it a rest of 8 or more hours.
Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day. If you feel good skipping it, or having a light one, go for it.
Orange juice is not a health drink.
Good quality coffee is a health drink as it contains polyphenols and lots of fiber.
It is a myth that plant based protein lacks essential amino acids compared to animal protein. You just need to eat more in quantity and have a better variety. The advantage with plant based protein is that you also get lots of fiber and numerous micronutrients and polyphenols. Animal based protein does not have fiber.
Frozen vegetables are great for consumption, they do not lose their nutrients. In fact, in some cases, they accumulate more nutrients while frozen.
Natural foods contain thousands of chemicals. It is misleading to identify a food with just one – orange is not just vitamin C or banana is not just potassium.
Structure of the food matters a great deal as it decides the time interval in which the food is absorbed. Finely grinded food is absorbed quickly and can have long term negative consequences. Sorry, but this means that smoothies may not be the best way to go about it. Same goes for all fruit juices.
On a cheat day, I prefer to eat a vegetable samosa instead of a burger. A veg samosa will have many plants and no extra chemicals. Also, left in the open, a samosa will go bad next day whereas a burger can last many days.
Polyphenols are chemicals produced by the plants to protect against environment or insects and are useful for humans. So the part of the vegetable that has been exposed more has more polyphenols as compared to the inner part that has been shielded. Other signs of high polyphenol content include strong taste (bitter, sour is good), and strong colors. The tips and roots of plants also have a higher concentration of these chemicals.
Mushrooms are full of nutrients and fibers that you do not get from other plants. Eat mushrooms as often as you can.
If you like to eat fish, pair it with garlic (maybe garlic chutney or garlic papad). Garlic is good for removing metal toxicity though perspiration.
Sprouting is wonderful. It unleashes superpowers needed for the seed to become a plant. It’s basically plant seed on steroids.

Indians love to sprout pulses, lentils, and grains which is another reason why I love Indian cuisine.

When the Human Genome Project concluded in 2003, expectations were high. Genetics has made great strides but it has hardly been the panacea or the magical cure as was once hoped. Also, there is a kind of fatalism about it. If I have got a defective gene, there is nothing I can do about it.

Good news about gut microbiome is you can change it any time. Studies have shown that even one healthy meal can kick-start a process towards a healthy gut microbiome.

Indian cuisine is good for the planet

The National Millet Campaign in India is designed to increase national consumption of this ancient grain, which is good for health and highly resilient in the face of climate change.

2024 Living Planet Report, WWF.

WWF released Living Planet Report 2024 this week. On page 68 of the report, there is an interesting figure. It shows the number of Earths that would be needed by 2050 to support food production if all countries globally adopted the current consumption patterns of the individual countries listed. I was very happy to see that India is number one with 0.84. In other words, it would take only 0.84 Earths by 2050 to support food production if the world adopted Indian cuisine.

The report also praised the National Millet Campaign in India, that was started under the visionary leadership of PM Modi Ji. The United Nations, at the behest of the Government of India, declared 2023 the International Year of Millets.

The final reason why I love Indian cuisine is that it is good for the planet.