FOOD SPECIAL..DESI SUPERFOODS

DESI SUPERFOODS

Goji berries, Californian grapes, Norwegian salmon, American blueberries, South American quinoa seeds. Shelves in supermarkets and even the neighbourhood kirana store are stocked with these and many other exotic foreign foods with glossy labels advertising their health benefits. Walk into any restaurant and you’ll find imported John Dory instead of bhetki and salads topped with pine nuts when roasted melon seeds would serve as well. While the growing tribe of locavores in the West rediscovers food grown locally, Indians are increasingly eating global. So the guava loses out to the Granny Smith, mackerel to Chilean sea bass and fresh coconut water to bottled cranberry juice. New-age nutritionists are now trying to turn the tide. Instead of obscure, expensive imported products, they recommend a trip to the subziwallah for cheap and healthy local produce. The coriander that your vendor throws in for free can boost immunity and a tablespoon of steamed spinach (or better still, bathua) contains more vitamin C and folic acid than a shot of wheatgrass, the fabled (and disgustingly bitter) health-food juice. TOI-Crest spoke to nutritionists and doctors to draw up a list of local superfoods that won’t break the bank while giving you a headstart on health.

COCONUT Coconut was long vilified for its high saturated fat content, but experts say it has many benefits. Every part and product of the coconut, be it the water, the white flesh or oil, is loaded with nutrients. The same obviously can’t be said about toddy, the very potent drink made from the coconut palm’s sac. Coconut oil, in particular, is considered heart-healthy and good for weight loss because it speeds up metabolism. It was included in the diet of the England rugby squad in 2007. A year later, Jennifer Aniston was spotted with a shopping trolley full of coconut oil bottles and the fruit soon became the darling of the superfood set. “Coconut has a thermogenic effect. It increases body temperature and therefore increases metabolism. It actually aids in weight loss rather than impedes it as is popularly believed,” explains macrobiotic counsellor Shonali Sabharwal. Coconut water, unlike the oil, is low in carbohydrates and sugars and high in electrolyte potassium. This makes it a great substitute for sugary ‘sports’ drinks. The sweet drink also has anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-macrobial properties. It, therefore, keeps urinary tract infection, kidney stones and various other recurring health problems at bay.

GUAVA The guava has emerged as the king of fruits, elbowing apples and grapes off the ideal diet chart. A recent study reported in TOI found that guavas have the highest concentration of anti-oxidants among Indian fruits. A 100-gram portion of guava contained around 500 milligrams of anti-oxidants. Juicy red plums were the next best fruit to eat with 330 mg. And, apples, which are generally prescribed as the best tool to keep the doctor away, were found to have only a quarter of the anti-oxidants that guavas have.

AMLA If you need a booster dose of Vitamin C, look no further than this green berry-like fruit. Amla contains 445 mg/100 g vitamin C, 20 times more than in orange. Its free radical absorbing capacity is believed to be higher than that of the reigning superfruits — blueberries and strawberries. Tannins — chemical compounds that exhibit anti-viral, anti-bacterial and antiparasitic properties — are present in amla in significant amounts. Ayurveda recommends it for its rejuvenation powers and says it inhibits the ageing process. It’s excellent for hair health and good eyesight. It is said to reduce LDL or bad cholesterol and improve digestion of food.

PUMPKIN Kaddu ki sabji, just like lauki, usually makes people cringe and reach for the dependable aloo gobhi dish. In the West, too, it is used more to carve jacko-lanterns every Thanksgiving rather than in the kitchen. But had there been a test for superfoods, the plump pumpkin would surely emerge tops. Pumpkin’s bland-with-a-hintof-sweet flesh contains one of the richest supplies of carotenoids (anticancer agents) known to man. It has beta carotene which reduces one’s risk for cancers of the colon, bladder and oesophagus as well as betacryptoxanthin which decreased the risk of lung cancer in smokers. In the landmark Nurses’ Health Study conducted in the US, it was found that women with the highest concentrations of carotenes in their diets had the lowest risk of breast cancer. Pumpkins are also the only vegetarian source of vitamin B12. That’s why Mumbai-resident Kiran Jalan drinks a glass of pumpkin juice every morning. “I know a lot of people who have been diagnosed with vitamin B12 deficiency recently. It leads to memory loss, depression and dementia. I don’t want to become forgetful,” says the 48-year-old homemaker.

CUSTARD APPLE There is another kind of apple that can keep the doctor away. The custard apple has anti-oxidant levels of 202 mg, almost twice the amount that apple (123 mg) has, according to a NIN study. It also has vitamins B and C, potassium, iron, calcium and manganese. Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant that mops up free radicals. The tropical fruit also contains vitamin A, which is good for the health of hair, eyes and skin. It serves as an expectorant, amps up immunity, acts as a coolant and boosts haemoglobin.

SEEDS It is the era of seedless fruits — vendors sell seedless black grapes at double the price of regular grapes and scientists in Bangalore have produced seedless watermelons so that people don’t have to bother spitting the seeds out. But the crunchy seeds immersed in the luscious red flesh of watermelons can be dried, roasted and used as a crunchy topping for desserts and salads. “Many women suffer from water retention for which doctors prescribe them diuretics like diatide or lasitactone. Watermelon seeds have the same effect,” says Dr Pradeep Mathur, chief medical officer of Sanjeevani, a naturopathy institute in Haryana. Watermelon seeds are not the only seeds that are a key to good health.
The tear-drop shaped grey sunflower seeds are a good source of selenium, a trace mineral that prevents cancer. Flax seed, or alsi as it is called locally, is considered a wonder food because it is rich in omega 3 fatty acids. Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of zinc and magnesium and can prevent various conditions, be it depression or kidney stones.
Black sesame seeds, on the other hand, contain saponin enzyme which offers protection against cervical and breast cancer. Mathur suggests roasting 100 gm of each of the five types of seeds and eating a spoonful with breakfast each morning. “A mix of these five seeds is as good as having chia seeds, which are imported,” he says.

Neha Bhayana and Shobita Dhar TOI CREST 29O1011