The meat eat Eid has just gone by. Eid-ul-Adha has memories of meat, blood and filth as after effects of the proverbial sacrificial lamb's due butchery . Yet this is the Eid for "Qurbani". Words become what you do with them. Qurbani is associated with goat slaughter and meat distribution. The concept of sacrifice as a lesson of living is rarely understood, leave aside followed. This Eid is more about finding the right animal and finding a genuine butcher and then endless barbecue parties. Special meat pieces are reserved for delivery to special people and specially marinated undercuts are steamed for Eid dinners and lunches. Qurbani has become a festival of waste and extravagance.
The concept of qurbani is not goat searching, butchering and eating but sacrificing the temptations that make humans err. The fact that the Prophet Ibrahim was asked to sacrifice his child and he was willing to do it but God substituted it for a goat means that the most lovable obsessions of life that can emotionally stray a human are also sacrificable for a higher cause. Most great leaders are blamed for having bad personal family lives but that is the sacrifice they have given for bettering other people's lives. The true concept of "qurbani" is letting go of your negative thinking, your materialism, your human obsessions, your relationships etc for a higher cause. Unfortunately Eid is all about accumulating money both by animal sellers and animal butchers, and more undulgence by people by eating more meat in three days than they would in three months.
Eating is a major human occupation and pleasure. Every country has some cultural eating festivals and dishes. The type of food that you eat reflects the type of eating preferences you have. While Pakistani food is famous for its tasty spices and elaborate cooking, the English food is renowned for its blandness. The French produce the best Chefs in the world and French cuisine and eating is an art and poetry worth learning from. Americans take bliss in the size of the helpings and love boasting about the biggest cakes and steaks in the world.
The method of cooking also reflects lifestyles. Pakistani dishes are a multi-step elaborate process where the ladies of the family take a pride in making dishes that take a whole night and day. These dishes reflect the role of women in the household. Traditionally the woman is a kitchen supervisor with plenty of time at her hand. She can indulge in making painstaking dishes that require hours of simmering, mixing, cooling and toppings lots of oily and unhealthy vitamin killing cooking methods but extremely appetizing and mouth-watering.
Far East has mostly quick fry method of cooking their food. Woks are ideal for low fat rapid cook dishes. Thai food is the chilli dry variety and Chinese food is the gravy quick mix. Americans are cheese dips and baked potato and cakes and Japanese eat raw sushi to weigh their appetite. Consumer sophistication also affects the type of food consumed. While the developed world micro scrutinizes the expiry dates, calories and the nutritional values the less developed countries are a victim of unhealthy and unhygienic food preparation due to low literacy level persisting despite laws of consumer protection.
Body is made of cells and food affects every cell of the body directly or indirectly. Every cell in our body was created from the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. In addition to nourishing our bodies, food also affects the quality of our lives, our appearance, moods, weight, energy, the aging process and our overall health and well-being. The science and research on whole foods vs processed foods has proven time and again how the lack of natural fresh foods can induce pressure on the brain, stomach and blood vessels leading to problems at a very young age.
The quick eat mentality that is so abundantly manifested in the takeaway food lifestyles have led to the trillion dollar junk food industry causing unprecedented obesity issues. More and more young people in the world are thriving on Pizza, burger, fries, coke meals that are not just junk value foods but over a period of time will convert your body and mind into junk. Aside from physical ailments the impact mentally is more subtle and dangerous. One finding is that if people have higher intakes of junk and processed foods (the foods we know are higher in fat, sugar, carbohydrates, emulsifiers, artificial flavours, etc.) they seem to be more likely to have depression and low moods.
Traditional diets were all healthier compared to modern diets as they had more unprocessed contents. Traditional Pakistani food or Mediterranean or Japanese diets all contained natural organic food. For example, the Mediterranean diet is great because it is very high in plant foods and fibre, legumes, nuts, healthful fats such as olive oil and fish that support and not challenge body systems.Studies have compared "traditional" diets, like the Mediterranean diet and the traditional Japanese diet, to a typical "Western" diet and have shown that the risk of depression is 25% to 35% lower in those who eat a traditional diet.
The sedentary habits of today's millennials where their social media and gaming has replaced outdoor games and socializing are almost a must have junk food third dimension to them. The proverbial couch potatoes are now actually struggling with their weight and mood control. Most of these tweens are regular gym goers too but without a healthy and sustainable diet plan all those crunches and benches at the gym are just going to harden fat muscles.
At the end of the day eating sensibly will make you fitter and smarter. Eating sensibly mean being sensitive to your food intake and your body behavior towards the type of food. Here are ten common sense easy to follow tips to balanced eating:
1. Don't skip meals.
2. Do keep track of your eating habits.
3. Do limit night eating.
4. Do drink plenty of water.
5. Do delay/distract yourself.
6. Do exercise instead of eating when you are bored.
7. Do be attentive when you eat. Don't eat while watching TV, working, driving.
8. Do watch your portion sizes.
9. Do allow yourself to eat a range of food without forbidding yourself a particular food.
10. Do give yourself encouragement
Treat your mind and body with food respect. Don't over dose it to make it bulky and burdened and don't under nourish it to make it emaciated and incapacitated.
(The writer can be reached at [email protected])
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