The Disease That Cost Nothing to Cure

All of us eat food every day, yet the food eaten across India varies enormously: Punjab's traditional dishes lean on wheat, maize and pulses, Karnataka's on rice, ragi and coconut, Manipur's on rice, bamboo shoot and soya bean. India is an agricultural country with diverse soil and climate, and different regions grow different crops depending on those local conditions; traditional food in any state is usually based on whatever crops that state's land actually supports, shaped further by taste, culture and tradition. Cooking practices themselves have changed considerably over time too, from a traditional chulha to a modern gas stove, from a sil-batta stone grinder to an electrical one, changes driven by technological development, improved transportation and better communication.

Carbohydrates, like the glucose that gives a marathon runner instant energy, are one of the body's primary energy sources; cereals like wheat, rice and maize, vegetables like potato, and fruits like banana and mango are all sources of carbohydrates, common sugar being one too. Fats, found in nuts like groundnuts and walnuts, seeds like sunflower seeds, and ingredients like ghee and various oils, are a source of stored energy, which is why laddoos rich in ghee and nuts are traditionally eaten in winter, to help keep the body warm. Carbohydrates and fats are together called energy-giving foods for this reason. Proteins work differently: found in pulses, beans and nuts from plants, and milk, paneer, eggs, fish and meat from animals, proteins help the body grow and repair itself, which is why sportspersons need larger quantities to build muscle, and why the right amount of protein is especially important in a growing child's diet. Proteins are therefore called body-building foods, distinct from the energy-giving role of carbohydrates and fats.

During long sea voyages in earlier times, sailors often suffered from bleeding, swollen gums, a disease called scurvy. During a 1746 voyage, Scottish physician James Lind noticed that sailors who ate lemons and oranges recovered from these symptoms, even though nobody at the time knew what a vitamin actually was. Scurvy, we now know, is caused by a deficiency of Vitamin C, and the Vitamin C present in citrus fruits like lemons and oranges is exactly what cures it. A different deficiency turned up in the 1960s, when Indian scientists found that people in the Himalayan region and the Northern plains showed swelling at the front of the neck, a disease called goitre. The soil in this region was deficient in iodine, which meant local food and water carried too little iodine as well; supplementing common salt with iodine, following Government of India norms, to produce iodised salt visibly reduced the symptoms. Iodised salt is simply common salt mixed with the right quantities of iodine salts.

Vitamins (A, B1, C and D) and minerals (calcium, iodine and iron) together are called protective nutrients, since they protect the body from disease even though they're needed only in small amounts. Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy, its deficiency causing loss of vision, including night blindness, and it comes from papaya, carrot, mango and milk. Vitamin B1 supports the heart and various body functions, and its deficiency causes beriberi, with swelling and a burning sensation in the feet and hands; it comes from legumes, nuts, whole grains and milk products. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium for bone and teeth health, its deficiency causing rickets, soft and bent bones; sunlight exposure, milk, butter, fish and eggs are sources, and the body can even make Vitamin D on its own from sunlight. Calcium keeps bones and teeth healthy, its deficiency causing weak bones and tooth decay; it comes from milk, curd, cheese and paneer. Iodine supports physical and mental activity, its deficiency causing goitre; it comes from seaweed, water chestnut and iodised salt. Iron is an important component of blood, its deficiency causing anaemia with weakness and shortness of breath; it comes from green leafy vegetables, beetroot and pomegranate.

Some nutrients can be detected with fairly simple tests. Placing a few drops of diluted iodine solution on a food item and watching for a colour change tests for starch, a type of carbohydrate: a blue-black colour indicates starch is present. Wrapping a food item in paper and pressing it tests for fat: an oily patch that lets light shine faintly through indicates fat is present. Testing for protein takes a few more steps, done carefully and only under supervision: a paste of the food item is mixed with water in a test tube, then copper sulfate solution and caustic soda solution are added and the mixture left undisturbed; a violet colour developing indicates protein is present. Applying these three tests across different foods, like potato, peanuts, boiled rice and butter, shows that a single food item often contains more than one nutrient at once, peanuts for instance testing positive for both protein and fat.

Nutritional requirements aren't the same for everyone; they vary with age, gender, physical activity, health status and lifestyle. A diet that has all essential nutrients, roughage and water in the right amount for proper growth and development is called a balanced diet. Dietary fibres, also called roughage, don't actually provide any nutrients to the body at all; instead, they help the body get rid of undigested food and ensure smooth passage of stools, provided mainly by plant products like green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, pulses and nuts. Water is equally essential, though also not a nutrient itself: it helps the body absorb nutrients from food and removes waste through sweat and urine. Some nutrients, Vitamin C among them, are lost during cooking due to high heat, and washing cut or peeled vegetables can also lose some vitamins, though thorough washing before consumption is still important for other reasons.

Jowar, bajra, ragi and sanwa are small-sized grains, native crops of India that can be easily cultivated across a range of climatic conditions. Known as millets, they've been an integral part of the Indian diet for centuries and have regained popularity for their numerous health benefits: good sources of vitamins, minerals like iron and calcium, and dietary fibre, which is exactly why millets are also called nutri-cereals. They contribute significantly to a balanced diet needed for the body's normal functioning, and their hardiness across different climates makes them a genuinely practical choice for regions where other cereals struggle.

Wheat grown by a farmer travels a long path before it becomes the chapati on a plate: threshing and winnowing, storage, grinding and packing, transport to a retail shop, and finally the plate itself. The entire distance a food item travels from producer to consumer is called its food miles; reducing food miles cuts down cost and pollution during transport, supports local farmers, and keeps food fresher and healthier. Junk foods, like potato wafers, candy bars and carbonated drinks, are high in sugar and fat, providing high calories while containing very little protein, minerals, vitamins or dietary fibre; eating them frequently makes a person obese and can lead to several health problems. Many people also waste food, leaving it unconsumed on their plates, without remembering the time and effort farmers and other community members put into getting that food from farm to plate; taking only as much as can actually be consumed reduces this waste. Eating food that is locally grown and plant-based, where possible, is not only healthy for the body but also good for the environment.