We must be really smart to have made ‘artificial intelligence’ a reality, so why not use our ‘real intelligence’ for eating, instead of landing our natural, beautiful selves into a maze of diseases from which we cannot extricate ourselves. If we can shop smartly so can we eat that way, and get bargains that don’t rip us apart. This can be done by eating everything we love without denying ourself the pleasure. Let us see HOW?
Set Clear Health Goals
Once goals you really want to achieve, are listed in order of priorities and preferences, then working towards their achievement in a disciplined manner becomes a target for achievement. For example, you may want to lose or gain body weight, feel fit and energetic, sleep well to wake up fresh for work and play, be happy and feel mentally and emotionally at peace with yourself and the environment.
Lose or Gain Weight
It is important to understand, that while there are many reasons for losing or gaining weight, the fundamental cause is under or overeating. The underlying principle being consumption of less or more calories through eating than our activities can use up. Therefore, if food calories ingested equal calories used up in daily activities, body weight tends to remain fairly constant over time.
A diet adequate in protein, nutrients, fibre and fat promotes fullness and reduces appetite for nibbling between meals. Thus, a balanced diet that meets the body’s daily nutritional and energy requirements determines whether body weight remains stable.
It may be appropriate to add, that the reasons for losing or gaining weight other than food and eating, range from lifestyles, personality, hormonal imbalances, genetic and autoimmune conditions that may affect the body’s energy metabolism.
Lifestyle - To a large extent, our lifestyles determine how, when, what and where we eat. We are largely influenced by parents, social interaction and the foods and flavours introduced to in our early years. It is said that we develop our personality traits and habits largely by the age of five, and become the type of adults we are with our likes, dislikes, preferences and behaviours, all affected by our living environment. We do however, possess the power to change our thoughts and situations if we decide to do so. It is interesting to note that post the pandemic, exposure to Korean dramas and music significantly increased the popularity of their food and other products in India.s
Personality - Personality traits reflect the characteristic pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviours of people to situations in life, that manifest in different ways, being basically described as extroverts, introverts and so on. Extroverts express their thoughts and feelings more easily as they are naturally curious, talkative, quick to act and react, whereas introverts are reserved, generally responding to situations in a logical controlled manner, exhibiting internal strength of will. The majority however, fall between these extremes, creating the various reactions and behaviours we see around us.
Experience shows that people behave in different ways to any particular situation at different times and therefore reduce predictability, even though some patterns do emerge. It is these which characterise people as creative, confident, happy, fearful, agreeable, curious, anxious an so on, an unending list of habitual behavioural traits.
Health related lifetime changes with respect to likes, dislikes and preferences, have been reported from time to time, where targets for weight loss have been set over a time period and achieved by mere will power. Cases have also come to light where no matter what diets are followed patients put back their lost weight, because of lack of discipline or other uncontrollable factors.
Hormones and weight - There are many hormones released by the body that are involved in regulating hunger and satiety that act as natural remote systems for regulation of its processes and functions. Some are briefly outlined.
Eat-Less hormone (PYY) - In the early 2000’s Steve Bloom an endocrinologist, studied the mechanism in the body that made people less hungry and found that overweight people produced less PYY than those who were thinner. As a result, he injected obese subjects with the hormone and then fed them a buffet lunch, tracking the quantities each one ate. The findings showed that the injected subjects ate about 400 calories less than others, the effects lasting for 12 hours. Bloom then gave daily doses to determine if weight loss was sustained over time. This research was probably the precursor of many that led to the weight loss formulations being prescribed for obesity today. (Medical research update. Reader’s Digest. January 2004).
Thyroid hormones - In excess these lead to involuntary weight loss, a condition known as ‘hyperthyroidism’ in which the body’s energy production processes get accelerated unduly leading to increased metabolic rate. In a deficiency however, the energy produced decreases resulting in weight gain or ‘hypothyroidism’, both conditions requiring medical attention to stabilise.
Insulin - This is released by the pancreas and is intimately connected with regulation of sugar levels in the blood, any imbalances leading to diabetic conditions. Elevation of insulin increases hunger and food intake, the hormone also being responsible for the perceived pleasure of sweetness in foods. Several studies have shown how different insulin levels are produced by the type of foods eaten, some getting absorbed quicker than others. This process creates spikes in blood sugar levels to different extents, impacting the rate of insulin release. In both excess or deficiency of the hormone, medical intervention is essential to regulate the hormone and sugar levels, since circulating sugar is needed by all cells and organs. Interestingly, glucose is the only source of energy that the brain can use depending entirely on the circulating blood sugar for its functional activities.
Childhood adversity has also been linked to increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes (T2D) in adults. A clinical trial has shown that snack food intakes and hunger gets reduced in obese subjects with neuromodulation of the prefrontal cortex of the brain. (Heinitz S et al. Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 2017).
The incidence of diabetes has become so widespread in its various forms that the UN-WHO has predicted that India will become the diabetic capital of the world by the end of this decade, if not controlled on a war footing.
Ghrelin - This is known as the gut hormone, its release signalling the brain that ‘it is time to eat’. Levels of the hormone increase between mealtimes and decrease when the stomach is full. Normally, its release decreases after eating thus regulating appetite and satiety. It also activates the growth hormone secretagogna receptor (GHS-R) that stimulates food intake and fat deposition, impacting body weight.
Foods like sugar and high fructose syrups can interfere with the release of ghrelin while whole grains and lean proteins decrease its levels, adding to the feeling of satisfaction after eating. In overweight or obese persons the level of the hormone is lower than those who restrict their calorie intake. Getting enough sleep too, helps in regulating its secretion and therefore, hunger pangs are not experienced during sleep.
Leptin - The levels of leptin are responsible for never feeling satisfied even after eating, as it increases cortisol production, leading to food cravings and other hormonal imbalances.
Ghrelin and leptin are closely associated with energy production and therefore produce the hunger sensation and satiety. Any shift in their balance affects the body’s ability to regulate energy demands and its storage, leading to pathological conditions. Fortunately, dietary control, exercise and sound sleep can help a great deal to prevent diseases before they get out of hand.
Other chronic and genetic afflictions too, can lead to metabolic disturbances at different stages of life, manifesting as ‘eating disorders’ affecting body weight. All these generally require professional clinical, medical or even surgical intervention.
Smart Eating
A smart way of eating is to look at our plates every time we are served or serve ourselves a meal. Often preferences of amounts actually eaten depend on cognitive illusions because we are wired to think what we eat. So, to determine what we actually eat there is a need to critique ourselves by the following questions:
What foods am I buying ? - This is important particularly for home meals or those made fresh to order. Many factors are involved in making these decisions such as quality, quantity, type, edible portion, nutritional content and so on briefly touched upon. (Mohini Sethi. Catering Management. 4th ed. New Age International Publishers, India. 2022).
Quality - Whatever the food of choice, quality is of prime importance. This may be judged at the point of purchase using our sensory perceptions with regard to appearance, smell, taste and so on, especially for farm fresh produce. There was a time when local vendors roamed the streets and buyers judged the freshness and food quality by sight, touch, and feel only. Today however, with most foods available packaged, choices are made by scrutinising labels with respect to dates of manufacture, shelf life, ingredients, nutrition and so on. Since this is cumbersome and time consuming for both buyer and seller, every country has set up easily identifiable standard marks that certify quality to help make choices. In India, the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the umbrella organisation setting standards for different categories of foods.
It is ironic though, that while packages are now celebrated in India, they do not really improve the lot of those who grow the food to create the quality of their contents. The consumer too feels cheated either way, by paying more for contents they cannot choose by actually using their senses, and paying for the packages that create environmental and food quality issues.
In addition, food is also subjected to double taxation in the form of ‘state’ and ‘central’ taxes even in Union territories where there is no declared statehood. Should the consumer not be relieved of buying stale packaged food and paying taxes too, making food prices soar to unaffordable levels even for bread, milk and other basic necessities? It is not surprising that most people still resort to choosing freshly served street food rather than eat in hotels, where the food is aesthetically presented but quality uncertain.
Quantity - The quantity of food bought at a time needs a close look, the perishable ones being bought more often than semi or nonperishable ones, according to the size of households. If meals are prepared for the family owning a refrigerator, then the quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables can be bought to last for 2-3 days at a time or as required. It all depends on the portions needed for daily meal preparation and consumption.
Quantities purchased by catering establishments require to maintain storages of different sizes and temperatures to buy and store foods, ingredients and accessories. This is to cater to unprecedented, variable demand from day to day, according to the variety offered on menus. As far as customers are concerned food portions of each dish are fixed and priced, but they would all enjoy freshly prepared and served food of choice. Today, one finds chefs putting together preparations on order, in view of the customers in some establishments.
Type - The type of foods purchased would largely depend on seasonal availability in any particular region, and the traditional and cultural methods of processing and cooking employed. In addition, preferences influence what is bought, since children in the family generally make a fuss about eating. One has often heard that children eat what they like, but surprisingly, recent nutrition and sensory research suggests that when it comes to meals it is more accurate to say children don’t eat what they dislike. On the other hand adults will most likely never eat what they strongly dislike. Thus, dislikes are stronger predictors of what will be bought. (Kathleen Keller, Penn State. University, US. reported by ANI, TOI. 26 Feb. 2022).
Edible portion - Some fresh foods provide less cooked portions than others depending on their moisture and fibre contents, stage of ripening, harvesting methods, and so on. For instance, freshly harvested tender greens are flavourful but provide cooked portions depending on whether they are consumed raw, sauteed, steamed, slow cooked or in combination with other foods. There are others just ripe and tender, that do not require trimming or peeling before cooking and give larger edible portions. On the other hand, over-mature and off-season vegetables have thick peels, large seeds and undigestible fibre, usually discarded, and prove costlier in terms of edible portions, nutrition and sensory qualities.
The concept of portions has been referred to as the Delbouef effect named after its researcher, and refers to the cognitive illusions of portion size that often guide our eating. Experience has shown that if sandwiches, snacks or desserts are served in smaller portions, the tendency is to eat less, as at a buffet than otherwise. Similarly, if two exactly same sized chapatis or other foods are served in a large or small plate, it sets off an illusion that the edible portion in the former is smaller, and one tends to eat more. Serving meals in bowls, tiffin boxes or thalis creates the same illusory effects when meals are delivered on order. This is amply illustrated by smaller plates kept for buffet service in contrast to larger ones at restaurant tables, where ‘a la carte’ menu selections are more profitable to the caterer.
Nutrition - It is important to eat a variety of foods in meals to ensure proper nutrition. Michael Pollan calls today an age of nutritionism, in which there is little connection left between health, wellbeing and food. I am tempted to quote his New York Times bestseller, In Defence of Food, which is a ‘must read’. He provides in one sentence the guiding principles to health by saying Eat food; Not too much; Only plants.
The concept of nutritionism has cost us quality for quantity, in favour of scientists who dissect foods into their components and then change their views ever so often, as new research appears to contradict earlier findings, only causing confusion. The gains of any new ideas often lead to innovations that bring profits for industries and professionals. This is further complicated by standardisation and products that we really don’t recognise as food, that our parents so lovingly fed us, from what was available. Health and nutrients were never an issue to be discussed in our childhood, when there were fewer hospitals, purer water, air and soils and nature’s gift of food was taken for granted, consumed with gratitude.
What am I eating ? - It is important to visualise the food on the plate before serving, to ensure wise choices that ascertain :
All food groups are represented to make sure the meal is balanced and appeals to our senses of colour, texture, flavour, aroma, taste and mouthfeel.
Nutritionally balanced yet enjoyable, without the strain of counting calories or the fear of putting on extra weight with every morsel ingested.
Adequately portioned for comfort and affordability, so that it does not cause any form of anxiety or stress.
An enjoyable, contented, happy, fulfilling yet untiring eating experience.
While planning meals at home, ordering or eating out, it is important to choose the main dish as a high protein one, that contains foods like eggs, dairy products, meat, fish or poultry, cereals and pulses, the rest being built around it with lighter foods. Depending on what meal has been constructed, the dessert should be pre-portioned for taste and not so much for its satiety value, unless the guest has deliberately chosen a very light meal from an a la carte menu, with an eye on the dessert. It is more appropriate to choose meals and eat mindfully, for making the experience pleasant, rather than counting calories with every morsel.
One high protein food included in most meals and menus in India, is paneer or cottage cheese in various forms or combinations irrespective of the occasion. It is heartening to note an experiential travel website for traditional foods listing it in 7 out of 50 best dishes in the world. First, was raclette, heated and melted cheese served with boiled potatoes from Switzerland, next saganaki, a fried cheese appetizer from Greece followed by paneer tikka and shahi paneer among others. Perhaps it is little known, that Bhutan has also adopted paneer as a common ingredient in its regional cuisines, that it now imports freely.
Traditional Indian meals seem incomplete without dairy, a practice of using food items according to their nutrient densities as reflected seasonally in every region. Most desserts too, used milk as the base sprinkled with dried fruits, nuts and seeds, not only for taste, but as required for its nutrients according to season, climate and energy requirements. A visit to a sweet shop is proof of this trend by the wide spread of different mithais (sweets) on display in each region. In fact, modern and traditional trends are exhibited in fusion in most outlets today, be they sweet shops or bakeries.
How much am I eating ? - Indian meals are usually considered heavy by people, who relish them for their spices and tend to overeat especially when travelling. In such cases it is always best to try out home meals or regional delicacies. For this reason travellers are now opting for home-stays instead of hotels, where the variety offered in the latter is too extensive to choose from, and not according to choice and affordability. In hotels, the intention is not merely hospitality but profits, the policy being to charge fixed prices for breakfasts, brunches or buffets that offer choices as temptations, impossible to enjoy all at a single meal.
Examine the size of the plate and how full it looks to you. Is the food so piled up that you know it is not possible to consume it all. During celebrations, food served seems limitless, costs nothing to the guest who desires to taste all dishes on offer without a wink. This behaviour is seen in spite of how much can be digested comfortably to feel good and happy. barring the hungry child, who will evidently be happy to fill his plate to the brim at the sight of food and consume it too, for satiety and contentment.
On the other hand, while eating out often, one decides to order what one cannot make easily at home on a regular basis, checks the price per portion, and orders according to affordability. If at a previous outing the quantities of a dish were too large for one person, the next time one is cautious to ask about the size of portions, whether it is a soup, starter, main dish or dessert. Smart restaurants make their profits by serving larger sizes of low costing dishes and smaller ones of exotic or favourite ones. Thus there are many choices for the smart eater to make :
Waste food by leaving it partly uneaten.
Share it between the guests by ordering the item in single large dishes to pass around, whether soups, salads and desserts, ordered as split portions like ‘one-into-two’ to start with, so that the main meal can be enjoyed better.
Eat well but not feel overfull leading to stomach distress, taking away from the enjoyment of the meal, physically, socially and emotionally.
Choose foods for satiety in portions that provide less calories, are light on the stomach and digest easily.
Remember that food untasted remains un-waisted. As Jack Kerouac said : If moderation is a fault, then indifference is a crime.
Calorie density of foods has become an indicator of choice today for multiple reasons. One can feel full on fewer calories using foods rich in water and fibre. In some countries it is now mandatory to write the calorie content per portion of dishes offered on a menu.
America adopted calorie counts on menus in 2018, India in 2021 and the UK in 2022, that has now steadily become the norm. Research has however, proved that counting calories of foods rarely stops people from eating them, food items being selected mainly in the context of the occasion. The habit of counting calories also interferes with the enjoyment of eating, socialising and the celebratory experience.
We know that eating fresh fruits instead of packed or preserved ones is smart eating, as they provide less calories for more satisfaction, while also acting as coolants in summers. If we compare fresh with dried fruits it is easy to see their energy densities, with 2 cups of grapes and 1/4 cup of raisins each providing 100 calories. The practice of eating more dried fruits as snacks in colder regions provides nutrient dense meals, stepping up metabolism of the body to keep it warm and working efficiently.
A few indicators of smart eating are therefore, a light active body, an alert peaceful positive mind, leading to a sound night’s sleep, ensuring one wakes up fresh and happy each new day.
Every morning we are given enough energy for the day by our natural environment for spiritual, mental and physical activities, that only needs to be managed with positivity. Gurdjieff aptly said : … a big burst of negativity can wipe out a whole day’s energy … if the eruption is strong enough, one could be depleted for a week.
The latest trend today, is the rise of micro-dining where chefs open outlets with limited seating to introduce specialities of various regions and countries, while providing a ‘home-feel’ to meals. Customers looking for adventurous eating choose from displayed foods and ingredients, that are then put together for them and served freshly prepared. This is also a way of introducing foods of different countries that provide variety and a novel experience.
So, let’s balance our energy consumption and eat ‘food’ not merely ‘nutrients’, be smart buyers, eating and using available resources, learning from our grandmothers the secrets of health and wellbeing, and rediscovering our positive ‘happy selves’.
Informative article