Food: our habits are changing

Quietly, before you knew it, our consumption of food changed.

But is it all for the better?

Awareness for food has always been high. There was a time when we told ourselves and others that we didn’t use ghee. It was the common belief at that time.

We thought we were doing the right thing. Then we learnt better, and other products became targets.

Colas, noodles, biscuits and chips. Not that we didn’t eat these at all. We just cut back on the frequency or quantity.

Then white flour slowly disappeared. Not everywhere. But at least at home. White sugar turned to jaggery or palm sugar or monk fruit.

But obviously, the world would sit up and take notice.

Companies hire MBAs tracking just this kind of stuff. So we have whole wheat, low fat, low carb, high protein, low sodium, high magnesium and so on now.

This is great news.

It means the industry is waking up to the fact that we care as consumers.

There cannot be a better outcome than that created by educated consumers demanding quality nutrition.

A word of caution, though.

It is not hard to adopt these practices and beliefs. It has happened before and it will happen again.

Think of the shift from ghee to processed refined oils. We were told we are doing the right thing. Studies, research and experts validated what was being said.

In my humble opinion, there is only one simple truth.

Food grown naturally, that comes without labels, cooked fresh at home, eaten in moderation will always trump anything else.

Sure, there will be a dash of milk or cheese or even jams or sauces but they are the extras. As for snacks, which seem to fill up most of our social media, nothing beats home cooked food, fruits, nuts or seeds.

So invest in figuring out how to make delicious, tasty food at home.

My wife recently made icecream from dates and chickpeas. You could die and go to heaven after eating it.

Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain