Natural Health

Dining out carefully

I recall that day like yesterday. When I was in college, many years ago, a friend’s mother took ill from food poisoning. The next day she was gone. I am reminded of it today as my husband leaves for Benaras to ritually cremate a 60-year-old friend. Another food poisoning tragedy.

A ritual send-off from one of the country’s holiest places may be a blessing for the deceased, but for the family a sudden and premature death is a traumatic experience. Particularly from a routine case of food poisoning. The simple act of feeding herself cost her life.

Unsurprisingly, I am hesitant about dining out, particularly in restaurants. Everytime a friend or relative invites me to do so, I think twice because restaurants aren’t what they used to be. Thus I’ve had to increasingly sacrifice the pleasure of catching up with friends over a cup of coffee or a meal for a meaningful conversation. Gone are the days of good old filter coffee (de facto organic), and restaurants which used sea salt and ghani (cold-pressed) oil in their cooking and had the time to keep the establishment clean. Now to socialise, most sensible people eat at home and meet friends over a drink.

Today not only are hygiene standards in restaurants and eateries abominable, the use of refined sugar, oil, salt, flour, white rice, and refined (homogenised) milk is the rule. Further, all kinds of sauces and mixes containing colours, additives, msg, stabilisers, thickeners, preservatives and the like are de rigueur —certain to reduce your immune system to its lowest.

Moreover aluminium cook-ing vessels and chemically grown foods are the other hazards of eating out. Pollu-tion, stress and medications further reduce the immunity of party goers and restaurant diners — a situation that can be corrected only by a turn towards natural lifestyles. It’s important to note that reduced immunity doesn’t merely lead to minor illnesses, it’s increasingly becoming life threatening. Because it alters the very genes necessary to propagate a strong and healthy lineage, it’s become a matter of life and death for mankind to revert to natural lifestyles.

Against this backdrop here are some tips about careful dining — at home and out. Choose hardy, local seasonal vegetables like pumpkin and gourd that don’t need chemicals. The more exotic the vegetable, the more pesticides are used to grow it. Ingest fruit and raw vegetables only if you can wash them yourself or you are absolutely sure they’ve been washed well. Be aware that cooked vegetables can be as dangerous when laced with pesticides and not washed well before cooking. Choose rice (especially brown) over roti because rice is easier to clean and cook.

In any event, choose simple combinations of food especially when dining out to avoid stomach complications. Complex or exotic food combinations could lead to food poisoning. Missing a couple of meals is always good for the body and the best way to recover from any illness. A solution of lemon, rock salt and sugar is ideal in case one fears dehydration. A glass of coconut water can also work wonders.

When dining out in India’s under-policed restaurants, which health inspectors never find the time to visit, choose a busy restaurant because customer turnover is likely to be more, which will mean fresh food. Prefer restaurants with open kitchens which have to maintain minimum hygiene. Wipe your plate and cutlery with a napkin or your own handkerchief before you pile on.

Once seated inside an eatery, it’s advisable to choose vegetarian fare. Of course one can suffer food poisoning even on vegetarian fare but the chances are relatively less than in non-vegetarian foods. Exotica like prawns, crabs etc which need delicate cleaning should be avoided.

What would go a long way in upgrading restaurant fare is for customers to question the manager/owner about the ingredients used, and recommend changes. Very often a small suggestion, a little comment, can set a positive course of action in motion. I never refrain from informing the management if something is wrong with my meal. This can be done pleasantly. Any restaurateur worth his salt will appreciate your suggestion rather than your bad mouthing the establishment privately. I am pleased when a customer complains about a product of mine. It makes my job easy, and I bless her for taking the trouble to inform me. I believe it means that my product is important to her and that she cares about it.

Some other precautions to take when eating out: squeeze a squirt of lemon onto your meal; it’s a good cleanser and can help mitigate potential problems caused by any food gone stale. Choose foods with natural preservatives like tamarind and kokum which when used in sea food, help digestion. As do appetizers made with kokum sold in coastal fish restaurants. Remember all herbs and spices have healing properties, especially turmeric which is a natural antiseptic.

However on the other hand there’s no need to get hysterical about eating out, because doing so helps build one’s immunity. Having a positive frame of mind and being active is as, if not more, important. Last but not least, saying a prayer before your meal to thank God for the food you are about to eat, will help absolve it of all negativity.

(Kavita Mukhi is a Mumbai-based eco-nutritionist and director of Conscious Food)