Why staying true to your food heritage helps you lose weight ?
Food and diet now a multi million dollar industry was once an effortless and accessible wisdom that everyone seemed to have. I am a 28 year old woman from India and staying true to the stereotype I have always been a vegetarian. I was 24 and considerably fit when I moved to United Kingdom to pursue higher education. We always talk about “culture shock” we face when we immigrate. And although food is an integral part of any culture, thanks to globalization of food industry we don’t specifically care to understand it. And suddenly all your country’s food is confined to that one or two grocery shops or aisles. And it’s a task to get them and cook. I was also overloaded with information like “start having meat for the protein “or “cooking everyday is not pragmatic” etc. I started falling deep into the frenzy and almost stayed away from any food that I loved eating growing up like rice ,lentils and wheat. I was hell-bent on counting macros, calories and started blaming gluten for the health issues I faced.
Six months into all this I was over -weight, facing the prospect of obesity. I developed chronic acid reflux and constantly lived in the binge-guilt-starve cycle. I always had low energy and started having “comfort-food” to make myself feel better. I wanted to ratify what I was doing and started researching on food , diet and nutrition. Though there is tons of misinformation floating around about food there are also so much legit research which I stumbled upon. I learnt how I was doing it all wrong. I started introducing minor changes in my diet. I started cooking more and was having food that I grew up eating and loved as a child. I enrolled myself in a gym and started weight training once a week. I did not beat myself up for giving in to my cravings. It was not an over-night transformation but within a year I was much more healthier and fitter and more importantly happier. Staying true to the food wisdom of my culture that was passed on to me has helped me stay tuned with my body and its needs.
This doesn't mean that one can’t relish on the local food produce. It is all about maintaining that healthy balance.
