The
Godrej Food Trends Report is out,which is a detailed analysis of what to expect in the food industry in India this year; from pop up restaurants, to celebration of millets, from ethnic food ingredients to Buddha bowls, there is a lot that we can look forward to in 2018.But as we reach the half mark of 2018, when I look back on the last 5 months, the food trend for
2018 that I find most exciting is
Mindful eating.
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| Godrej Food trends Report 2018 #GFTR2018 |
It makes sense that
India, the land of Yoga and Ayurveda, and body and mind consciousness, should
not only adopt mindfulness in food, but also embrace it as a way of life.
So what is Mindfulness in food? Being Mindful is knowing what
you are eating, where is it coming from, how is it grown, who made it and how,
and finally giving the food the respect and losing yourself to the five senses
while eating your food, and being thankful for the food we have.
Let’s start from the beginning; being aware where your food
comes from: A lot of food influencers have taken to growing their own
vegetables and herbs, and I do think that given the ease of planters and
balcony greens, that can very well be the way to go. But, baby steps. Many of
us working professionals
may not have
the time or the patience to do our own vegetable gardens, but step out once a
week to your neighbourhood vegetable vendor. Touch, feel, prod and smell your
produce. I found myself doing just that when I went Mango shopping, I felt for
the softness and piability of the mangoes, I judged them by their colour and
checked for bruises and cuts, and then finally held them up for a glorious
whiff of sun ripened mangoes.
The entire
sensational experience of touch, sight, smell before actually tasting is where
the mindfulness lies.
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| Choosing mangoes, an exercise in Mindfulness |
How is our food being produced?: I think this is the part
Indians struggle with most. We love to visualise fields of mustard with Shahrukh
Khan and Kajol dancing, but we dissociate with the farmer who grows the food.
In fact, the dissociation from our food is
even more when it comes to the animals we eat.
We love our butter chicken, but we don’t want to be drawn into the
controversy of how they are bred. One of my Easter lunch spread had the picture of a suckling on the
stuffed pig platter. People don’t mind eating sausages and bacon, but the fact
that it is an actual animal produce disturbs them. I eat all meats, and I love
the western approach of giving dignity and respect to the shepherd who grazes
them, to the butchers and even the chefs who work extensively with meats. There
are countless travel and food shows which are now taking us on virtual tours of
farmlands in Australia, and Butcheries in France, but not one which shows us
the Tabelas of Punjab.
If we need to
embrace food, we truly need to embrace the where, who and what of food.
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| Knowing , acknowledging and respecting the source of your food, mindful eating, #GFTR2018 |
Next up is Mindfulness about who is making the food: Raise
your hand if you make your food everyday. Raise your hand if you cook for your
entire family, everyday. Raise your hand if you feel like an under-appreciated
mom. There is a reason why Ma-ke-haath-ka khana is such a big thing. No yearly
trend report can take away that blissful joy of ‘my mom cooks the best’. And a
lot of brands have jumped on the bandwagon of celebrating the ‘MOM’ , be it
cooking oils, to fast food brands, from
cornflakes to mayonnaise everyone has a yummy mummy prepping breakfast, tiffin
or checking up on her husbands calorie count.
I will be honest, I
am a doctor, I work out of home, and while I plan every meal of the house, I do
not cook every meal. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t healthy and tasty, and it
does stem from age old family recipes. But, sometimes spending time rustling up
a meal, is just the therapy I need after a day at work. Making salads, or
adjusting the spices in a dish, or tossing up a fried rice in the wok, I don’t
know how many of you have cooked for yourself or for family, but try it. And
better still , involve the kids. Right now we make imaginary food for everyone
at the park, using play sand, and being
mindful that kitchen is not the only place for a woman, and that the kitchen
belongs to an entire family, and the entire family can come together not just
to eat, but also to cook, I feel will go a long way in promoting
mindfulness and well being. Having open kitchens, where a kitchen connects
directly to the dining hall, I think takes the cooking out of the kitchen and
helps others see the entire preparation of dishes.
And finally the eating of food: By now you might have
guessed from the 700 odd words above, that
I believe that Mindfulness in eating food, doesn’t just lie in eating it.
But, one of the greatest joys of life, is that every now and then you have to
slow down and savour a meal. But how many of us have rushed through our meals
on our way to work, binge eaten in front of the TV, or netflixed our meals, not
even realising what we ate. Guess, the biggest advantage of eating your food
mindfully, is that you feel satiated much faster, and that translates to eating
lesser. Eating slowly, admiring the long
grains of basmati, deeply inhaling the smell of fresh ghee, and even eatin
g
with your hands to really feel the texture of food, all help immersing yourself
in the eating experience.
Who knew mindfulness could be your next step to health and
weightloss.
But first one word
about giving thanks. Not a traditional Indian concept, but since many of us
have been brought up in Catholic schools, where a prayer before meals is
mandatory, why not adopt it in our own way? I first noticed this when one day
my son, returned from school, and just folded his hands and said “Thankyou God for this food”. I don’t
know how much he understands about God or thankfulness , especially since we
haven’t introduced the concept of God to him, and sometimes he returns without
eating his school tiffin ( so much for thankfulness) , but I think it’s a habit
worth inculcating.
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Inculcating Thankfulness, Mindful eating
#GFTR2018 |
Mindfulness while eating out: I think nothing can be more
satisfying than a mindful meal eaten at a restaurant. Think about it, one of the key ways of eating mindfully is
having a dedicated place of cooking your meals and also eating them. And so
eating at the dining table promotes more mindfulness, rather than eating
infront of the TV. Now imagine that you actually get dressed to EAT, drive a
car to a place to EAT, be seated in a place particularly designed so that you
ENJOY YOUR MEALS, everyone from the wait-staff to the chef to the cutlery on
the table is there to make your meal a memorable experience. Leave the phone,
connect with your food, connect with the people making and serving the food,
and mostly connect with the person you are there with to savour the food. To be able to have someone who celebrates
your love for food as much as you , is a treasure all unto itself.
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| mindfulness while eating out and food blogging #GFTR2018 |
Mindfulness as a food
blogger : If you have read this far, I am guessing, either you really love
your food , in which case HIGH FIVE, or are a food blogger , in which case hug
from your tribe. As a food blogger
taking food pictures can seem contra-intuitive to mindfulness, but it actually
isn’t. Seeing how the light hits the food, and how the colours contrast on
the plate, how the butter chicken looks even better with the dollop of cream,
and food styling using the ingredients in the dish, means you are actually
celebrating the food in front of you. But a word of caution , celebrate food,
not just the pictures .
Even while eating, us food bloggers need to know that much
more about textures, interplay of flavours, food combinations and so much more.
I am constantly trying to identify the spices, or how a particular cooking
technique affects the overall dish whether it is char grilling or smoking a
dish, or cooking in a water bath. Without mindfulness, that isn’t possible.
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| Baby led weaning, this is my son at 9 months eating a carrot beetroot whole wheat cake ( yes I celebrated monthly birthdays). Baby led weaning, and sitting in a dedicaated high cahir are ways of starting a mindful eating practice for kids. |
And finally,
mindfulness for kids !
It starts as young as breast feeding and then weaning. While
enough has been said, and written about breastfeeding, and I am a huge believer
in it, not much is said about a baby’s first foods. Baby led weaning simply
means that let the baby decided what they want to eat, and not to give mashed
purees, it also means they start to grab and eat early, they chew their food
better, and it means better hand eye coordination and better understanding of
food texture, rather than having everything mashed and watery.
Second tip would be
to make child sit in a high chair, rather than running after the child during
feeding time. It means they have a dedicated place to eat, just like adults.
And third, is don’t
feed with the Tv mobile on, something a lot of parents do. Yes, its more work
getting them to eat food, more mess too, since the kid is effectively feeding
themselves, but you can raise mindful eaters at a young age.
Taking your kid to the vegetable market is another great way
to make them aware of food, also imaginary play and actual cooking with kids is
all part of mindfulness.
That brings us to the end of why I think Mindfulness is the
Number one trend of 2018 and going forth. It encompasses everything right from
production to consumption of food, you can introduce it in simple ways in your
daily life, and learn to love food more, and it can help you lose weight too if
that is what you choose to do, and connecting with food with all your senses
not just your taste buds, elevating the experience of eating, whether at home
or outside.
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| Hope you enjoyed our playful take on Mindful eating |
This post is a part of the Godrej Food Trends blogging contest hosted by
Fashionable Foodz in association with
Vikhroli Cucina and should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. the content herein is owned by the blogger. Godrej food trends blogging contest, Fashionablefoodz or Godrej is not responsible for any kind of infringement caused.
