Many of us already have new healthy habits emerging as a result of the lockdown. Though I don’t have too many new habits, some of my old ones have become bolstered. With COVID- 19 putting additional pressure on our supply chains, I am personally reading more labels, questioning all of our dietary habits, opting out from nearly all bio produce and trying to reduce items I have been hearing are unhealthy for a long time.
Making a complete switch is radical and something I am not so sure I am personally capable of doing. A life without chicken curry with a hot dhal puri seems so lonely. I have always been amazed at the dietary habits of vegetarians. My father is one and my little brother was groomed from birth to be one (he ate meat in his late teens).
Avocado on toast was a snack for my father when I was growing up way, before Facebook existed. My younger brother rotated between two types of meals for the first few years of his life: dhal with rice and either dhal with roti or plain chowmein with a little butter.
Looking back, I suppose being vegetarian wasn’t as trendy as it is today. Recipes have become better, substitutes and access to products have become easier. But back then, I always felt like eating something better meant that I would probably be hungry.
I remember whenever my father saw us eating meat, he would tell us we were eating the dead. Well, obviously, no one wants to eat a live chicken, I thought to myself. However, his remarks, I figure, were to somehow aggravate us into feeling disgusted about what we were eating without any explanation as to how it affected our overall health.
Over the years, with different outbreaks happening, many of them being linked to animals: swine flu, salmonella, bird flu, sometimes, even now, when I am “eating the dead” I find myself becoming repulsed. Meat comes attractively packaged and presented to us in our supermarkets, and it is hard to imagine the life before it got there. The truth is animals are usually crammed into small spaces under improper conditions, meddling in their own faeces. This is the prime breeding ground for pathogens.
While I have not removed meat from my diet, these are the habits that I am currently trying my best to improve to stay healthy.
Meatless weekdays
I thought it would be impossible, but I have managed to remove meat from my meals during the week. When I do eat meat, I try to wash it three times once with lemon, then ginger and finally garlic, apart from going for the most organically raised chicken. I have found lentils and red quinoa to have meaty feeling textures when cooked, and these, strangely, help with my cravings. Meat is hard to remove especially if you are accustomed to it, but it is also a nice feeling to have reduced the amount you consume and worry less.
Kefir
I have an addiction to researching foods and drinks rich in probiotics. Recently, I discovered kefir and its immense benefits for balancing gut health. As a fermented drink usually made from milk, it contains some 30 strains of probiotics and aids in digestion as it breaks down complex food groups, thus ensuring the body is able to utilize all nutrients. Though strange and a bit sour in taste, when it is in my breakfast bowl, I absolutely cannot tell the difference. Maintaining excellent gut health and managing good and bad bacteria is essential, as 90 percent of our body’s serotonin (an important neurotransmitter that contributes to mood, sleep, temperature) is produced in our gut. So, naturally, if we don’t bring our gut to a balance it can throw us off.
Trying to live healthy can feel overwhelming and at times even exhausting. I believe in some change as opposed to no change. If there is one thing that COVID- 19 has taught us it is that people must change if we want to be healthy, physically, and socially.
