Onam Sadhya -Nutrition Science and Local food promotion Kerala

Onam is an auspicious celebration for Kerala. Keralites around the globe celebrate this festival in a traditional way with a lot of food and celebrations with abundance. This festival is so much connected to the nature.

In 2020, when I think it is the point of view of earth ascension and changes, and after lockdown people got more chances to connect with the truth inside. Whatever be the story behind Onam or the last wish of Mahabali, it is easier to understand that that period of transparency and truth was in a fifth or higher dimension, or a heaven on earth that made everyone jealous of it and could be the next yuga after Kaliyuga will be like that.

Let’s evolve together with our own understanding and I hope that our daily community meditation is helping clients to clear their mind and emotions with discussion and that unity itself is helping each other with overall wellness. Wishing you all a very happy Onam, let’s enjoy with family and friends . Each moment in life is important and be grateful for what you have today.

Onam sadhya (Food that served in plantain leaves) is special, which consists of more than 8 dishes including payasam. Want to know more about Onam-nutrition?

All the dishes are served with rice. Brown rice is better than white rice because it contains enough B-complex vitamins and fiber whereas white rice is polished.

1.Aviyal: Aviyal is a vegetable curry made from all sorts of authentic vegetables available in the season. In some parts of Kerala, curd is added in this dish. It gives enough vitamins and minerals, fiber including protein (from curd).

2.Sambar: Any South Indian Celebration is incomplete without a Sambar especially an Onam feast. Sambar is prepared in different ways using authentic vegetables, dal, and coconut. So it gives enough protein from dals, minerals, vitamins, and MCT(medium-chain triglycerides) from coconut and fibers.

3.Kootu Curry: Kootu curry is another Onam dish prepared using different types of vegetables. Pumpkins and Carrots (rich in beta carotene) can be used to sweeten the curry.  Sugar or jaggery are also used as sweetening agents. Jaggery is a good source of iron, so prefer that. Also, one can use Pineapple to add a distinct flavor to the Kootu Curry. So it gives all vitamins, minerals, fiber especially iron.

4.Erisshery: Erisshery is a popular Onam dish prepared from Pumpkin and Beans. Erisshery also prepared using Raw Bananas instead of Pumpkin. Beans are a good plant protein.

5.Parippu Curry: This can be made using Moong Dal or Tuvar Dal. In some regions of Kerala, coconut milk or coconut paste is used for flavoring the curry. Parippu Curry is supported by Ghee. It provides enough protein.

6. Lady Finger Khichdi: Although Cucumber Khichdi and Beetroot Khichdi are more popular Lady Finger Khichdi is one unique dish amongst all the Onam Dishes. Mucous in ladies’ finger is fiber and it provides vitamins and minerals also.

7.Morru Curry: Morru Curry is one of the very popular Onam Dishes made using curd with banana, pineapple, raw banana, or ripe mango as an option. It is good for digestion. It gives protein, vitamins, and minerals.

8.Semiya Payasam: Semiya Payasam is a traditional South Indian Recipe that suggests the use of minimal ingredients. Semiya (like noodles) is cooked with milk and sugar. Dry fruits are added to taste. It is an excellent dessert which gives enough calories, proteins, fats, etc. It is mostly liked by the kids and is nutritious also.

Payasam can be made with wheat, rava, or Dal which again improve the protein intake. Pappads are made with Bengal gram powder which gives protein. So better go for this than other types of potato chips which do not contain enough protein, but high carb.

Pickles are made with raw mango(rich in vitamin -c), gooseberry (rich in vitamin -c), and ginger. Ginger is good for digestion and it also helps to reduce the effect of uric acid in high protein food.

Just understand that having one or two Kerala sadhya with the food you love may not results in weight gain, no need to feel guilty about it. If you wish to take 2 glasses of payasam, them reduce the rice portion but have all other curries . Even if you gain a few kilos we can reduce it in the coming days and next follow-up, so don’t worry about it.

Love light peace and Joy

Gayathri

Aug 31, 2020

Diet and Gall bladder stones

Recently a client from Sydney joined with Nutrisolutions after a gallbladder stone surgery and we suggested a diet which helped to maintain better health and overall wellness. As a nutritionist and dietitian, I was just trying to understand the general pattern of diet followed. But he was found to have a normal diet with a bit more carbohydrates than what he exactly needs as a sedentary worker. Maybe the excess of calories converted to fat and get stored in the system, which might have served as one of the major causes of high triglycerides level. This happens in many clients even though they are not taking a high-fat diet. Each person is different and their daily needs also varies. In most cases I just look into their emotions and childhood trauma or the relationships which affect them and the more pain or grudge towards the self or during the growing age could be an impact and inner child healing trauma relaxes the stomach .

Recently a few cases came with IBS and other intestinal disorders who had a lot of emotional and various kinds of abuse during childhood. So an overall analysis may help even though many of them are unaware of these minute things which actually affects the health, mind, and emotional layers. The book which I published on Diet and Emotions gives a better idea about the impact of various emotions on our health and how it affects various organs. Meditation is really helping my clients to heal their PCOS and various psychosomatic illness.

If it is food, go for a normal balanced diet according to your age and work or metabolism. I recommend foods that are high in fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and pulses. Reduce refined carbohydrates and less sugar and go for complex carbohydrates like rice-based ones. Eat healthy fats, like coconut oil, fish oil, and olive oil, in limits to help your gallbladder to contract and empty regularly.  Avoid unhealthy fats, like those often found in desserts and fried foods.

Drink enough water and it helps in overall wellness and better mind or utilization of water-soluble vitamins and finds the type of stone. Each kind of stone has a specific diet to be followed. Regular follow-up is essential to understand the condition.

Jul 10, 2020

Lock down Obesity and Emotional Eating

Lock down is a period of self realisation. Due to various reason and financial instability, many of my clients are worried. They all are connected from different parts of the world through Nutrisolutions’ Global Community social media platform. One – to – one communications are helping them to come out of the trauma. The current pandemic situation is really affecting the mind, body, emotions as well as the thought process. In order to support the community, a movement  to uplift the mind was started earlier. We have also initiated a worldwide meditation 2020 program where we connect twice daily through group meditation.

Although Nutrition is the science of food, it is also connected to the wellbeing of our emotions. The approach of dietician in understanding the situation as well as the food culture, personal preference or religious belief. Particularly in a country like India where  we do a lot of rituals or social functions is also connected to food habits. Now due to Ramadan many of them are into deep meditation and intermittent fasting. It is purifying the mind and even the emotions. Food plays a major role in mental health and stability. The nutrients in a balanced diet help and water play a major role in brain health and our body is more of water . There is no super food or immunity boosters. But your own daily nourishment from local available sources and a customised plan with right motivation shows more results than reading lot of nutrition tips and applying everything.

Emotions are energy in motion. It has a major role in affecting the body and mind. Stress is a part of modern world where each one is running for something like others around them. A few minutes of meditation actually helps my clients to find the root causes of that they are affected. Food is not the only source of energy but the suggestion we give to our own self. When we are relaxed and with more universal energy from meditation, it clears all the blockages of life and new opportunities enter into the life. So this period is really important to understand the true purpose .I always feel so much happiness for this  passion in creating awareness on healthy eating and local low cost food and the transformation it brings in people,their emotions and relationship. Writing down all emotions and some tips to save energy for the day make you feel more better and self love, which is the opposite of anxiety and fear .When we are in fear we create a lower vibration energy. Always remember that world food chain is affected according to WHO and remember the chances of starvation when you feel like to over eat. May be our ancestors faced more of these pain and starvation which made us to store more fat percentage and more chances of obesity in our gene. Some studies shows that Asians have more chances and our body type or mind set is different. We cannot take world standard in the case of obesity since there are so many factors which is correlated to weight gain and the approach towards the problem .

“Gayathri I am really happy for you and all your advice which is helping me a lot during lock down to overcome stress and living within my budget but with all daily needs of nutrients. Now I am surprised to note that this diet is  not only for weight loss but for a better nutrition support for my family and easy cooking recipe eating everything that I love without guilt and each follow up with your personal attention is helping me to get more energy and hope to reach my target of 10kg weight loss in just 90days and it is sustainable too since my friends suggested your program and community support” , This is the feedback from a client and many of them are remembering their hidden skills and new passion for their life of peace and joy.

Hope for the best and we all are connected. You are not alone. Just hug your inner self and say that this is the best period in your life to understand the reality how much you need in your life and a period of shift in consciousness and more gratitude to planet earth for providing all food, water, air ,sunlight ad everything we need but we try to replace it with artificial sources and the trap of listening to too much information than the truth which helps you to connect and sustain.

love light peace & joy

Gayathri

Apr 26, 2020