A study on the awareness of traditional foods among the younger generations in tamil nadu
1.
Traditional
food refers
to foods consumed
over
the
long-term
duration
of
civilization through civilization through generations generations,,[1] and foods and dishes that are traditional or have a historic precedent in a national, regional or local cuisine cuisine.. Traditional foods and beverages may be produced as homemade, by restaurants and small manufacturers, and by large food processing
plant
facilities.[2] This facilities.
article
also
includes
information
about
traditional beverages traditional beverages.. 2. By contrast, the way we eat today is vastly different.
We have grown so accustomed to food being produced the way it is, we often don’t think beyond the package or the can. Since the advent of mechanization mechanizati on and processing techniques t echniques developed during the time around the Industrial Revolution, our food has become increasingly removed and modified from its natural state. The effect these processes have had on our health has been profound. To the average person, the notion of eating healthy or nutritious food has been been translated into something which powerful companies are now able to employ effective marketing strategies by which to sell products. Notice how you will rarely see an ad on television or in a magazine for a whole, organic food. Ads are persuasive and successful tools that sell products – but but they rarely sell health. The good news is, you do have a choice. With a little information, you can become empowered to take charge of your own health instead of letting an advertisement tell you what’s healthy. One of the best ways to take control of your own health is to eliminate processed eliminate processed foods from your diet your diet and start eating traditional foods. For some, the idea of changing ways of eating is very challenging. Maybe you buy a lot of convenience foods and feel as though you simply don’t have time or desire to cook, or maybe you don’t have the energy to plan ahead and think about meals in advance. Changing eating habits may not be easy, but perhaps you have some health issues motivating you to do something about – about – problems problems you’d like to eliminate el iminate but haven’t had success succes s in i n treating treati ng with conventional medicine.
What are traditional foods?
Traditional foods are those eaten by people over the longer course of civilization and which have supported health – cultivated, produced, and harvested from the earth and out of nature – foods which are wholly unaltered and organic, and contain the highest levels of nutrition or are nutrient-dense. These foods have been eaten for millennia by people around the world. They are not processed or packaged and sent all over the planet, so in many cases tradit ional foods are also those found in your local community. Some examples include using real fats for cooking such as butter or lard instead of vegetable oil – which is a modern, industrialized fat, or meat and poultry from humanely-raised animals or birds living out in the open on green pasture. We have been taught to believe many of foods we eat are from natural healthy sources, but the reality is that most of what is bought and sold on the market is as unnatural as can possibly be.
Traditional foods, as described on The Weston A. Price Foundation web site:
“It is these real, whole, nourishing foods enjoyed for generation upon generation that provide the cells of our bodies with the necessary fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients needed for vibrant health. This state of well-being is characterized by a quiet and strong digestive system, superior brain function, blissful sleep, sturdy bones, calm mind and an immune function that prevents infection.” Some of the most penetrating research into the effects of a traditional diet on health was conducted by Dr. Weston A. Price, a dentist in America during the early part of the 20th century. “Back in the 1930s, Dr. Price noticed a troubling pattern developing among his patients: those with the worst teeth typically had the worst health problems elsewhere in the body. To satisfy his curiosity as to the cause of this unhealthy trend, Price traveled the globe for ten years to study the effects of modern foods on dental health and physical development. His research is detailed in his book , Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, first published in 1939. Dr. Price’s findings were remarkable indeed. The correlation between diet and physical health and development was incontestable. Among the many indigenous cultures he visited, the differences between those who had remained with their ancestral diet from birth and those
who had succumbed to the temptations of the western cultures — namely sugar, white flour, and soft drinks — were undeniable! Price found that the native groups eating their traditional wholesome diet had less than one percent of their permanent teeth decayed. You may be thinking, ‘They must have brushed their teeth day and night!’ In fact, these cultures never used a toothbrush. The good doctor concluded that the state of one’s teeth was an excellent reflection of the state of one’s overall physical and mental health. Moreover, those consuming nutrient-dense foods produced offspring with beautifully round faces, and jaws wide enough to accommodate all their teeth with proper spacing, few or no cavities, and broad heads to allow for proper brain development. No one needed braces in societies consuming traditional foods!”
Need
The most critical reason is for health , as traditional foods by their very nature contain the highest levels of nutrition available because they are grown with sustainable methods which increase nutrient content and without chemicals and other dangerous substances which have been found to diminish nutritional value. To achieve wellness, the body needs nutrients from real food. Eating traditional foods helps to avoid many health issues including allergies, asthma, digestive and cardiovascular health issues, obesity, and auto-immune disorders like lupus, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and even Diabetes.
Traditional, real food possesses taste that is vastly different from conventional and processed foods. Traditional foods are full of flavor, texture, and aroma.
Eating traditional foods supports smaller, family farms and food-producing operations . When you eat traditional foods, you are also helping the environment by
using your dollars to support sustainable methods of food production.
What are the results of consuming a diet with a lot of processed foods?
In Dr. Price’s travels, he noticed the appearance of various diseases and conditions in cultures who had began to eat processed foods. He observed that when populations consumed fell prey to modern processing and began consuming vegetable oils, white flour and white sugar they began to experience widespread physical degeneration: tooth decay and disease developed over the period of just one generation. Dental crowding and cavities were common
to those consuming white flour and sugar, as well as problems in the digestion, skin, circulation, reproduction, nervous system, musculoskeletal/joint, and all areas of health. Intake of excessive white flour and sugar has been connected to most major health issues including (but definitely not limited to): osteoporosis, cancer, hypoglycemia, cardiovascular disease, adrenal exhaustion, metabolic, endocrine, and reproductive disorders, parasitic and yeast infections. The immune system also lowers in function within minutes of consumption of sugar. A compromised immune system naturally leads to more flus, colds, sore throats, allergic reactions, depression, and irritability. In addition, the more sugar you consume, the faster you accelerate the aging process.
A good place to start
Your health food store or your farmer’s market are two excellent places to start on your traditional food quest. If you have never bought local meat or produce from a farmer or from your neighborhood health food store, today is the day to give it a try. Farmer’s markets are now available in most cities, and many local health food stores sell local meat and produce as well. There is something very satisfying about developing a relationship with a person who produces the food you eat. It’s an experience you won’t find in Wal-Mart other chains, or even your city grocery store where everything is often quite impersonal, and knowing where your food comes from is invariably much more difficult. When you take the time to find out how your food is produced and get to know the farmers who raise and it, you will come to understand the satisfying results of eating real, traditional food for both improved health and environmental stewardship.
3. An Introduction to Traditional Foods
Posted on December 30, 2013 by vitahealth Traditional foods are foods and preparation methods that existed prior to mass commercialization of food. Basically any food that is natural, minimally processed, or unprocessed could be considered traditional, however there are some major differences between traditional and modern diets. Before refrigeration, preservatives, and pasteurization,
the practice of fermentation was common in all cultures. Everything from vegetables, grains, and dairy to meat and fish was fermented, making these foods more digestible and nutritious.
The preparation of grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds through soaking, sprouting, or fermenting was especially important and universal to ancestral cultures. Another difference was the respectful and holistic use of animals and animal products, which included consuming raw milk, organs, fats, and making bone broths. Harnessing the power of Traditional Foods goes along with the understanding that modern processed foods and industrialized methods, such as the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, artificial preservatives, colours, and flavours, and genetic modification, can really harm the integrity of the foods we eat. Current refining practices can leave food dead, denatured, and nutritionally empty. These practices are associated with nutritional deficiencies and digestive disorders, as opposed to Traditional Foods, which are often raw and deeply nurturing.
There are a variety of forces influencing the revival of traditional diets. Many people are driven by nostalgic memories of grandma making pickles or giving spoonfuls of cod liver oil. Many others are inspired by recent authors and books such as;
Popularity in the related Paleo Movement is growing, lots of great blogs dedicated to ancestral foods have emerged, and nose-to-tail dining is one of the latest culinary trends. You can now easily find many Traditional Foods like raw sauerkrauts and cheeses, misos and tempehs, sourdough breads, organ meats, and even new products like fermented vitamins in health stores.
Nostalgia and a connection to the past are compelling reasons to discover Traditional Foods. Another reason is the many health benefits that have been demonstrated. Fermentation, for example, not only pre-digests difficult foods like dairy, grains, and soy, but it actually supplies probiotics and enzymes, enhances nutrients and creates new anti-inflammatory and immune boosting properties. Ongoing research is constantly verifying the connection between digestion and disease, and the amazing healing power of microbes. Naturally raised, pasture-fed animals and ethically wild-harvested seafoods are some of the most nutrient dense sources of essential fats and scarce vitamins and minerals available to us. Traditional Foods such as these have nourished people throughout history and are based on an accumulated ancestral knowledge of the environment and the human body. Traditional diet, food is your medicine!
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