1. Indian Food, Culture, Traditions and
their role in Community Health
International Honours Program
Health and Community spring India Program
4th February 2009
ESG

2. The food, culture and traditions of India has been shaped by its
long history, unique Geography, and greatly influenced by the
different rulers, travellers and neighbours.
2000 B. C –Indus Valley Civilisation lays the
foundation to the ayurvedic style of cooking
1000 B C –Aryans ( Roots of hinduism get shaped,
Vedas and Caste system developed)
600 B C –Buddhism and Jainism
400 BC: Greeks
AD –1200: Persians and North Indian Dynasties
1200 -1500 AD: Portugese
1500-1800 AD: Moghuls
1800 – 1947 AD: British -Anglo-Indian cuisine – Tea

3. Food
• Food is an important part of Indian
culture, playing a role in everyday life
as well as in festivals. In many families,
everyday meals are sit-down affairs
consisting of two to three main course
dishes, varied accompaniments such as
chutneys and pickles, carbohydrate
staples such as Rice and Roti (bread), as
well as desserts. Food is not just
important for eating, but it is also a
way of socializing, getting together
with family, relatives and friends.

4. Diversity
• Indian cuisine varies from region
to region, reflecting the people of
the ethnically diverse
subcontinent. Generally, Indian
cuisine can be split into four
categories: North, South, East,
and West Indian. Despite this
diversity, some unifying threads
emerge. Varied uses of spices are
an integral part of food
preparation, and are used to
enhance the flavor of a dish and
create unique flavors and aromas.
Ayurveda( Ayur-Life veda- studies)
has laid the foundation to the
basic style of cooking in India as
early as the Indus valley
civilization.

5. Ayurvedic Cooking
• Food Helps maintain physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony and is a
key to continnuos to good health.
• The basic principles of Ayurvedic Cooking are : the five Elements, the three
Doshas, the three Gunas, the seven Dathus and the six Tastes.
• It also attaches a lot of attention to the effect of the cooking method on
the quality of the foods, the importance of the vibrations of the cook and
of the surrounding atmosphere, the compatibility of foods, the right time
for cooking and eating, the cycle of the seasons and the effects of food on
consciousness.
• The knowledge and use of herbs, spices, vegetables, legumes etc to
maintain physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony is very important in
ayurvedic cooking.
• Ayurveda foods are appetizing, flavourful and aromatic and offer healing
and good health when served in an inspiring atmosphere.
• Ayurveda foods help to clean the accumulated toxins (which are a result of
improperly digested food) and rejuvenate the body as each dish is cooked
and spiced to achieve maximum digestibility.

6. The five Elements
• Earth
• Wind
• Fire
• Water
• Space/Ether

7. What are Doshas?
• vata (wind), pitta (bile) and kapha (mucus). These three
doshas are responsible for the physiological and
psychological processes taking place in the mind and
body.
Vata dosha: Vata is composed of elements air and
space. This biological humor is responsible for
controlling the function of destruction. It is regarded as
the main dosha among all the three as it controls and
governs all the functions performed by other doshas.
Pitta dosha: Pitta is composed of elements fire and
water. It organizes all activities performed by body
after the process of transformation. The whole
chemical process including enzymes, immune power,
hormones, nerves and the nutritional system attributes
to pitta.
Kapha dosha: Kapha is composed of elements earth
and water. It is responsible for the maintenance of all
creations taking place in the body. All the activities of
the skeletal and the anabolic system come under
kapha.

8. What are Gunas?
Ayurveda categorizes food in to three categories:
Satvic, Rajasic and Tamasic and they have different effects on
the body and the mind.
• Sattva is a quality of mind which induces clarity, harmony
and balance.
Fresh fruits and vegetables, salads, fresh fruit juices,
cereals (red rice), herbal tea, fresh cow milk, dry fruits,
nuts, honey, jaggery,
all spices and freshly cooked Food
• Rajas is a quality of mind which induces energy and
action. The need to create.
Read to eat canned food, basmati rice, sour cream,
paneer, ice-cream, yeast, sugar, pickle, vinegar, garlic,
onion and salted food.
• Tamas is a quality of mind which evokes darkness, inertia,
resistance and grounding. The need to stop.
Alcohol, Beef, Chicken, Fish, Pork, Eggs, Frozen food,
canned food, Mushroom, Drugs, Tea, Coffee, Fried food,
Fried nuts.

9. Which are the six tastes?
• Ayurveda perceives food in terms of the six tastes – sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent,
and astringent. Ayurvedic cooking includes all of these six tastes at each main meal you
eat. Each taste has a balancing ability, and including some of each provides complete
nutrition, minimizes cravings and balances the appetite and digestion.
• Sweet (madhura): Milk, butter, sweet cream, wheat, ghee (clarified butter), rice, honey,
raw sugar, ripe fruits of many kinds
Sour (amla): Limes and lemons, citrus fruits, many kinds of immature fruits, yogurt,
mango powder, pomegranate seeds, tamarind
Salty (lavana): Salt (ayurveda recommends rock salt), salty pretzels or pickles
Bitter (katu): greens of many kinds, turmeric, fenugreek
Pungent (tikta): Chili peppers, ginger, black pepper, clove, mustard, radish,
Astringent (kashaya): Beans, lentils, turmeric, cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower
and cabbage etc

10. What are Dhatus?
Dhatus are Tissue forms
• Plasma-It is derived from digested food and nourishes the body. The
nutrients need to reach each and every tissue of the body.
• Blood-It is the basis of life. It takes nourishment to all tissues and cells, give
strength and color to the body.
• Muscle-ts function is to provide physical support.
• Fat -at tissue or adipose tissue keeps fat as a means of body lubrication and
a support to bones
• Bone-includes all the bones and cartilages. Gives shape to the body
• Bone Marrow-one marrow, the initial stage of blood cells.
• Reproductive Tissue-Helps in reproduction and also gives strength to body. It
includes sperm and ovum.
All the seven dhatus are well connected to each other. Damage of malformation
of a dhatu can in turn affect all other dhatus.

11. Food Pyramid-A
complete Ayurvedic
diet includes beans or
lentils, rice, grains,
seasoned vegetable,
spices, ghee, yogurt
and some freshly
made chutney.

12. Eating and serving styles
• Eating with your hands is considered
important in Indian etiquette because a
person eating with his hands knows the
exact temperature of food before the
morsel hits his mouth thus preventing
blisters in mouth due to consumption of
hot food.
• A universal aspect of presentation is to
sit down on a mat or low stool with the
thali, a large plate with samplings of
different vegetable dishes accompanied
by breads such as roti, chapathi, naan,
puri and rice.
• In South India, a cleaned banana leaf is
often used as a hygenic and visually
interesting alternative to plates. Traces
of Magnesium and Zinc present on the
plantain leaf is said to have health
benefits too. In addition the plantain
leaves are completely biodegradable.

13. Some age old practices good for health

14. Role of Fermented foods
• The cultural heritage of virtually all civilizations includes
fermented foods made by the souring action of microbes.
Fermented foods are consumed in every country
throughout the world and play an important role in our
diet for centuries. There are nutritional benefits from
fermented foods.
• Idli for example is a fermented food of India which is
prepared by steaming a fermented black gram (Phaseolus
mungo L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.) batter. It makes an
important contribution to the diet as a source of protein,
calories and vitamins, especially B-complex vitamins,
compared to the raw unfermented ingredients. It can be
produced locally and used as a dietary supplement in
developing countries to treat people suffering from
protein calorie malnutrition and kwashiorkor.
• Other egs: Curd, lassi, buttermilk, Dosa, dhokla, Jalebis,
Kanji, appams etc

15. Ghee –Clarified Butter
• Ghee is an integral part of the
practice of ayurvedic herbal
formulation. Since ghee is an oil, it
can bond with lipid-soluble nutrients
and herbs to penetrate the lipid-
based cell membranes of the body.
• Ghee helps balance excess stomach
acid, and helps maintain/repair the
mucus lining of the stomach .
• Mild Burns: Like aloe, ghee is said to
prevent blisters and scarring if
applied quickly to affected skin

16. Why do people in the Malabar coast drink cumin
water?
• Jeera Water-Drinking water
in which cumin seeds have
been added is very good for
flatulence, dyspepsia,
diarrhoea and cold.

17. Rice
• India is a rice country and rice has been the staple
food for generations.
• one major rite of passage in the life of a child is
the taking of the ’first rice’. This event is a time of
rejoicing for the entire family.
• Rice is also used in wedding rituals.
• Its white colour is a symbol of eternity and
continuity.
• Popped /puffed rice is very popular through out
India.
• Pressed Rice (Poha) is widely consumed as a
breakfast cereal throughout India
• India once had 200,000 varieties of rice, post
green Revolution we have about a fifty.
Hybridised, engineered poisoned rice is in the
market without proper biosafety rules.

18. Ragi for health
• Ragi or Finger Millet (African millet)I s
originally native to the Ethiopian
Highlands and was introduced into India
approximately 4000 years ago. It is
grown as a cereal in Asia and Africa. It is
often intercropped with legumes,
peanuts and other crops.
• It contains the amino acid Methionine
and is ground ,cooked into cakes, Rotis,
dosas, puddings and porridges
• In southern parts of India, pediatricians
recommend ragi food for infants of six
months and over because of its high
nutritional content, especially calcium.

19. Cane Sugar or Jaggery
• Jaggery is wholesome sugar and,
unlike refined sugar, retains
more mineral salts. Moreover,
the process does not involve
chemical agents.
• It is used in small quantities in
everyday Rasam.
• Indian Ayurvedic medicine
considers jaggery to be
beneficial in treating throat and
lung infections.
• Jaggery is also considered
auspicious in many parts of
India, and is eaten raw before
commencement of good work or
any important new venture

20. The wonder nut
• The benefits of coconut are far too many
and is called the Kalpavriksh
• It is rich in short and medium chain fatty
acids. Lauric acid the major component of
coconut has been recognized for its unique
properties in foods which are related to its
antibacterial, antiviral and antiprotozoal
functions.
• In addition to the nutrient and fibre content
in coconut the medium chain fatty acids
(MCFA) help lower the risk of both
atherosclerosis and heart disease when
compared to any other saturated fatty acids
of both plant and animal origin.

21. The everyday medicinal rasam
• Rasam is a aromatic thin soup
served with rice and is an
inseparable part of the south Indian
cuisine. It is an enticing dish to
loosen crammed tummies, ease
breathing for those with a bad cold
and the favorite for everyday
meals.
• It is made with a number of spices
such as coriander seeds, Red
Chillies, fenugreek Seeds, mustard
seeds, Asofoetida or Hing,Jeera
(Cumin) seeds. Curry leaves,
Jaggery, Salt, Tamarind, water and a
lentil.

22. The Indian Masala Dabba- Spice Kit
• A typical
assortment of
spices and
herbs used in
the Indian
Kitchen

23. Traditional Cooking Utensils
• Using a copper cup is
very healthy. It purifies
blood. It removes toxins
from body. It is good for
skin, and heart. It
reduces Kapha.
• It is believed that to
prevent asthma, one
should drink water which
has been kept overnight
in a copper vessel. This
water, with traces of
copper in it, is believed
to change one’s
constitutional tendency
to get respiratory
problems.

24. Traditional Oil Bath
• A health Habit of South India -Oil massage is of
great help to people living in hot conditions.
The oil massage can calm the nervous system,
circulatory system and mind and moisturizes
the skin. It is a ritual in most south Indian
homes every Sunday and on festivals.
• There is this ritualistic post-natal bath that a
woman is given few days after childbirth for
about 1½ months. Before this bath she is
subjected to a meticulous body massage with
special herbal oils by a trained maid. This hot
oil bath helps to alleviate the muscle strain of
labor and childbirth, is good for cellulite
reduction and works wonders on stretch
marks. It is also believed that oil massage helps
the uterus to shrink to its original size and
encourage the flow of breast milk.

25. Traditional Shampoo
There are two major kinds of
Soapnuts which are mostly used in
washing, bathing, cleaning and
shampoo found in south Asian
countries. The big Soapnuts
known as sapindus mukorossi and
the small one known as sapindus
Trifoliatus. Soap nut contains high
level of saponins. It is antibacterial,
mild foaming agent and cleanser, .
Soapnut powder is used to cleanse
hair, skin and laundry. Helpful in
removing stains from hands, may
soothe the eczema, psoriasis, itchy
and sensitive skin. Soapnut is an
excellent hair tonic.

26. The Seasons
Northern Solstice
• Shishir- Cold and Dewy- Maaga,
Phalguna
• Vasant- Spring- Chaitra, Vaishaka
• Greeshma- Summer- Jeshta, Ashada
Southern Solstice
• Varsha- Rainy –Shravana, Bhadrapada
• Sharad-Autumn- Ashwayuja , Kartika
• Hemant-Winter- Margashira, Pushya

28. Festivals and traditions
• Mango, Neem ( ‘Village
pharmacy’ of southern Asia)
and Plantain is extensively
used during festivities for it
purifies the air with its
medicinal properties

29. The Holy Basil
• Tulsi(Sacred Basil) (Ocimmum sanctum)is
known to one of the most useful medicinal
plant. It is believed to purify the air in its
surroundings. Apart from its religious
significance it is of great medicinal
significance, and is a prime herb in
Ayurvedic treatment. Marked by its strong
aroma and a stringent taste, tulsi is a kind of
"the elixir of life" as it promotes longevity.
The plant's extracts can be used to prevent
and cure many illnesses and common
ailments like common cold, headaches,
stomach disorders, inflammation, heart
disease, various forms of poisoning and
malaria.

30. Turmeric
• Traditionally, it has been considered
great medicine for coughs,colds,
stomach disorders, open wounds and
as a beauty agent since time
immemorial.
It has great anti septic properties and
used without fail in almost all dishes
except sweets.

31. PATENTS!
• In December 1993, the University of
Missisippi Medical Center had a patent
issued to them by United States Patent
and Trades office on the use of turmeric
for healing. The patent was contested by
India's industrial research organization,
Council for Industrial and scientific
Research (C.S.I.R )on the grounds that
traditional Ayurvedic practitioners were
already aware of the healing properties of
the substance and have been for
centuries, making this patent a case of
Biopiracy.

32. Lifestyle change a public health
concern

33. Lifestyle changes and unhealthy habits on the rise
• The majority of young Indians are moving away
from home-made food, instead buying their
packaged, takeaways and snacks from
supermarkets and eating out in restaurants that
offer a range of cuisines.
• For a number of psychological reasons, such a
lifestyle shift has led to people eating more than
before and lifestyle diseases are on the rise
• Outlets of KFC, Mc Donalds, Pizza hut, subways
are mushrooming across the country
• Fibre and protein rich foods like ragi and maize
are fast disappearing, with carbohydrates and
fats taking their place

34. Food processing industry on the rise
• India’s food processing sector
accounts for about 7 per cent of
its gross domestic product, or
about $70 billion, while the
restaurant sector’s size is
estimated at $20 billion ($110
billion in China) — figures that
could be underestimates, given
the size of the unorganised sector
in these categories.
• Modern lifestyles induce people
to eat more than their bodies
need, even if they are aware of
the pitfalls — people being out of
tune with their own bodies.

35. Multi Nationals taking over food Industries
• Nordic consumer goods
group Orkla has acquired
India's MTR Foods, a
manufacturer of processed
vegetarian food products
and spices.
• MTR Foods is a family run
company, but JPMorgan
Global Packaged Foods and
Aquarius together own
almost 50% of the company.

36. Fitness on the rise
• By working out in gyms and fitness
centres, the young urban Indian is
striving to be in good shape. With
many big apparel and cosmetic
brands hitting town, one is tempted
to fit into that perfect size. Scores of
fitness centres have mushroomed in
the city, each competing with the
other to help one attain that picture
perfect figure.
• Treadmills, cross-trainers, exercycles,
steppers, rowers and others are now
familiar terms in almost every
household.
• Fitness Centres, health spas and
beauty treatments are on the rise.

37. Food Adulteration
• Of all the different types of
adulteration, poisoning from
chemical dyes is the worst. Sudan
dyes belong to a family of
industrial dyes normally used for
colouring plastics and other
synthetic materials, according to a
document published by the
European Union. Foods across
the globe have been found to be
containing sudan red dyes that
give a brilliant red colour to the
Chinese sauces, Indian pickles and
also in South African foods. Sudan
i-iv dyes have high potential
carcinogenic effects.

38. Pesticides in food a silent killer
• Experts warn of damaging effects of pesticides
• Aluminium Phosphide, DDT,Lindane,Methyl
Bromide,Methyl Parathion, Sodium Cyanide,
Methoxy Ethyl Mercuric Chloride (MEMC),
Monocrotophos, Endosulfan, Fenitrothion,
Diazinon Fenthion, Dazomet are some
pesticides that are banned in some developed
nations, but under restricted use it is generously
used in vegetables such a cauliflower, cabbage,
brinjal, beans, bittergourd, cucumber etc and
fruits such as grapes, mango, banana etc India
• The health impacts of these range from liver
and kidney damage, cancer, endocrine and
reproductive disorders, effects developing
fetus, neurological problems, retinal damage,
immuno- suppression, allergic reactions and
behavioral disorders.

39. Home to organic farming
• Organic farming was practiced in India since thousands
of years. The early civilizations in India learnt from
practice that the health of the soil was the key to
growing healthy plants and Soil health was obtained by
composting.
• Sir Albert Howard, known as the father of organic
farming had spent several years in India 1905-1934,
studying the agricultural methods of the local
population, and was aghast at the heavy use of
chemical fertilizers in his native England. While in India,
he noticed that the local farmers were able to produce
a surplus of food every year by using natural animal
compost, and the animals fed with this food were much
healthier than those he observed in England. Based
upon his observations in both India and Britain, Howard
postulated that healthy soil, nurtured with natural
compost, would bring about healthier, more vigorous
plants, stronger animals, and more nutritious food for
everyone involved.

40. Thankyou