Food, Nutrition and Beverage

Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 11(1), January 2012, pp. 26-34 Food, Nutrition and Beverage P Pushpangadan, Vipin Mohan Dan, TP Ijinu & V George Amity Institute for Herbal and Biotech products Development, 3- Ravi Nagar, Peroorkada P O, Thiruvananthapuram – 695 005, Kerala, India Email: [email protected] Received 28.10.2010; revised 30.10.2011 The food we eat, the beverages we drink and the nutrients we consume have a direct link to the culture, customs and beliefs we have inherited over the millennia. The food and drinking habit of people vary from place to place and these are largely influenced by the ambient biological wealth and environment. Further, food and drinking habits are influenced by weather and climtic conditions. India, being a vast country with a multitude of climatic, cultural, racial and religious diversities provide delightful gastronomic variations to the discerning connoisseurs. The ethnic food and beverages of different regions of India have been developed by generations of people keeping in view of the nutritional needs of the common man right from the craddle to the grave. Our ancestors have designed different types of food and beverages keeping in view of the nutritional needs of people of different age groups such as growing children, youth, working class, pregnant and nursing mothers, the sick and the old. The Ayurvedic concept of Rasayana therapy is now being confirmed by the recent advancements in genomics. Nutrigenomics, nutrigenetics, proteomics, metabolomics and transcriptomics, etc. have substantiated the holistic approach adopted by the Ayurvedic acharyas in dealing with human health and nutrition. In this article an attempt has beeen made to review our rich and varied ethnic food and beverages. Keywords: Ethnic foods, Nutrition, Beverages, Phytonutrients, Nutrigenomics and Nutrigenetics IPC Int. Cl.8: C12N, A23, A21, C12G, A23L 2/00, C12C 12/04, C12G 3/08, C12H 3/00, A23L 1/00, A47G, CO7C 1/00, CO7C 6/00 Food, nutrition and beverage are indispensible knowledge system getting perpetuated through folklore, companoins of humans since the very beginning of his local health traditions, tribal knowledge system, family existence. The early man explored his surroundings to and community based knowledge systems etc. All locate materials of natural origin for food and medicine. ancient cultures and civilizations of the world had thus He continued his search in the plant and animal evolved their own traditional food, nutrition and kingdoms to expand his food basket, to heal his ailments medicine from their ambient biological wealth. and discomforts. The desire to attain vitality and The disappearance of healthy food preservation longevity also prompted the early man to experiment practices from the rural areas have also led to with whatever available in his immediate nutritional loss. There has been a procedure for drying neighbourhood. By a process of trial and error, and preserving seasonal foods for the whole year until observation and empirical reasoning and inference the the coming of canned foods. Thus during the season early man made conscious selections of a variety of of mangoes and jack fruits, there was a rural tradition biological materials to enhance his health, to alleviate of drying the fruit pulp in the sun, applying layer after pain or to treat other physical and mental ailments. The layer on herbal mats every day. This, when dry, was knowledge thus gathered was passed on to succeeding kept in sealed containers with native herbal generations. Creative members of the succeeding preservatives. It served as an unadulterated source of generations incrementally improved and even added supplementary nutrition to the young and old. There new knowledge to this body of traditional knowledge were also ways of preserving raw mangoes in salt, system. This traditional wisdom has come down to us dried jack fruit seeds in containers, etc. These cheaply from our ancestors and we now term it as traditional available and highly nutritious food items have almost knowledge or ethnic knowledge. We find this disappeared, leaving no alternative models behind. —————— Thus, large quantities of surplus seasonal food now *Corresponding author get wasted. PUSHPANGADAN et al.: FOOD, NUTRITION AND BEVERAGE 27 Importance of Ethnic food and medicine According to some healthcare experts, there will be Ethnic food and medicine are mostly location more dieticians rather than physicians in coming specific and is best suited for the local climate and years, as many diseases can be prevented and better environment. Such systems of food and practices are health can be maintained if one takes right food deep rooted in the communities’ social, cultural and containing plant products with specific functional religious values. For centuries these practices of food attributes. and medicine helped the people to lead a healthy, The Ayurvedic Masters of ancient India had a clear holistic life, free from most of the modern day understanding of the delicate cellular mechanism of diseases. That is the reason why WHO recognized the the body and the deterioration of the functional intrinsic importance of such traditional food, nutrition capacity of human being. To arrest such deterioration and medicine particularly in primary healthcare of the functional efficiency and to revive and practices. WHO also emphasized the strategic role of revitalize the body system, the Ayurvedic masters medicinal plants in ensuring the primary healthcare developed an elaborate rejuvenation therapy known as needs of the people particularly those in the rural ‘Rasayana’ therapy. ‘Rasa’ in Sanskrit means the sector. The introduction of modern medicine in essence and ‘ayana’ means to circulate in the body 19th century began to exert a negative influence on without any obstruction. ‘Rasayana’ is one of the the traditional healthcare sector. The advances made eight clinical specialities of Ayurveda that is aimed in biological sciences, chemistry, pharmacology, for the rejuvenation and geriatric care. Rasayana is microbiology, etc contributed to the rapid development not a drug therapy, but a specialized procedure of modern medicine in the 19th and 20th centuries. practiced to cleanse the body from the toxic and other These developments in modern medicine and food microbial substances. In Rasayana therapy, with the processing caused a rapid decline in ethnic food and help of special diet and nutritional agents comprising medicine. However, by the end of the 20th century of highly powerful antioxidants, the body is there had been an unprecedented revival of interest rejuvenated by providing greater immunity, vitality, in ethnic food and medicine. In the 21st century longevity and by improving all faculties to attain natural drugs, especially of plant origin, are expected youthfulness of the whole body. to play a major role in the healthcare programme of mankind1,2. Special food for mother and child The revival of interest in plant based drugs and the Child bearing and propagation of culture through other herbal products is mainly because of the the generations are central to any society. In the widespread belief that ‘green medicine’ is healthier agrarian society preparations for this began very early than the synthetic products3. This is mainly due to the and the birth of a child, particularly the girl, was an increasing evidences of the health hazards associated important event. Offering prayers to beget a girl was with the harmful side effects of many synthetic drugs common place, like performing ritual arts like and the indiscriminate use of modern medicines such ‘theyyam’ in Malabar. The girl child had many as antibiotics, steroids, etc. The preference for green privileges and her attaining puberty was another food and medicine has resulted in the rapid growth of occasion to celebrate. Family and friends brought plant based drugs, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, choice food items meant to give her the much needed functional foods and even cosmaceuticals. In 1980s nutrition at that stage. A girl was to take rest during this led to the rapid spurt of demand for health her menstrual periods and eat specific foods which are products like herbal tea, ginseng and products of no longer possible in the fast-paced modern life. traditional medicine. The health promotive and Traditional social support systems like the compound disease preventive strategies in treatment, prevalent in families took care of the various needs. Proper oriental systems, especially the Indian (Ayurveda, pre-marital counseling is a requirement in modern Siddha, Unani and Amchi) and the Chinese systems society where plain ignorance leads to far too many of medicine are finding increasing popularity and complications and diseases. Earlier, elderly women acceptance all over the world. Because of this used to advice and counsel. Respect and knowledge sweeping “green wave” a large number of herbal empowerment of the girls gave them honor, drugs and plant derived herbal products are sold in the confidence and courage. The traditional practices health food shops all over the developed countries. continue in many regions and in the Gangetic plains 28 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE VOL 11, NO. 1, JANUARY 2012 of India, scenes of girls attaining puberty being Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri (L) Pennel,) commonly carried in bullock carts with music and dance could be used by native healers and considered stimulants. seen till recently. Of late this takes place only in There are also specific animal based potions that are remote villages. Majority in the country now consider given to children at later years. Since the foundation sexuality and reproduction a private matter, perhaps of health is laid in childhood, traditional healing gives after the spread of western values when everything great importance to child care. More and more people related to these are considered sinful and secretive4. are now turning to herbal and traditional approaches In traditional societies the crucial phase of in child care as the toxins and chemicals, say in pregnancy-care starts the moment pregnancy is cosmetics, are proving to be damaging.

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