Food Ways : An Indian\'s Holistic Perspective on Nutrition and Health
Contents: Foreword. Introduction. Part I: 1. The journey begins. 2. The story begins with a ray of sunshine. 3. Every raga has its moment. 4. The human body functions like a city: the issue of public transportation. 5. The B-Complex vitamins. 6. The great concert of life. 7. The stress syndrome. 8. What are we made of? 9. Food cycles: the eater and the eaten. 10. The food-routes. Food Taboos. 11. Elements. Some definitions: Element, metal, non-metal, mineral, macronutrient, micronutrient, heavy, toxic, essential, non-essential, structural, functional. 12. Macronutrients: Calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. 13. Micronutrients. 14. The Great Ring Road of Life: The Krebs Cycle. 15. The different moments in life: The issue of food security--is mere eating a guarantee of good health? 16. Spices. Tulsi, sacred basil. 17. The child. 18. The adolescent. 19. The adult. 20. The elderly. 21. The body\'s defences when attacked: the immune system. The way we function. 22. And the way "They" Function--microorganisms: Fungi, viruses, protozoa, bacteria. 23. Meitei-Sho: Endogenous ethanol intoxication (The Drunken Teetotaller). 24. Viruses, The "Transformers". Is it a sword-yielding warrior or a flying machine? 25. The Gut ecosystem. 26. Elimination. Part II: 27. Lifestyle risk factors (Asthma, Rheumatoid Arthritis, diabetes, alcohol). 28. Allergies. 29. Thirst. Hydration and water. 30. Breathing and breath. 31. The Sleep-wake Cycle. 32. Sleep, dream and memory "To Sleep, Perchance to Dream: Ay, There\'s The Rub" Act III 65-68. 33. Anger. Resentment. Depressive states, suffering, pain. 34. Is it necessary to build palaces? 35. Somatizations. 36. Tenderness. 37. Pollution. 38. Our civil protection: antioxidants. 39. The spiritual dimension. 40. Conclusion. Notes. Glossary. Bibliography.
""All creatures feed on fruit of earth and earth, in turn, is fed by them. Both in earth and in each person, that which shines and never dies is our common human-ness". These beautiful lines from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad sum up very well the thought that runs through Dr. Anna Powar\'s book: "Food Ways : An Indian\'s Holistic Perspective on Nutrition and Health". Nutrition and health of human beings being cannot be separate from the greater idea of the health of the earth. It appears that our forefathers had a clear notion of this interdependency. Dr. Powar leads us through a fascinating journey from when life started on earth and the first unicellular living organisms appeared, to the way we are today, after millions of years of evolution. The complexities of our metabolic machinery are rendered interesting and easily readable by Dr. Powar\'s use of metaphors. To explain the mysterious vitamins from the vast B-Complex family she uses parts of everyday life we all all familiar with: our transportation system, made of buses, taxis, trains and aeroplanes. To explain the marvel that is our brain she uses what to us has become absolutely indispensable: a computer!
"Food Ways" sends a very strong message: Food is not just something one hurriedly swallows. To the poet "a rose is a rose is a rose" To our bodies a carbohydrate is not "any" carbohydrate; a protein is not just any "protein" and a fat is not just "any fat". Food is closely linked to the age of the human beings who eat it: babies, adolescents, adults, and the elderly have different needs. Dr. Powar does not agree with the reductionist view that a human being needs xyz calories, and other nutrients to lead a healthy life. Food is something closely interlinked to the earth on which it was grown and to the human beings who worked to produce it. Food is closely linked to our cultures, to our habits, to our hopes and to our aspirations. Health follows when food is a means to express joy and love, when it feeds heart, mind and soul." (jacket)
