My penchant for sambar vada

These days I have a huge craving for sambar vada .. that I hit one of the local restaurants twice a week for a plate of those yummy sambar vadas. One thing I strongly believe is my body craves for whats missing in my daily intake and.. I naturally have a yearning for healthy food and detest unhealthy ones :). I hardly eat chips, pizzas and cannot drink soda. Whenever I feel I've developed a craving for something, I do a research on the benefits of eating that food .. ofcourse after having eaten it :). So, here we go.

Sambar vada is made of black gram(urad dhal). Do you know Urad is a source of Omega-3 ?. The protein content of urad dhal is about 20% to 25% about twice as much as that of cereal's, making them the most economical source of proteins. Fermentation doubles the levels of niacin, riboflavin and thyamine. And ofcourse, fermentation increases the weight gain associated with per gram protein intake :).

I add ghee to my meals whenever possible. Popular belief is it helps in weight gain and gives a glowing complexion :). There's also another reason I use ghee. Recently, when I visited a naturopath, her advice was to use animal fat especially ghee instead of vegetable oils. She said ... not all fats are bad for health. In fact, one needs good fat for absorption of lipid soluble vitamins, cell regeneration and maintain hormone balance. For example, fat in whole milk helps in brain development. One spoon of ghee is better than 4 tbsps of any other cooking oil or butter.

Nutritional benefits of ghee :
(1) lacks hydrogenated oils ..hence a healthier choice,
(2) helps with skin and eyes,
(3) promotes learning and memory retention,
(4) rich in antioxidants(anti-aging),
(5) high concentration of butyric acid inhibits growth of cancerous tumors,
(6) Lactose free(unlike butter).

No wonder, ghee is used as base for most ayurvedic medicines.

Ofcourse too much of anything is hazardous to health including ghee ;).

Another suggestion from the naturopath was to stick to one's native cuisine. Thats what one's body is used to and that is whats good for one's body constitution.

The last but not the least, dont forget to include yoghurt with live culture in your meals. They boost your immunity and promote the growth of good bacteria/yeast in your digestive tract.