Nutritional information and health benefits of Indian food
In general, Indian cuisine is not only tasty but also very healthy. Many Indian are vegetarians and they eat vegetables, fruits, whole grains, milk and plant-based proteins. These foods contain essential micro-nutrients and vitamins that produce antioxidants which are good for heart, blood pressure and diabetes.
Even nowadays when most Indian cuisine lovers can afford meat, each kind of meat can taste completely different when different spices are added. Herbs and spices make simple vegetarian dishes flavorsome and really exciting. The meat is either cooked in a wok or in a special tandoori oven – therefore it’s not fatty, neither overcooked. It’s served along with vegetables and rice – giving a well-balanced mixture of carbohydrates and proteins.
It is widely known that Indian cuisine is very healthy and can protect you against heart problems, strokes and obesity problems.
A daily diet rich in spices may offer protection against cancer and other illnesses. This may be reason, why Indians suffer lower cases of many cancers. A chemical called capsaicin, which fives spicy food its kick, holds they key to the next generation of anti - cancer drugs. Timothy Bates and other researchers at the University of Nottingham found that capsaicin can kill cancer cells by directly targeting their energy source, indicating that people could control or prevent the onset of cancer by eating a diet rich in capsaicin.
Researchers tested the compound in laboratory on human lung cancer cells. A similar test on pancreatic cancer - one of the most difficult forms of cancer to treat - also produced results hailed as highly significant. As these compounds attack the very heart of the tumor cells.
Importance of milk
The health benefits of the Indian food depend on the method of cooking. Too much cream, fat yogurt, ghee or oil will make dish richer in taste and texture, but with out any nutritional value. These foods prepared with deep frying onions, ginger, and spices in lot of oil or ghee are higher in fat. Instead of deep frying, you can stir-fry or sauté them in very little vegetable oil. The over-cooked foods lose their nutrition because, in the process, the vitamins and minerals are leached out. You should leave the cooking of a vegetable when it is still crisp.
Never use trans fats, - they are not healthy. When you stir-fry, do not overheat the oil.
Do not chop the vegetables into too small pieces. The vegetable will lose its nutrients if it has more exposed surfaces to the atmosphere. Always chop the vegetables only when you cook them, do not chop and leave them for a long time. Do not wash the vegetables after chopping to preserve their nutrients.
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