Pulp fiction

I am now convinced that if there's one thing in the world the processed food industry is dead set against, it's allowing us to actually maintain some level of control over what we eat. Packaged food is anyway not the healthiest option. So I make it a point to read through the nutrition facts and ingredients thoroughly before I pick it up.

If you do it often enough you will see a pattern emerge. And here’s what I found.

We all know about the goodness of fiber and off late there is also a flux of “fiber enriched” processed food products in the market. And every “fiber enriched” product has “cellulose” in it (according to the ingredients). Any guesses what cellulose actually is? C’mon one little guess. No, okay hold on to your seat, it is wood pulp!

That loaf and chopping board have equal quantities of wood

It turns out that cellulose can provide texture to processed foods, so food companies have taken to happily using it as a replacement for such unnecessary and inconveniently expensive ingredients as flour and oil. As the 30 percent cheaper cellulose is edible and non-poisonous, the FDA has no interest for restricting its use -- or, for that matter, the maximum amount of it that food companies can use in a product. It is pretty much everywhere.

But the worst thing about cellulose is not that it's everywhere. The worst thing is that it is not food at all. Cellulose, unlike the actual, normal food items you think you're paying for, is completely indigestible by human beings, and it has no nutritional value to speak of. If a product contains enough of it, you can literally get more nutrients from licking your fingerprints off its wrapper.

What totally escapes me is why the processed food producers strip the original ingredients off all its natural fiber content to eventually add wood pulp to make it fiber enriched? But then just because they are bonkers, thankfully, does not mean that we have to be too. 

Mundane is it?

The last week has been quite a revelation for me. Huffing and puffing up the stairs I realized the extent of my seated digital life. Apart from work, I was pretty content with communicating with friends and family on Facebook, building a network on Facebook, building a city on Facebook and whole lot of other things…on, of course, Facebook.

What was even more fascinating is that I actually went home tired from doing that. I generally slumped myself on the couch and watched TV till the choice was between dragging myself up to make dinner or go hungry. One such day last week I watched the movie Ratatouille.

And it dawned on me…I have always loved cooking. From being restricted to omelets as a kid to whipping up 4 course dinner parties for a maximum of 25, cooking has been therapeutic to say the least. So why did it become a chore? The answer was fairly simple. Because I chose to see cooking as a chore!

If you think of it, cooking can be the most creative thing you do in the day. Combining ingredients to bring out the best flavor, watching the spices crackle in the oil, the aroma that fills the kitchen, all that is left is some good music in the background, and oh heaven! You let out a sigh after everything is in done, be it in anticipation of the accolades or the criticism you will receive. All this is so real and so much better than clicking on icons and pressing buttons.

And you know what, cooking actually helps you develop quite a few skills. I for one, multi-task, organize, meet deadlines, find the next best substitute and extract the most of available resources, all in the name of cooking.  (That sentence can actually fit in a corporate scenario). 

Talking of corporate scenarios, cooking also has an appraisal system – one that happens within the next 2 hours or so. And the best part, no matter what the result is, your hard work is always appreciated with the most precious gift ever – smiling family members, for real.

Mom was right!

As a kid I remember enjoying seasonal delights that Dad would enthusiastically bring from the local market and Mom would cook with all her heart to put a smile on our faces. But as I grew up seasonal relevance made its journey to the back burner. By the time I was in my late teens Dad would bring cauliflower and carrots well within summer and Mom would cook it broodingly. She said it’s just not right; it doesn’t taste right; it doesn’t feel right.

Today when I walk into a shop/super market (yes, going to mundis is not the first option anymore), I not only see fruits and vegetables from a different season, I also see a substantial supply of them from different countries. Being a foodie I jumped at the options. But the initial euphoria is now clouded with doubt. How does the apple from Australia stay that fresh after travelling half the earth and why do all the apples look like clones of each other? 

Cloning has been proved to be harmful for mankind

It is easy to guess that fruits and vegetables in season are much more supportive of not only your health, but also the health of the planet. There is a reason why a certain fruit or vegetable grows at a certain time. It’s nature’s design. That’s when they grow best.

So Mom was not just right about the taste being off the mark, she was right when it came to the “off the mark” logic. Buying locally and seasonally is a lot easier on the wallet. It’s the basic law of supply and demand.

It is tastier because the fruit or vegetable has grown in the environment that is best suited for it to grow. Food loses flavor just as it loses moisture when they are repeatedly held. It’s hard to be enthusiastic about eating five servings a day of flavorless fruits and vegetables and it’s even harder to get your children to be enthusiastic about it.

Eating seasonally also adds variety to your platter all year round. Oh the joys of waiting for Mangos! I think they are that divine because we wait a whole year to feast on them.

And while you munch on seasonal goodness, you can feel happy that in the process you helped the environment restore it freshness, urged farmers to move away from the debt cycles that come from using chemicals and supported healthy environment for the birds and animals. Now is that not a win-win situation?