2017 Dec 14
If you’re a bona fide Lankan, there’s one thing to which you can always attest to – that the Sri Lankan diet is ripe with irresistible carb-loaded food including local favourites like kimbula bannis, and copious quantities of sugar and oil as evident from our local sweetmeats and all that pappadum you just can’t say no to.
While this makes having meals an explosion of gastronomical delight, it has also proved to be increasingly unhealthy and an unsustainable way of life, especially given the exponential rise of diseases such as diabetes and cholesterol in recent times. Whilst the global trend among millennials is proving to be that of more conscious consumption, Sri Lanka lags a little behind in this regard despite seeing progress among younger generation in terms of healthy eating.
So here, to help you elongate your life span and make healthy eating a little less burdensome, are a few quick tips on how to clean up your diet, while staying true to your indulgent Lankan streak.
1. Eat healthier carbs
Who says you have to give up all that starchy goodness, like kadé paan and kaha buth? It is entirely possible to both indulge in your favourite staples and still eat clean, by simply switching to healthier alternatives such as brown bread and red rice. Equally wholesome and fibre rich options are available if you’re looking to add a little variety into your diet with Lankan favourites including bathala.
However it’s always best to remember to balance your carbs out, given its abundance in all three meals (not to mention those tea time snacks) as is the Sri Lankan norm. While carbohydrates are indeed what provides you with energy to take that packed 155 bus, or take that Zumba class you’ve been hitting up, it’s best to mix it up with a greater portion of proteins (and no this does not only include meats) and healthy fats (yes, they can be good for you!).
2. Amp up the proteins
From an avid chickpea consumer such as myself, low-carb diets are not as bad as you think when there are a number of protein rich alternatives to take the place of your beloved rice and curry. Sure, it takes some time to adjust to such a change and it is best to do so gradually. You can always add in your daily mix of curries into your bowl of protein, which is way more appealing than one would assume! You even have the option of resorting to other staples such as green gram and cow-pea!
3. Skip that fat-free nonsense
Ever felt that smug sense of superiority when you eat or drink anything labelled as low or zero fat? If you have, unfortunately the little thing called nutrition facts (you know, that little box of information on food products you always skim over) is here to give you a cold dose of reality.
In many cases, manufacturers add additional sugar into these products in order to make the food more palatable given the removal of fat. So yes, while you may be saving yourself from a little bit of fat in your food, you’re actually just amping up your sugar intake.
4. Cut down on unhealthy snacking
This is where most of us fall prey to our inborn Lankan cravings! It seems to be an almost cultural affinity to constantly be snacking on fat and sugar rich junk food at all hours of the day. While having an ice cold milo or a piping hot maalu paan is the best feeling when you’re ravenous in the middle of work or when you wake up from an afternoon siesta, having high sugar or high carb snacks in between meals makes it very difficult to stick to a healthy lifestyle in the long run.
This is not to say snacking is inherently a bad thing. Simply switch to more nutritious snacks such as bran crackers (maybe reward yourself by slathering a modest serving of jam), peanuts, a handful of chickpeas, samaposha, fruits etc.
5. Sugar, how you get so HIGH
Sorry to say it folks, but eating clean involves a commitment to reduce quite a bit of that sugar intake you’re probably accustomed to.
At this point, you may just want to angrily close this tab and furiously wonder why you even bothered reading this article. While we may be surrounded by sugary goodness at almost every turn in this diabetes ridden country, it is possible to limit sugar to a healthy amount without sacrificing too much.
Try and avoid any off the shelf fruit juices, energy drinks, yes sorry even milo (President Sirisena was on to something!). If you’re more strong willed try phasing out the copious amounts of sugar by lessening the amount you take in with your tea or coffee. Sugar free food and beverages are also not as bad as one would assume!
It’s best not to make drastic changes overnight as this most certainly won’t be sustainable. Make small changes and watch your body and health improve in leaps with a little less sugar in your lives !
While food is essential not simply to exist but to enjoy life as a whole, unhealthy foods and consumption patterns pushed by large corporations who thrive off such habits, has a way of catching up to you in the long run. Don’t allow overindulgence to threaten a healthy future for you and your future generations. Enjoy your meals, but with occasional restraint!
