TOO MUCH GOOD FOOD CAN ALSO CAUSE PROBLEM!

There is an old saying that even "Elixir" can become a poison when consumed in unlimited quantity. Same is true with food also. The root cause of many modern day life style diseases has been attributed to processed foods with high degree of refining where bulk of the health promoting constituents are removed. A diet not balanced in terms of essential nutrients can also be a deterrent to sound health as being seen with many wealthy consumers who eat rich foods but some what unbalanced vis-a-vis one or the other nutrient vital for normal body metabolism. In India Mango is a much liked fruit but it is also rich in sugar and one of the regular observations made by physicians is that many diabetic people land into problem during Mango season because of high sugar levels in the blood caused by too much consumption of Mango. Those counting their calories must be aware of the calories contributed by fruits though these protective foods are recommended by nutrition experts. Same is true with other recommended foods like coarse grains, whole grains etc all of which do contribute to calories and their excess consumption does not help the cause of weight control.  Here is an interesting commentary by a discerning observer about the implications of over consumption.

People often make the mistake of thinking that something is good for you just because it's all-natural or organic. Today, I want to focus on a different nutritional blind-spot: quality vs. quantity. Even when a food is good for you, it doesn't necessarily follow that you can eat it in unlimited quantities. Whole grains and fresh fruits are two examples of healthy foods that can easily be over-consumed. 

It is true the concepts of Cosmic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) are excellent to guide consumers regarding the quality of carbohydrate in a diet but ultimately one has to control the quantity consumed to prevent excess calorie build up which can add to the waist line. When it comes to planning a diet for a normally healthy individual and others handicapped by disorders like diabetes, obesity etc different yardsticks need to be used but the basic principle that over delivery of calorie rich foods to any one can be deleterious to both the groups. Moderation and elf-discipline in eating are the corner stones for a normal healthy life.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

"HAPPINESS"- HAS FOOD ANY ROLE TO PLAY?

There is a common perception that good dining environment makes people happy and more the ambiance, greater will be the happiness. But this theory has been proved wrong by a recent survey on the relationship between happiness and quality of restaurants. It appears that relatively obscure areas score over well reputed cities when it comes to happiness of the resident citizens.

"For instance, citizens of New York State, home of what is generally regarded as America's finest food city, ranked dead last in happiness. Those living in the home states of Boston, Chicago, and LA/SF are rated, respectively, as the 44th, 45th, and 46th glummest humans in the land (out of 51, including District of Columbia). On the other end, such decidedly non-gastronomic centers as Alaska, Wyoming, Alabama, Montana, Mississippi, Maine, Arizona, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Hawaii contain ten of the top dozen happiest citizens".

Good food is supposed to make people happy and why such delightful places like New York could not make people there as happy as others living in lesser known places is a mystery worth unraveling. Could it be due to the hectic pace of living encountered in big cities that is coming in the way of happiness? Or could it be the over crowding factor in restaurants in many big cities make people more tense and consequently less happy? Probably food may not be a critical factor that influences happiness of citizens in urban areas.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com