Why the Bengali Diet is Incredibly Healthy

Nutritional facts about the typical Bengali diet

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The typical Bengali’s diet consists of these powerhouses of nutrition:

Cooking Smart: Did you know that stir-frying is one of the best methods for retaining nutrients while cooking vegetables, followed by pressure-cooking and steaming. Boiling-and-draining is the worst as is deep-frying.

For example, a stir-fry with the cauliflower leaves and stalks with pea pod shells to the vegetable curry and koftas with peels of bottle gourds (lau khosha). Potato skins are also better left on. The skin provides fiber and protects against the loss of nutrients (vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium, iron and zinc) which occurs when potatoes are peeled and boiled.

Turmeric: Turmeric is considered excellent for the skin. In terms of digestion, turmeric corrects the metabolism and helps in digesting protein. Hence is used in cooking all high protein foods like lentils, meats etc. Turmeric is an excellent antibiotic and has strong antiseptic properties. It is often taken with hot milk to help heal fevers and throat problems.

That Healthy Onion: Onions are rich in vitamin C and fiber and contain chemicals that help fight the disease causing free radicals. When you eat half a raw onion a day, your good type HDL cholesterol goes up an average of 30 percent. Onions increase circulation, lower blood pressure, and prevent blood clotting.

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Neem the wonder herb: Since ancient times, Neem has been associated with healing in the sub-continent of India. Neem works wonders in treating digestive, respiratory and urinary disorders, diabetes and skin diseases. Antiseptic, anti-fungal properties of Neem are now widely recognized and has been used to clean the teeth and maintain dental hygiene for centuries. Neem has been used traditionally in India to treat several viral diseases and is now being advocated to treat Malaria and Chagas disease.