Food Matters

aka Terrific Turmeric!
We’ve been wanting to write an entry about our food habits here for a while because we think we’ve made some interesting observations here that confirm some of our previous food understandings and some that have spun many notions of “healthy” eating into new directions. One thing that has fundamentally been confirmed is that the American way of processing, making, cooking, and eating food is not only incredibly toxic and unhealthy, it is also not delicious. This is something Sam and Jon have ranted about for years, but when you live in the US it is very difficult to step very far outside of the industrial food machine (unless you are a combination of at least middle income and have a lot of spare time…). This doesn’t mean that all Americans eat unhealthy food - nor does it mean that it can’t be done in the US cheaply; in fact, it can be done for less than one might think, but it takes a lot of work to even see past the machine in the first place.

SOOOO… while we’ve just written a horribly lengthy indictment of the ails of high fructose corn syrup, processed factory foods, and the impending doom of future generations if eating habits don’t change, we have DELETED it. That’s right- for a few reasons: A) if you know us personally, most of you have heard this all ad nauseam B) other people have made this case better than we can (see, for example, the excellent food/ecology writer Michael Pollan – http://www.michaelpollan.com/index.htm ) and C) this blog is supposed to be about Bangladesh, not the US. Thus, we have spared you.

Instead, we would like to focus on‘deshi specific observations we’ve made, and share the different perspective we’ve gained here. The fact is, since we’ve been here we eat differently, and we’ve been really healthy - remarkably so, in fact. We’ve also all lost weight without trying at all (ok, not Atticus, but that’s good) and generally felt better all around, mentally and physically – despite the urban stresses of Dhaka. Of course, a lot of this has to do with the major reduction in pre-prepared and restaurant prepared food we have had since here. We don’t eat out very often at all and we usually get veggies only days after they were still on the vine, or bush, or root or whatever and cook them fresh. (In what seems to be perfectly normal when you think about it- fresh produce is the cheapest thing you can buy here. Despite this, in the US fresh produce is among the most expensive things in the store- a clear indication of a problem - ok ok ok - back to the 'desh. )

Since we seem to have a lot to say and since food is often one of the first things people seem to want to know about when we talk to them about living in Bangladesh, here it is. In Part 1 of a 5000 part series, we present:

TURMERIC!!!


Yes, turmeric. It’s yellow (in fact, in bangla the word for turmeric and the word for yellow are the same: holud); It’s tasty (sometimes pasty) and it might be the cure for whatever ails you. The health benefits of turmeric are astounding, and while we don’t always buy into the logic of “nutritional science,” the list of benefits for turmeric are pretty overwhelming. Here is a pretty remarkable sampling of the various benefits attributed to turmeric:

1. It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns.
2. When combined with cauliflower, it has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer.
3. Prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice.
4. May prevent melanoma and cause existing melanoma cells to commit suicide.
5. Reduces the risk of childhood leukemia.
6. Is a natural liver detoxifier.
7. May prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by removing amyloyd plaque buildup in the brain.
8. May prevent metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer.
9. It is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects.
10. Has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.
11. Is a natural painkiller and cox-2 inhibitor.
12. May aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.
13. Has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression.
14. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
15. Boosts the effects of chemo drug paclitaxel and reduces its side effects.
16. Promising studies are underway on the effects of turmeric on pancreatic cancer.
17. Studies are ongoing in the positive effects of turmeric on multiple myeloma.
18. Has been shown to stop the growth of new blood vessels in tumors.
19. Speeds up wound healing and assists in remodeling of damaged skin.
20. May help in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

Turmeric is in almost all of South Asian food- it gives it color, it serves as a preservative (since most people don’t have refrigerators) and it is just necessary to get the right flavor- which is the flavor of delicious!! We always eat it in dahl (lentils made 'deshi style), which we eat about 3-4 times or more a week, and in our shobji (mixed veggies in delicious curry-ish sauce), and in every other thing Sam can add it to. It’s delicious as part of a spice palate and sadly incredibly under-used in American cooking. Here it is also a staple spice, which makes it super cheap (as all spices are) and we buy it in big ol’ bags and store it in used empty jars (usually olive jars, which accumulate quickly).

Apparently (our internet research tells us) turmeric is available in pill form- which is stupid. Just cook with it (the same goes for garlic pills by the way – just cook with it; its delicious! But that’s another part in the series…) Maybe over the next few months we’ll post some suggested recipes with all our super-foods, but in the meantime if you are making any kind of curry or lentils or egg or potato dishes, you can add turmeric and it will be prettier and healthier.

So there’s part one. Turmeric is good food and we think it is part of why we feel great here. Maybe it will make you feel great too!