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Traditional dietary practices promote healthier lifestyles
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Thursday, 22 October, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Nandita Vijayasimha, Bengaluru
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India is increasingly recognising the importance of traditional, locally available foods in promoting healthier lifestyles. Rich in essential nutrients, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals, traditional foods such as millets, pulses, seasonal fruits, vegetables and whole grains offer affordable and nutritious alternatives to highly processed foods.
Dr Sujit Paul, Zota Healthcare said, “Although superfoods and imported food are suggested to be the mainstay of a healthy lifestyle, it may not always be the case. Hassle-free diet plans are also associated with a healthy lifestyle, but it is not always possible. In most of the Indian households, all of the foods and flavours prepared at the household are available on the spot and thus constitute a good basis for a balanced diet. These foods can be wisely selected and/or appropriately prepared to support health, improve access to healthful diets, and increase affordability and sustainability of healthful diets.
A typical Indian meal consists of various types of grains, pulses, veggies, fruits, milk products, nuts and spices. All the essential nutrients - carbohydrates, proteins, fibre, vitamins and minerals are available in all the staple foods such as rice (brown), masoor, whole wheat, dal, pulses and seasonal vegetables. Food combinations can also be encouraged by varying foods consumed to encourage a variety of foods and nutrients, he added.
One more advantage for residents of a locality where local, seasonal produce is available is that they can enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Seasonal fruits and vegetables can add some variation that allows more healthy foods to be added to the daily diet. Seasonal fruits and vegetables such as guava, papaya, amla, oranges, greens, gourds, carrots and much more have decent amounts of different vitamins, minerals, fibre and health-promoting plant compounds.
Moderate use of oil, or steaming, boiling, roasting and pressure cooking can help eliminate unnecessary fat and calories from foods. Likewise, when considered in terms of combining food types, portions and quantity of each, traditional food patterns, like dal plus rice or roti plus vegetables, can be a nutritionally balanced meal, he said.
Other traditional fermented foods such as curd and buttermilk that are used in homes around the globe can also be part of a diversified diet. Yet another benefit of local foods is that they are easily available. Making healthy nutrition choices is easier to keep up when the foods that fit the criteria for healthy eating are accessible, such as locally available foods, and can be created in dishes that are familiar. This can also lessen the need for foods that are regularly processed and are likely to be rich in added sugar, salt or harmful fats, he said.
The traditional foods are thus not to be neglected and replaced with newer food products. The latter, however, can be modified as per available nutrition requirements. Making some fairly simple adjustments, like increasing vegetables and whole grains, making sure they have their usual protein, eating local food and using cooking oils wisely can make their day-to-day meals more balanced. Traditional dietary practices and nutritional knowledge can be used to develop realistic, affordable, familiar and sustainable eating patterns, said Dr Paul.
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