eat well to live

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Sri Lanka is a country which enjoyed a great food culture. Our ancestorsalways consumed natural foods. Greens (herbals) of medicinal value, the localvegetables and cereals were an essential component in their daily meal. Theydid use and adopted various ingredients to stimulate their taste buds and retainthe nutritional value. Using local methods like adding tamarind, goraka, sera,cinnamon, curry leaves etc. Seven curries (Hath maluwa), Mixed green (KalavanMalluma), Milk rice with Green gram (Munata Kiribath), Sambar, Biriyani rice,are some of their mixed preparations. Their culinary art was different from today.They had various other combinations of which in some still exist in the ruralareas. They seldom cooked one kind of food. They used jack seeds for manycombinations. E.g. Jack seeds and Kehel Muwa(the remainder of the banana

flower), Jack seeds and Sarana or any similar green, Dhal and Spinach or anysimilar green, Bread fruit and a green like spinach or Sarana. The open economygradually brought in different kinds of food to Sri Lanka and change rapidly thefood consumption pattern specially among the urban population. This included

junk food, instant food and processed food. People always tend to rush in forthe latest now. So with the food too. But it is more wise to revert back to healthyculinary art and form a healthy food culture so that the new generation will havea taste for healthy food. We must eat to live and not live to eat.

When preparing food there are two main factors to be considered. They are,to prepare food to maintain the nutritional value and also

to improve the nutritional value .

Cereals contain amino acids like cysteine, methoanine and pulses containlysine, triptopan. A mixed preperation of cereals and pulses will provide all theamino acids necessary. Lime juice help in the absorption of iron. Pineapple helpsto digest food.

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Consume fresh and natural food and food that can be consumed raw.eg: gotukola sambol,vegetable salad.

use of oil (tempering) to preserve vitamin in food

use natural seasoning.

eg: Rampe, curry leaves, lemongrass, cinnamon, cardamom,cloves, nutmeg

Activity - Home garden.

1. Get into groups. Find out the best suited vegetables to the soil of yourarea.

2. Contact the representatives of the village, agriculture organization. Getthem to guide you to get the necessary information from the agriculturecentre about,

preparing the soil

seeds /plants

fertilizer

other information necessary for a good yield.

3. Each group select a few houses in your area.

4. Along with the house holders on a shramadana basis prepare homegardens in each house.

5. Provide the necessary information you have gathered.6. Sometimes youll find villagers who are aware of cultivation methods.

Share their knowledge with the others.

7. Plan out your programme with time management, location, preparingthe soil, sowing seeds, caring, use of manure etc. (students in city area,organize home gardens to grow in pots and bags)


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Avoid these things when preparing food.

Consider the following facts when preparing food.

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is destroyed when canning, by cooking and byoxidation, when exposed to the air. When boiling it is partly affected becausethe enzymes in the plant cells attack the vitamin.

Finely shredding of greens

Too much of washing (destroy vitamin B and C dissolves in water)Over cooking (destroy Thiamine B1)

Over heating

Over boiling (destroy water soluble vitamins)

Boil and straining

Prolonged storage

Use of expired canned food

Peeling off certain foods, before boiling ( eg. potatoes)

Washing after cutting

Delay from production to consumption/ storing/refrigeration(eg: meat, fish)

Using artificial substances, colours

Using lot of spices

Faulty cooking methods

Keep food exposed

Wrong methods of consumption.


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If we may list the instances where nutrient values are affected.They are,

(a) Food should be taken when the body demands, because the system isready with digestive juices, and at least 3 hours after the next meal. To getthe maximum from the nutrients, system should be trained to a regularpattern.

(b) Natural fresh food as well as the preparations and substances added shouldenhance the nutrient value. It should be palatable, tasty, easier to swallowand digest.

(c) Combination of food should improve the quality of nutrients and also beaware of unhealthy combinations. Health Education Beaureau promotestaking 5 kinds of vegetables a day. If we combine food we should knowwhich types we should combine when preparing, for taste, flavours andnutritional value.

the time food is consumed.the nature and types of food.combination of food.preparation of food.quantity and quality of foodfood habits.condition of hungerdigestion.

mental condition.

Activity -Make a list of combined preparation you could make in yourdiet.You can list some with the already used names by cooks oryou can make some of your own preparations and name them.


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(d) Food habits play an important role in the nutrition of an individual. Selection of food, quantity, quality, place, condition should be included into a pattern and asystem of food habits for it will affect adversely to the nutritional value. Food servedshould be sufficient to the individual's needs. Serving too much and throwing awayis not a good habit.

(e) Food should be selected to suit the time, age, period, condition of theindividuals. False beliefs, false sense of status, should not be the criterionwhen selecting food. But strictly consider the nutrient value of the food tosuit the condition of individuals.

(f) The quantity and the quality of the food consumed is another important factor.Having a bellyful of food disturbs the proper function of digestion. Thequantity, quality should suit the age, sex condition of the individual. Thedeciding factor of the quantity of food consumed should be the condition of the hunger. Similarly the condition of the person, specially when a person issick if the same quality and quantity is consumed, it will disturb the absorptionof nutrients. Easily digested foods are best suited for the sick. Other conditionslike pregnancy, lactation, old age too should be considered to maintainnutritional standard. A mother needs more food and an elderly person shouldtake easily digested food.

Food spoilage means that the food is unconsumable. Mentioned below aresome instances of food spoilage from production to consumption.

Food spoilage

During foodproduction During Harvest Transportation Storing Consumption

off season harvest

careless handlingusing pollutedwaterimpropermethods of threshingunhygieniccondition

packing

careless handlingdelay intransporting

poormethods of transportation

frying

cooking

boiling

preparingdelay in

store underunhygienicconditionpoormethods of storage

natural

disasters poor farming methodspests

pesticideschemicalfertilizers


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Factors that affect the food spoilage

bacteria, virus,fungi (micro-organisms)cockroaches and ratsarticial flavours and coloursimproper packinginteraction of substances in the food.interaction of food with the atmosphere.unhygenic preperation .adulteration of food.poor ways of preserving food.unsuitable utensils.

Spoilt food affects the well being of an individual. Spoilt food is a waste.Wasting food brings down the economy.

The main cause for food poisoning is bacteria and its poisonous substances.

Disease causing organisms enter our body with the food we eat. Most organ-isms are harmless but those organisms that are active pathogens cause diseases.Spoilt food are breeding grounds for such organisms. Micro organisms such asbacteria and fungi cause decomposition so that food smells and tastes unpleasantand becomes unfit to eat. Foods that contain lot of water such as meat fish, fruit,meat, and most vegetables are described as perishables, that decompose quicklyin warm conditions.

Food get spoilt by the use of various substances used as flavouring agents.Some of the producers use various chemicals to keep vegetables and fruits look fresh. Consumption of prepared food in unhygienic ways cause digestive disorders.Use of colour is another cause for food spoilage. Certain foods when exposed tothe environment specially cut food when exposed for a long time get spoilt.Adulterated food too get spoil soon. eg. Coconut oil mixed with other kinds of oilgives an unnatural colour and taste.

Food poisoning


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Consumption of spoilt food will not provide the necessary nutritional valuebut results in various kinds of diseases related to the digestive system eg,typhoid, diarrheoa

Let us find out the instances of food becoming poisonous.

not storing fish or meat below 10 0c eg: Salmonella

Disease causing organisims are not destroyed in half cooked food.

Frying frozen chicken before defrosting

Aflatoxin is a harmful poison produced by a fungi called Aspergillus flavusformed in unhygienically packed coconut, cashew, ground nuts packets.

Sometimes traders sell these spoilt packets after removing the affected nuts.which can be poisonous too.

Certain kinds of fish contain amino acid histidine which produce a poisoncalled Histamin which is allergic to some individuals.

Use of pesticides and other chemicals close upon harvest of vegetables.

Using aluminium utensils.

Use of some preservatives

Certain poisonous mushrooms

Certain measures can be adopted to prevent food poisoning.such as,

find out the expiry dateboil manioc without covering.select fresh unspoilt yams.use water to cover the food.boil and strainavoid cooking in aluminum utensilscare about personal hygienecleanliness at home and kitchengrow your food in the home gardenstore meat and fish below 0 0Cuse clay pots or any recommended utensils


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Since you have studied this chapter you must have comprehended howdifficult it is to select consumable food. Ours is a country where majority payless attention on the hygienic condition of the food and also on personal hygiene.Therefore it is your responsibility as people stepping onto the future to be awareof the value of consuming nutritious food and how to select them. When thereare lot of hazards in production, transportation, storing, spoilage by micro-organisms, adulteration and poison, you must find solutions to these problems.

use combined or mixed food, use lime and tamarind consume natural food lot of salads use cinnamon, rampe,

carapincha, sera

Selecting consumable food

Activity - Do a survey to find out the methods adopted to adulterate food. Getthe help of the P.H.I. in the area.

Name of the food provided substanceChillie powder brick dust


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What are foods that are safe to consume ?

Consumable foods are those foods that are,

What are natural foods. They are food without any artificial substances.

of high nutrition value unspoilt, unadulterated not poisonous without artificial substances and chemicals. natural and fresh

The safest place to find natural food is thehome garden

Less expenditure, safe, economical

High nutritional value Natural food keep us healthy and wealthy

(Junk foods instant foods and carbonizeddrinks should be avoided).

Processed foods are clean but many items contain more salt or sugar. They are with less fibres and nutrients other than natural food. If one consumes these ready made foods there is a possibility of having

nutritional problems. Due to lack of vitamins mostly. Consumption of this kind of food constantly brings loss of apetite

and loss of income Junk food or cooked food packed with sugar or fat which gives instant

energy can be called useless food. This junk food is a serious threat to the health of school children


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A knowledge of the following points and a correct attitude to consumablefood will improve your skill in identifying the correct food.

Fat will provide 25% of the calories necessary for us. Fat can be dividedinto three categories. Study the chart below.

Parents as well as you have a great responsibility to rescue these childrenfrom these junk foods for when once they get used to it they rejectnatural normal food.

There are various other kinds of food in the market presented in smalleconomical packets, which do not confirm to standard value (SLS). Theycan be very unhygienic due to the condition of water used. Other tastypackets are ground nuts, fried grams with chillie and various kinds of pickle. There are some products which do not have any food value butstimulate the taste buds.

Consumption of unhealthy fat (SFA) is a threat to health but can besubstituted with healthy fat (PUFA-MUFA)

Less intake of sugars, salt and fat but more intake of fruits and vegetables.

You should know the contents, its proportion and nutrient value. Whether the food is of quality and possess the SLS standard. Remember to findout the expiry date and the of manufacture date.

Never purchase an item if the dates of expiry and manufacturedare not been displayed.

The appearance of the product whether pressed deformed orcracked. If its a tin whether its abnormally puffed at the lids.

The smell will reveal whether its fresh, spoilt, expired or old.

Selecting Healthy food


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Cholesterol is necessary for every cell in the body and for synthesis of

hormones. It is produced in the liver and distributed through blood vessels . Therequired amounts of cholesterol is produced in the liver, but when food containinga large amount of cholesterol, it disturbs the balance of cholesterol, This is verydangerous and affects health. There should be a control of food. Daily intake of cholesterol according to doctors opinion should be less than 30 mg. Consumingvegetables, fruits, seeds and cereals will help to control the level of cholesterol.

The following foods are rich in cholesterol

kidney

eggs

chicken liver

butter

ground nutsolive oilalmondoil

avacado

energy

Fat

Saturated Fat Poly Unsaturated Fat

coconut oil gingerly oilcorn oil corn oilsoya oil soya oilBeef, Pork sun flower oilchicken fishcheesecake, biscuits, pastryrolls

growth functioning of kidneys, arteries and nerves

Prevent heart diseases

Mono Unsaturated Fat


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bacon

boiled prawns

pork

crabs

beef

Ancient methods of preseving food were drying and soaking in bees honey and smoking.Following methods are used to preserve food.

pickle

canning

refrigeration

use of chemicals

drying

salting(fish)

Suggestions are for your consideration but please take more concern about ourduty to enlighten the public on the most valuable subject of our lives. Make yourprogramme useful to people in all walks of life.

Food preservation methods

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