Dining out carefully

I recall that day like yesterday. When I was in college, many years ago, a friendƒšžs mother took ill from food poisoning. The next day she was gone. I am reminded of it today as my husband leaves for Benaras to ritually cremate a 60-year-old friend. Another food poisoning tragedy. A ritual send-off from one of the countryƒšžs holiest places may be a blessing for the deceased, but for the family a sudden and premature death is a traumatic experience. Particularly from a routine case of food poisoning. The simple act of feeding herself cost her life.Unsurprisingly, I am hesitant about dining out, particularly in restaurants. Everytime a friend or relative invites me to do so, I think twice because restaurants arenƒšžt what they used to be. Thus Iƒšžve had to increasingly sacrifice the pleasure of catching up with friends over a cup of coffee or a meal for a meaningful conversation. Gone are the days of good old filter coffee (de facto organic), and restaurants which used sea salt and ghani (cold-pressed) oil in their cooking and had the time to keep the establishment clean. Now to socialise, most sensible people eat at home and meet friends over a drink.Today not only are hygiene standards in restaurants and eateries abominable, the use of refined sugar, oil, salt, flour, white rice, and refined (homogenised) milk is the rule. Further, all kinds of sauces and mixes containing colours, additives, msg, stabilisers, thickeners, preservatives and the like are de rigueur ƒš‚certain to reduce your immune system to its lowest. Moreover aluminium cook-ing vessels and chemically grown foods are the other hazards of eating out. Pollu-tion, stress and medications further reduce the immunity of party goers and restaurant diners ƒš‚ a situation that can be corrected only by a turn towards natural lifestyles. Itƒšžs important to note that reduced immunity doesnƒšžt merely lead to minor illnesses, itƒšžs increasingly becoming life threatening. Because it alters the very genes necessary to propagate a strong and healthy lineage, itƒšžs become a matter of life and death for mankind to revert to natural lifestyles.Against this backdrop here are some tips about careful dining ƒš‚ at home and out. Choose hardy, local seasonal vegetables like pumpkin and gourd that donƒšžt need chemicals. The more exotic the vegetable, the more pesticides are used to grow it. Ingest fruit and raw vegetables only if you can wash them yourself or you are absolutely sure theyƒšžve been washed well. Be aware that cooked vegetables can be as dangerous when laced with pesticides and not washed well before cooking. Choose rice (especially brown) over roti because rice is easier to clean and cook. In any event, choose simple combinations of food especially when dining out to avoid stomach complications. Complex or exotic food combinations could lead to food poisoning. Missing a couple of meals is always good for the body and the best way to recover from any illness. A solution of lemon, rock salt and sugar is ideal in case one…