Doctor Delicious

I always thought I was the odd one out. Contrary to most of my fellow-gourmets, I have always believed that delicious food can also be healt...

I always thought I was the odd one out. Contrary to most of my fellow-gourmets, I have always believed that delicious food can also be healthy. Now, here8217;s an internationally recognised 23-year-old non-profit educational foundation that not only believes this but has also been conducting lots of research and programmes to substantiate it.

Here8217;s what the Encyclopedia Britannica has to say about it. 8216;8216;What makes the Oldways Preservation and Exchange Trust different from other organisations that promote sound nutrition or fine cuisine is its scholarly grounding in science, strong social conscience and commitment to culinary excellence.8217;8217;

Dun Gifford, the founder president of the Trust explains the principles behind the Boston-based Oldways: 8216;8216;We believe that people don8217;t want to eat nutrition, they want to eat delicious food.8217;8217; What he told me when I met him in Australia, was music to my ears.

Oldways brings together nutritionists, environmentalists, historians, anthropologists and chefs to enjoy and argue about traditional ways of eating that seem much healthier than the way we eat in most of the industrialised world. It promotes the message of healthy eating, the preservation of traditional foodways and healthy patterns Mediterranean, Asian, Latin American and vegetarian.

nbsp;	You Ask, They Answer

		nbsp;	8226; CONCEPTION CLUES Bindu, 30, married for 6 months, has irregular periods. She has not conceived yet. Please advise. A healthy couple with a regular sex life should become pregnant in three to four months. As she has still not conceived, go for tests like semen analysis, sonography and blood tests. Dr Rustom Soonawala MD, FRCS, FRCOG, Consultant at Breach Candy and Jaslok hospitals 8226; DRY THERAPY Sunil8217;s son 11 can8217;t avoid bed-wetting at night. No treatments have worked. Kindly advise. Nocturnal enuresis is common and is not treated until the child is six or older. Most children become dry with advancing age. In rare cases, the cause is illness like diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipid, a spine problem, urinary tract infection or abnormal urinary bladder. Therapies include drinking lots of water through the day and holding back the urge to urinate as long as possible to stretch bladder capacity, minimising fluid intake after 7 pm and passing urine just before retiring. Other therapies include alarm clock devices that go off at a preset time or when the child begins to pass urine. Medications, used as a last resort, include an oral medication imipramine and a nasal spray desmopressin. Both should be used only under medical supervision. Dr Mukesh Sanklecha MD Pediatrics DCHDNB Pediatrics	nbsp;

Gifford points out that the Indo-Mediterranean diet is the Indian version of the Mediterranean diet which is extremely healthy and has its food pyramid of whole grains, vegetables, olive oil and mustard oil while cutting down on meat, sugar and salt.

Gifford adds that an Oldways study centre is being set up in the Greek island of Chios, where international research will take place. Oldways maintains its office in Puglia, Italy, to enable home cooks, doctors, chefs and interested participants to learn first-hand the traditionally Mediterranean way of eating, drinking and living. Programmes include custom-designed educational culinary tours of Italy and its Mediterranean neighbours, exploratoriums, symposiums and more.

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And here8217;s the most exciting part of this organisation. You and I can become members and be privy to all the research and study being undertaken, by way of newsletters and magazines.

We can also organise holidays around their various activities. We can go on Friends of Oldways Food Tours, where experts guide us into demonstrations, tastings, cooking classes by local experts to visits to markets, smokeries, bakeries and more.

They even organise a programme called 8216;8216;High Five8217;8217;, a children8217;s nutrition and cooking programme which includes Food, Fun, Farms, Family and Facts.

In fact, the Harvard School of Public Health and Oldways jointly developed and manage a new programme called Nutrition Education for Health Professionals.

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To find out more about this organisation that promotes healthy eating, sustainable food choices and preservation of traditional foodways, log on to http://www.oldwayspt.org or email oldwaysoldwayspt.org.

Do keep calling and writing. And do keep smiling. For all your health queries, call
022-22161313 or log onto http://www.rashmiudaysingh.com. Write to P. O. Box No 19946, Colaba, Mumbai-5 or e-mail holrashmiudaysingh.com