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By Root 299 0

dietitian, I have seen the traditional American diet change over the last couple of decades. I live in the midwest, where meat and potatoes are the staple, and encouraging people to eat more vegetables is a constant challenge. In the mid-1990s, a fellow dietitian observed my vegetarian meal and stated that if she does not have some protein (meat) with a meal, she has a low- blood sugar reaction and does not feel good. I knew what she was saying was scientifically valid, for that’s what we were taught, but I knew I had enough protein at that meal as well as throughout the day. A few years later, I was out with the same dietitian when she ordered a vegetarian meal. I looked at her with surprise and she just smiled. In the last few years, several health organizations such as the American Institute of Cancer Research and the American Heart Association have focused on encouraging people to eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. Many health professionals are recommending that people eat vegetarian meals at least once a week. To help Americans reduce their consumption of saturated fat and to help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer—four of the leading causes of death in America—a national public health campaign called Meatless Monday (a non-profit organization) is working in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to make it easier for people to eat at least one vegetarian meal a week. Twenty-eight other public health schools also support the campaign. The program follows the nutrition guidelines of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the American Heart Association.

Although the acceptance of vegetarian meals has increased by leaps and bounds, truly delicious and vibrant plant-based meals can still be hard to come by. Many vegetarian dishes are either bland or laden with cheese, cream, and eggs, making them high in fat and saturated fat and therefore not always healthier than meat-based meals. Although this is certainly beginning to change, a vegetarian or vegan who’s looking for variety, flavor, and new options is increasingly turning to ethnic specialties.

Although it includes dairy, the Indian vegetarian diet is naturally close to a vegan diet. Legumes (dal) and whole grains (roti, or whole wheat flatbread) take center stage in a natural, plant-based way of eating. The vegetarian diet among Indians is as ingrained culturally, psychologically, and socially as the nonvegetarian diet is in the rest of the world. Since vegetarianism in India has been a way of life for centuries, the meals are gloriously vegetarian and not a replica of nonvegetarian dishes.

Americans often judge a vegetarian meal by how closely it resembles a nonvegetarian meal (and I understand why). Can the vegetarian meal be nutritionally balanced, appetizing, and hearty without the meat? Is it going to be as gratifying as Mom’s meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans without the meat loaf? These are the common questions on the minds of those who are trying to eat one vegetarian meal per day, trying to feed a family, are converting to vegetarianism, or are vegans.

Indian vegetarians or vegans are not trying to make a meatless meal look, taste, smell, or feel like a meal with meat. In fact, the Indian objective is dramatically opposite. To Indians, a vegetarian meal (with or without milk) is hearty, appetizing, nutritionally well balanced, satisfying, and has a special flair and distinction of its own.

Holistic Cooking

Indian cooking combines the art and science of preparing food. Ayurveda is a system of traditional medicine native to India. It is a holistic science, which focuses on healing of body, mind, and spirit through food, herbs, and revitalizing therapies. Ayurvedic medicine and therapies in other parts of the world are referred to as alternative medicine. Ayurvedic cooking is about cooking flavorful dishes that promote good health, clean the accumulated toxins (a result of improperly digested food), and rejuvenate the body as each