lessons to learn from the healthy food choices of communities across india as you get increasingly bombarded with generic junk food you may have become more used to overlooking the nutritional benefits steeped in the rich food habits of various communities than youd want from the choice of ingredients to methods of cooking theres a lot to learn from indigenous food culture say experts nutritionist sheela tanna considers makai ki roti and sarson ka saag as one of indian cuisines healthiest combinations it works even better for those on a glutenfree diet the punjabis love for lassi curd and paneer is worth borrowing from especially for vegetarians also tandoorgrilling is a terrific form of cooking that cooks the food fast while sealing in all the nutrients dont ruin it though by adding butter but while jotting notes on delicacies across india you may have to wait for the right weather chef joy bhattacharya of trident says a lot governs the wide spectrum of indian cuisine from the locals adapting to the regions natural produce abundance of coconutbased seafood on the coasts of tamil nadu and kerala to foods that suit their climate the kashmiri wazwan for instance is liberal in its use of whole spices that keep your body warm likewise kahwa kashmiri green tea is a mix of crushed spices which warm your system while having such kashmiri staples may not be ideal at other times in mumbai you can certainly try them this winter bhattacharya points out how rajasthani cuisine which hovers around accompaniments that last longer can teach us about beating the microbes since the weather there is dry rajasthanis dont keep their chutneys wet so the lasoon ki chutney or bajre ka choorma is kept dry to save it from catching air or moisture and thereby going staletraditional trove foods can be both delicious and healthy if we retain the authenticity feels tanna we must not be swayed by this urban fixation to top everything with butter or cheese while gujarati fare gets flak for being fatrich authentic gujarati food has everything tossed on a charcoalfired sigdi wheat rotis bajra rotlas potatoes sweet potatoes and brinjals being oilfree these are extremely healthy as for choosing oils food writer vikram doctor finds the hoopla over olive oil infuriating given the amazing variety of healthy cooking oils india offers people are falling over each other to buy olive oil without knowing if they are buying genuine ones however they have neglected the health benefits of various kachi ghani pure oils that each community prefers to use like sesame or mustard oil he says bengali cuisine which uses a lot of mustard oil good fats increases appetite is known for its fixation with fish not only do bengalis eat a lot of fatfree firstclass protein in the form of fish they eat it right by using it as a curry with rice or steaming it which even the parsis do with their patra fish by frying fish