'Back to nature' will keep you in good shape

Maya Santo Soeratman, Contributor, Jakarta

You are what you eat! This statement is apt to raise a few eyebrows, but many health conscious individuals believe that there is truth in this axiom.

The high mobility in today's world has allowed us to change our diet and lifestyle. It no longer limits a particular culture or people to consuming only the staple foods in their diet. The ease of travel and global knowledge of food and delicacies have enabled us to choose and determine what to eat and what not to eat.

But how does an individual measure his or her health? How does one know if one lacks a certain nutrient? The objective of modern man is to keep his body healthy so he can live longer, to enhance his life energy and fight disease.

Nutritionists and other health experts advise us to have a balanced diet, a balanced lifestyle and a clear mind. This is a promise that's hard to keep!. Of course, the easy way out is to go to the drugstore and purchase one's monthly supply of food supplements or vitamin pills. But the question is how to find cheap supplements that are not only beneficial to our health but also safe to consume.

One easy way to keep your body in prime condition is to go back to basics and exercise, says Indra Sugiarto, a general practitioner, internist and natural health practitioner.

The term food supplement refers to something that is needed by an individual that his or her body lacks. Therefore, if a person feels he or she needs food supplements, it would be wise to consult their nutritionist or doctor.

Food supplements needed may differ depending on an individual's lifestyle.

Indra says that one of the basic foods in Asia is rice, part of the staple diet of most Asians, which is now gaining popularity in the West.

However, if we only eat rice, without the addition of vegetables and fruit that are rich in fiber, this would create an imbalance. Imbalances could result in illness, fatigue and lethargy. A properly combined diet of fiber, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals would complement each other, creating a healthier lifestyle.

The rice now sold in the market is too refined. It has more carbohydrate than its nutritional value as half of its vitamins have been removed during the refining process. Unrefined rice is yellowish in color and looks more like wheat grain than rice because the outer layer which contains fiber needed by a person's digestion system, is still intact.

If rice is a major part of our diet, then it should be combined with vegetables, fruit, fish and poultry.

Soybeans, another staple in the Asian diet for thousands of years can be said to be an ideal food. A naturally occurring compound called genistein that can block cancer-causing genes is found in tofu. This compound can also be found in soymilk, soy protein and most soy flours.

Another winner is garlic and onions. These magical bulbs are common in Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. Sharp in taste and a bit unfriendly to one's breath, (in Victorian days, the smell of overpowering garlic would be shunned in the kitchens), garlic contains sulfur compounds that have been proven by modern science to kill bacteria and fungi.

Garlic also has a property which slows blood coagulation, which could reduce the risk of clots and heart disease; a thinning property similar to aspirin.

A study in India showed that 222 patients with histories of heart disease were given six to 10 grams of garlic daily which reduced mortality rates and incidence of nonfatal reinfarction.

Patients taking blood thinners, however, should check with their doctor before using garlic supplements. Several epidemiological studies in China also show that a reduction in stomach cancer risks were found in diets that were rich in vegetables of the onion family. These included chives, shallots and leeks.

Simply put, fresh common ingredients found in our mother's recipes already contain the necessary nutritious foods that are now the rave of the century.

Researchers come up with new findings every day, but what surprises us most is the fact that these essentials have been part of our daily diet for years. One familiar vegetable which is often unpopular with children is broccoli. We should give a big round of applause for broccoli though. A study made in 1992 by a team of scientists at the John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, stated that a sulfur-rich chemical in broccoli called sulphoraphane "may be a significant component of the anticarcinogenic action of broccoli". Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli are bursting with chemicals called indoles that block certain cancer-causing agents in animals.

Dr. Jon Michinovicz states that capsules of purified indole speed up the breakdown of the hormone estrogen, a risk factor of breast cancer. In mice, cruciferous indole substantially reduced the incidence, size and multiplicity of spontaneous mammary tumors.

If in a person's diet there is not the regular intake of fruits and vegetables over a long period of time, taking food supplements is one way to insure good health -- but improving your diet is a much healthier choice, says Indra.

According to him, addicts whose bodies have been long consumed by drugs can also turn to food supplements to recuperate and improve their health, but a major factor in this is the individual's mind-set.

We should learn from our ancestors. Indonesians are islanders, they have the advantage of abundant fish from the sea and edible greens from our forests and valleys that are rich in vitamins and minerals, to provide us with a great source of nutritious food.

We also have a lot to learn from our ancestors about foods that nourish and heal our bodies, so it would be unwise to only focus to modern day culinary. We should go back to the heritage of Indonesian cuisine that is so rich in nutritious dishes.

Our multicultural background provides the opportunity to eat a variety of dishes and food. This variety is beneficial as one can acquire all the different nutrients found within these foods.