Put Your Anxieties In A Pickle

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achaars, Anxious, butterflies in our stomach, Don’t Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attack, How to reduce anxiety, kimchi, Matthew Hilimire, pickled cucumbers, pickles, Probiotics, Summaiya Syed-Tariq, using pickles to reduce anxiety

 

We have all experienced ‘butterflies in our stomach’ when faced by any unexpected, irregular or high-pressure situation. Be it meeting new people or answering probing questions, sitting for an exam or giving a job interview, even the most extroverted among us feel anxious.

Not to worry – because scientists have discovered a method to “potentially help people overcome social anxiety”. A recent study of over 700 college students’ lifestyle, exercise and dietary habits, published in Psychiatry Research, concluded that pickles (including pickled cucumbers and our desi achaars) contain probiotics and bioactive peptides that help alleviate anxiety.

So, how do pickles help you de-stress? Research has established a close link between anxiety and our gastro-intestinal system. The probiotics found in pickles and other fermented foods (including Greek yoghurt, kefir and kimchi) reduce gut inflammation, a known trigger of stress-inducing hormones in the body.

Now the million dollar question is: can overcoming anxiety be as simple as eating pickles? Probably not, says Reid Wilson, author of Don’t Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks. Fermented foods can help people experiencing anxiety only to a certain extent, but when these symptoms become chronic, a visit to a psychologist becomes mandatory.

Another researcher, Matthew Hilimire, points out that eating fermented food can reduce but not eliminate anxiety altogether. As for how much fermented foods should people be eating, he advises that for now, “more is better”.

And that is good news for all of us. A Pakistani dastarkhwan is not considered complete without an assortment of achars, chutneys and raita. In the process of writing this piece, I ended up eating pickles everyday and my moods showed a definite turn for the better.

Therefore, the next time you get goose bumps or feel your heart race, take a deep breath and reach out for a jar of pickles.

– Dr. Summaiya Syed-Tariq
The writer works as Senior Medico-legal Officer at the Police Surgeon Office, Karachi.

 

 

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Fermenting For Better Health

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benefits of fermented food, Drawbacks of processed foods, fermented foods, gut health, healthy bacteria, I Quit Sugar, kombucha, lassi, pickles, Probiotics, Sarah Wilson, yoghurt

Gone are the days when the women of the house spent hours preparing spices, sauces and dairy products at home. As increasing numbers join the workforce, convenience takes top priority when it comes to anything on their to-do lists.

You may wonder what is the drawback in stocking your kitchen with processed foods (for example, pre-packaged yoghurt instead of one that has been fermented overnight at home or bought from the doodhwala) when it saves so much time. The answer is the elimination of naturally ‘fermented’ foods from our diets, due to which we lose out on the ‘healthy bacteria’ present in them.

Food in 2013

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2013, 2014, barley, bean flour, broths, burgers, Burmese, celiac disease, childhood obesity, curries, diet, farm, fatty, food, food crisis, food prices, food sustainability, fruit, gluten-free, grease, Healthy, Japanese ramen, Leila Mehfooz Barry, Malaysian, manufacturers, meal planning apps, nutrition, packaged, pastas, pickles, pizzas, processed, protein, quinoa, restaurants, restaurateurs, rice, rye, Seaweed, Southeast Asian cuisine, spices, sugary foods, supply chain, Thai, trends, vegetables, Vietnamese, weight loss, wheat, whole wheat

When it came to food, 2013 saw several trends, including Japanese ramen, quinoa, seaweed and pickles, but overriding them all was healthy eating. Here is a look at some of the important food trends that emerged in 2013 and are predicted by experts to hold strong in 2014:

Food sustainability. A trend that is here to stay given rising food prices and the global food crisis. Food sustainability focuses on minimising wastage at every step on the supply chain – from the farm to the table. Global initiatives included restaurants offering half portions, meal planning apps and other technologies to help manufacturers, restaurateurs and customers reduce food wastage.

Probiotics: The Pros And Cons

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allergies, anxiety, bacteria, bacterial vaginosis, balancing, blood pressure, brain activity, childhood eczema, cholesterol, chronic fatigue, colds, Dark chocolate, depression, digestive system, ear infections, good-bad bacteria, Health Awareness Society., health benefit, healthcare, immune system, irritable bowel syndrome, media, micro organism, microflora, milk, neurochemistry, olives, pickles, post-partum, prenatal, probiotic supplements, Probiotics, psoriasis, Samia Babar, soy milk, strep throat, urinary tract, waist circumference, women, World Health Organization, yeast, yeast infections, yoghurt

Probiotics’ are receiving a lot of hype these days from healthcare practitioners and the media. But what exactly are they?

The World Health Organization defines probiotics as “any living micro organism that has a health benefit when ingested.” Probiotics are basically live bacteria and yeast; these ‘good’ bacteria are believed to play an important role in improving health and regulating intestinal function by balancing intestinal microflora.

To The Farmers’ Market

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aata, B Khan, Bhurban, cheeses, chemical free, cordials, cut flowers, dried herbs, eating habits, eggs, family entertainment, Fateh Jhang, fresh milk, gourmet, Healthy, home baked breads, home delivery, homegrown, homemade, in re-useable, Islamabad, jams, jellies, Kalabagh, Karachi, Kuch Khaas, Margalla Road, organic farmers’ market, organic produce, pasta, pickles, rice, seeds, Swabia, The Lime Tree, wild honey

The Saturday farmers’ market at Kuch Khaas

Tracking down organic produce is no easy matter, although there are now a few enterprising people who are doing their best to make such items available. A mere handful of organic growers are offering a limited range of items for sale, sometimes through home delivery in Karachi while an organic farmers’ market has sprung up in Lahore a few weeks ago. And thanks to a weekly farmers’ market at Kuch Khaas, organic produce has taken Islamabad by storm too.