format_quote Originally Posted by
Far7an
Assalaamu alaikum,
Does anyone know of any healthy recipes for Indian/Pakistan/South Asian/Desi Food? I asked a friend and he said, "It doesn't exist."
Looking forward to your ideas insha'Allah, JZK!
Asalaamu Alaikum, without a doubt south asian food is not of the most healthiest of foods out there but it can be made "healthier" than it is made today. This can be done in the following ways:
1. As long as you're using fats and oils sparingly in your cooking and preparation, it would be fine to use any one of the following "good" oils. All of the following oils are low in saturated fats and trans fats. Some have high concentration of monounsaturated fats such as olive oil.
Choose safflower oil, sunflower oil, soy oil or canola oil if you wish to fry foods as these oils have higher smoke point. It is best not to fry with olive oil as its smoke point is only about 190C/375F.
Good Cooking Oils:
canola oil
flax seed oil
peanut oil
olive oil
non-hydrogenated soft margarine
safflower oil
sunflower oil
The following "bad" oils contain high percentage of trans fat or saturated fats:
Bad Cooking Oils:
Vegetable shortening
Hard margarine
Butter
Palm oil
Palm kernel oil
Coconut oil
2. Try to eat a wide variety of foods not just meat or chicken everyday but include in your diet all kinds of fruit and vegtables as well as Nuts, seeds and pulses. Minimize eating red meat to once a week and make use all kinds of vegtables, lentils etc in ones curry and instead of eating white rice switch to wholsgrain brown rice.
3.
Portion control and minimizing quantity of food in anyone sitting:
Consider the following:
On the authority of Al-Miqdaam ibn Maadiy-Karib who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: "No human ever filled a vessel worse than the stomach. Sufficient for any son of Adam are some morsels to keep his back straight. But if it must be, then one third for his food, one third for his drink and one third for his breath."
Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasaa’I, Ibn Majah – Hadith sahih.
Ibn Masaweh, a Muslim doctor, said after reading this hadith: "If the people only used these words, they would avoid all diseases and maladies and the clinics and pharmacies would be idle."
Another doctor, Al-Harith ibn Kalada said: That which has killed mankind is the introduction of food on top of food before it has been digested.
3. As for spiritual benefits: humbleness of heart, strength of understanding, lessening of lower desires, lessening of personal opinions and anger, while overeating induces the opposites of all of those.
Al-Hassan Al-Basri said: "O, son of Adam, eat with one third of your stomach and drink with one third and leave one third of your stomach to breathe so that you may think."
4.
Ibn Umar: A man said to Ibn Umar: Shouldn’t I bring you some jawarish? Ibn Umar said: What is that? He said: Something which aids in digesting your food after you eat. Ibn Umar said: I have not eaten to being full for four months. That is not because I am not able to do so, but I was with a group of people who were hungry more than they were full.
5.
Not reaching your goals: Muhammad ibn Wasi said: Whoever eats little will understand and make others understand and will be clear and humble. Overeating weighs a person down and keeps him from much of what he wants [to accomplish]."
6.
Al-Hassan Al-Basri: The test of Adam, peace be upon him, was food and it is your test until Qiyama. And, it used to be said: Whoever takes control of his stomach gets control of all good deeds. And: Wisdom does not reside in a full stomach. One day, Al-Hassan offered some food to his companion who said: I have eaten until I am no longer able to eat. To which Al-Hassan said: Subhaana Allah! Does a Muslim eat until he is no longer able to eat?
7. Allah grants this world to those whom He loves and those He does not love but only grants hunger to those whom he loves.
8.
Ash-Shafi’I said: I have not filled myself in sixteen years because filling oneself makes the body heavy, removes clear understanding, induces sleep and makes one weak for worship.
9.
In Muslim and Bukhari: "The believer eats with one stomach while the kafir eats with seven stomachs." Meaning: The believer eats with the manners of Islam and in moderation, while the karif eats based on desires and gluttony and so he eats with seven stomachs.
10.
Also: "Food for one is enough for two and food for two is enough for three and food for three is enough for four."
11.
Also: From Aisha: The family of Muhammad (sas) never filled themselves with wheat bread three days in a row from the time he came to Madinah until he passed away."
12. A Muslim should not merely follow his appetites.
Allah said: {Then, they were followed by generations who neglected the prayer and followed their appetites. They will encounter a pit of fire except for those who repent…}
Maryam 59-60.
13. The best generations didn’t. "The best generation is my generation, followed by the one after them then the one after them. Then will come a people who bear witness but are not asked to bear witness, who swear oaths but do not fulfill them and fatness will appear among them."
(Muslim &Bukhari).
14.
From Abi Barza that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wasallam) said: "My greatest fear for you is the appetites of transgression with regard to your stomachs and your privates and the inclinations which lead astray".
(Ahmad and others and its narrators are people of sahih)
Therefore the portion size and quantity of food one eats in any one sitting should be minimized to the point where at the end of the meal one would feel just satisfied without feeling so full or to the point of feeling bloated. Instead one should have enough food after every meal to feel satisfied but still have more room left in their stomachs for more.
May Allah enable us to eat of the good foods he has created for us in order to benefit us without transgressing the limits. Ameen
And Allah knows best in all matters