When actor Kunchacko Boban recently whipped up an apple badam smoothie, everyone went in search of its creator, who turned out to be Chef Jose Varkey from Poonjar. The chef talks about the benefits of Naturopathy and raw food to Manorama online.
Chackochan special smoothie-lose 4kgs in 7 days.
That smoothie made up of the most natural ingredients is packed with nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. For this, you need to soak badam overnight. It’s important to soak dry fruits/nuts overnight before consuming as it releases all the nutrients during that process making it very organic. Post that you need to dehydrate it at a temperature of 48 degrees. No, don’t try the frying pan for this. There are dehydrators that can be used at home for this purpose.
Along with almond, apple and banana are also added to make this smoothie. It was garnished with homemade cocoa nibs and a syrup made of dates (cocoa seeds are fermented and roasted, and later pasted to make cocoa nibs chocolate). Kunchacko was pleasantly surprised to discover that he had lost 2 kgs in 2 days through naturopathy and making minor lifestyle changes. Kunchacko Boban did tell Manorama online that it was quite something to lose 4 kgs in 7 days simply on this new diet and altering his food habits.
Had to alter my lifestyle after coming here: Chef Jose Varkey
For the last 44 years, I was this Chef who got accolades for making deep-fried and rich delicacies. When I look back there is a sense of loss. It’s after I started working as a corporate chef in CGF group and Prakriti Shakthi that I got introduced to the concept of responsible kitchen. That also prompted me to make certain lifestyle changes. In 1977, I passed out from my college. It’s after working in Saudi Arabia for 13 years that I joined the CGH Earth group. Here I work at the Panchalimet Prakriti Shakthi clinic. After coming here, my way of living altered. I started connecting myself with nature. So currently I am totally into raw food.
Responsible kitchen
I gave a contemporary-international revamp to our authentic Kerala cooking. The basic foundation remains the celebration of coconut, tropical fruit, and vegetable. This is a diet therapy that calls for eating good food in a healthy way.
Panchalimet’s clinic of natural medicine by CGH Earth
Panchalimet’s Naturopathy Clinic is a space that feels good . Our bodies will get recharged here. When you get food from such places, you tend to amass a lot of positive energy.The concept of absolute raw food impressed the guests, and some of them were doctors. That’s how the menu was updated with a lot of raw food.
We serve a special salad cucumber with coconut milk and vegetables alongside idiyappam and stew and it’s our star dish. The idea of naturopathy is to bring back the imbalance of the body through diet, mind, and exercise. Those who eat the raw food are a happy lot.
Please don’t overcook the veggies
The pH of the blood is as important as the acid-alkaline ratio in the human body, ranging from 7.3 to 7.4. It shouldn’t be more or less than that. Lime juice is acidic but when it enters the human blood it turns into alkaline. A majority of the fruits and vegetables are alkaline. When it is overcooked, it becomes acidic.
You should have a plate of raw food at least once in a day. It’ better to have a portion of raw food during your meals. Raw food equals living food and overcooked food equals lifeless food. When you have five people for lunch, you tend to cook for 10 people. And the guests usually eat for two and we refrigerate the rest and reheat it the next day. Did you also know that food is also one big reason behind several ailments?
The benefits of eating/serving raw food
• It makes us feel good
•Sharpens mind
•Keeps us hydrated as along with it you also consume water retained in the raw food.
•Fiber helps in cleaning your system as well provides good bacteria for your body.
Is it safe to buy vegetables from the market?
Though a lot of us love eating fruits, the same cannot be said about vegetables. Many of us feel that as most of the vegetables are sprayed with chemicals, it is unhealthy to consume them. It is true that there are a lot of toxic components inside and outside some of the vegetables. What you can do is clean them properly. If you soak these vegetables for 5 minutes in two liters of water with a drop of sodium bicarbonate, all the poisonous substances will wash away. But that is not going to remove the poison inside these veggies. Considering their nutrient value there is no harm in consuming a lot of vegetables. Thankfully our body is well equipped to deal with such minor poisonous particles.
What should be the raw food one needs to consume in a day?
•Instead of drinking tea or coffee in the morning, you can try a glass of freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juice (without sugar). Though it might not be easy to discard tea and coffee from our morning habit, after a while you will get used to it.
•A glass of alkaline juice at 6 am (Half gooseberry, neem, lemon, plantain, zucchini - drink any one of these juices).
•A hot drink made of turmeric and pepper.
•Either ginger/elaichi/green tea without sugar and milk.
After 2 hrs (8 am)
•A bowl of fruit
•Dosa made of whole urad dal
•Green gram dosa, dishes made with millets ragi and chena
•Avoid refined white sugar, white rice, and Maida. Include a lot of fiber-rich lentils.
•Instead of coffee, makea drink with crushed cocoa nibs and coconut milk.
Lunch
•A salad made of nuts and seeds.
•Those who exercise daily can have red rice.
Teatime
•Avoid fried snacks along with herbal tea. Reheated oil turns into trans-fat.
•It’s best to have steamed food made of fiber grains. For example, you can make cutlets out of cabbage, sweet potato, or raw banana. And cutlets should be steamed. If you flavour it with a nutty chutney, it enhances the taste and nutrition.
Dinner
•Cucumber-tomato soup
•Blend vegetables, seeds, and nuts and drink it without straining
•Baby corn-nuts paste with steak and a toasted salad.
•Remember when you consume food with bigger shelf life, you are also stretching your lifespan.
