Celebrity Nutritionist Rujuta Tells The Importance Of Wild Foods In Our Diet

How many times do we actually pay attention to where our food is coming from? Do we ever pay heed to the farming or irrigation that goes behind the fruits and vegetables we eat? It is probably never. Raising concern about this is celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, who recently shared a video on Facebook to talk about wild and uncultivated fruits and why it is important to include them in your diet. Wild and uncultivated fruits are very different from their cultivated or farmed counterparts. For instance, a wild blueberry is going to be smaller in size and will have a more intense and probably complex flavour than the once you buy from the supermarket. In a similar comparison, wild salmon will be leaner than the farmed salmon. Wild salmon will have half of total fat and fewer calories than farmed salmon.
 

In the video, Rujuta talks about "dhaamna" fruit which cannot be grown. She says that fruits which are most rich in nutrients are those which grow in the wild, and come in the category of wild and uncultivated fruits. Wild and uncultivated fruits contain around 1 lakh bioactive compounds which are good for human health.

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These are the fruits which we do not eat, mostly. Giving a few reasons why people do not eat wild and uncultivated fruits, Rujuta mentions that it probably because of their low access. Another important and relevant reason for not eating wild and uncultivated fruits is the fact that we never think about where our food is coming from. If we spend time on thinking on where the food we eat is grown and cultivated, it will helps us think about food from the angle of health, economy and ecology.
 

This, according to Rujuta, will make us say no to projects which require forests to be cut down, or developments which come at the cost of ecology. Because, continuing to let go of our ecology means that we no longer will have access to bioactive compounds like the one in dhaamna.

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This fruit comes for exactly one month. It is not easily spotted by anyone and everyone because finding it is indigenous wisdom. She says that local people can make out by looking at the tree and how far from the tree will such fruits be growing.

The tribal communities like the Sonave community travel to the mountains in search of such fruits and try to make a sale among the urban population. Thus, keeping your ecology in place can help in bringing some benefits to the economy as well.
 

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Thus, truly wild foods are grown in a sustainable manner and are affected by the environment in which they grow. They tend to be more genetically diverse and thus can introduce us to a lot of different varieties of fruits. They are healthy for the body nutritionally and help us in reconnecting with where and how the food is grown, under which conditions.

In one of our previous articles, we spoke about how mindful eating is the practice of eating in full consciousness, by focusing on paying all your attention to food and nothing else. Thinking about the natural life cycles of the meal that you are eating can help you be more mindful while eating. It may help you slow down, chew your food properly and savour the dish in a more efficient manner. Eating mindful helps you achieve overall well-being and good health. 

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.