South Indian diet more gut friendly, says study

Traditional South Indian recipes are better suited for gut health, the study which included 1455 participants suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease, indicated

Hyderabad: The South Indian diet is more gut friendly and has the potential to help patients struggling with gut-related diseases, to lead a quality life, a preliminary analysis of a pan-India study, taken-up by researchers at Hyderabad-based Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG), said.

Traditional South Indian recipes are better suited for gut health, the study which included 1455 participants suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), indicated.

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“Preliminary analysis does indicate that some South-Indian traditional recipes are better suited for the gut and therefore we launched the Gut-friendly recipe booklet featuring these modified South-Indian recipes,” said senior gastroenterologist from AIG Hospitals, Dr. Rupa Banerjee.

Majority of patients who were in remission or their disease (IBD) severity was getting reduced were found to be from South India while those struggling with active IBD disease were from other parts including a large section from Eastern parts of the country.

Researchers indicated that East-Indian food preparations tend to have refined carbohydrate and no-fiber while South Indian food utilizes lot of fermented batter and they are usually rich in fiber. “South Indian diet may be better for the gut. But, we need more elaborate studies and research to prove it,” they said.

Patients who have active IBD disease should not have processed food at any cost and should stick to customized diet. Former Director of National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Dr. B Sesikeran said, “even simple wheat flour is a kind of processed food, but the concern is with those highly processed food items like factory made breads, chips, or even processed meat products. The simplest rule to follow is to avoid white colour products, like maida, sugar, salt and choose healthier alternatives such as whole wheat flour, raw cane sugar, etc.”

Founder and Chairman of AIG Hospitals, Dr D Nageshwar Reddy said that 25 years ago, IBD was like a disease of the west. “Now it is increasing at an exponential rate in our country and the predominant reason can be attributed to the change that we have taken in our dietary habits,” he said.

Some slightly modified south-Indian recipes for gut health:

Breakfast: Masala Idli, Oats and beetroot Dosa, Tomato Upma.
Main Course: Vegetable Bisi Bella Bhath, Coriander and Mint Rice, Veg Oats Haleem, Millet Upma, Vegetable flavoured rice
Side Dishes: Mixed veg dal, bottle gourd (Anapakaya) and tomato curry, vegetable chutney, egg curry, chicken kofta curry.
Desserts: Vegan carrot kheer/ Payasam and Pumpkin Paniyaram