Health Tips from Bangladesh
"এটি একটি যাত্রা হতে যাচ্ছে, এটির আকৃতি পেতে স্প্রিন্ট সহজ নয়।"
«It’s going to be a journey. It’s not a simple sprint to get in shape.»
1
Karak tea - Glory & Kindness
In the Bengali culture, tea is not only a beverage but also an emotion for people who can not survive a single day without it. From the morning sip to evening, without tea not a single day is complete in a typical Bengali family. Chai helps people to reduce their daily stress and feel relief, and people often give each other tea to show their kindness. Karak Chai is national favorite that is made with black tea, cardamom, cinamon, cloves and condenced milk. The health benefits are many, like:
Reduce the risk of diabetes due to its components that stimulate the secretion of insulin, so we can get better control of blood sugar levels.
Reduce bloating by preventing air or water from moving into the stomach.
Resist the growth of cancer cells due to the antioxidants contained in Karak tea, such as cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon.
Strengthen the immune system by containing cinnamon and cloves, as Karak tea works to create a defense system for the body so that it does not become infected with diseases.
Treat colds and flu due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties, and it can help a person feel an immediate improvement after consuming a drink.
Boost energy due to the caffeine presented in black tea, so having it early in the morning is one of the habits that help you start your day with great energy.
Cinnamon and the herbs added to Karak tea help to clean the body from the inside and rid it of toxins.
2
Early to bed and early to rise, make a man healthy and wise
Routines can be fun and don’t need to be boring. Their health benefits will make you wonder why you didn’t start one earlier. Some ways a routine can help include:
Better stress levels lead to improved mental health, more time to relax and less anxiety. It will also reduce the risk for heart disease and negatively impact your overall health.
Better sleep will leave you refreshed. Your daily routine influences your quality of rest. Your bedtime habits affect your mental sharpness, performance, emotional well-being and energy level. It’s best if you can maintain a consistent time for waking and going to bed.
3
Bhat ghum (Rice sleep) - For greater alertness
A Bhat Gum (Rice Sleep) has health benefits. In Ayurveda it’s known as Vaamkukshi and is recommended to those who suffer from chronic constipation, indigestion and arthritis. But it mustn’t exceed 30 minutes. A brief nap may provide greater alertness for several hours, and can improve attention, concentration, accuracy, creativity and productivity.
4
Family & Friends & Community - For the greater good
The family is very important to people in Bangladesh, forming the basis of individuals’ support networks and because of all the love and support it provides. The general approach to family ties is communal, and people often act in the best interests of the community rather than based on their individual preferences. Being with family helps construct principles and improves overall mental health. Spending time with family may help reduce stress and anxiety, lead to a healthier lifestyle and lengthen a person’s life.
5
Celebrating traditions - 12 months & 13 festivals
The Bengali calendar is packed with celebrations for life, and every month, families gather to pass on rituals from one generation to the next. The quality of holding onto traditions, festivals, and rituals have a bigger impact than delicious food alone. These relationships foster happiness, gracefulness, reduce stress, improve mental health, as well as making people feel less pain. Traditions have been an important component of Bengali societies since the dawn of time. They fulfill five key criteria for achieving the “Five B's,” our senses of Being, Belonging, Believing, Benevolence, and not at least, to be a real Bangladeshi.
Bengalis associate too much of their foods with festivals and a popular saying goes that Bengalis has 13 festivals in 12 months. Hence, all the year round, something to do with food is always in air. All the major Bengali festivals (household) are held in the dalan, which serves as informal gathering, place for the family and old friends. The flooring of the dalan is quite artistically painted or alpana draw, incredibly with flowers, fruits, leaves and couch shells drawn with a rag dipped in rice flour butter.
6
Eating protein and spices for better health
All Bengali cuisine is full of protein (especially different pulses and fishes) and huge roughage. In ancient era, every spices used in Bengali's kitchen has its own medicinal value. The commonly cultivated spices in Bangladesh are ginger, garlic, turmeric, onion, red pepper, coriander, Indian cassia, peppermint, etc. The young coriander plant is commonly used as a flavouring or a savoury for vegetable and fish curry preparations.
Ginger helps speed up the digestion process and empty your stomach more quickly. Someone with digestive issues, such as indigestion, ulcers, constipation, and IBS, might find relief by adding it into their regular diet.
Garlic offers an immune system boost to help prevent colds and the flu virus.
Turmeric have many scientifically proven health benefits, such as the potential to improve heart health and prevent against Alzheimer’s and cancer. It’s a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis.
Coriander may help to lower your blood sugar, fight infections, and promote heart, brain, skin, and digestive health.
Peppermint is a hybrid plant that has been shown to help with skin conditions, headaches, cold and flu, nausea, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
7
Eating nutricious food to keep a healthy body
What’s the benefit of the Bangla diet? Are there any health benefits? Most people think eating healthy is restricted to certain food items like green vegetables and fruits alone. It is only partly true, but the way Bengalis also eat matters just as much as the food consumed. For instance, the Bangla diet combines several healthy Bangla foods that offer numerous benefits for our bodies. The Bangla diet usually consists of rice, fish, vegetables, lentils, and spices. This combination might seem strange to some, but it’s very effective in promoting good health.
8
Pandal Hopping - Walking for body, festivals and mind
Durga Puja – the 10-day, post-monsoon festival devoted to the worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It revolves around lavishly decorated shrines known as ‘pandals’, which hold clay and bamboo effigies of the multi-limbed goddess draped in brocaded silk. Wearing their best new clothes, Bengalis wander from shrine to shrine during the festival, comparing the displays of fairy lights and decorations – a tradition known as ‘pandal hopping’.
Walking is a great way to improve or maintain the overall health. Just 30 minutes of walk can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance. It can also reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. Ideally done evey day; hence all the festivals are promoting more walk.
9
Herbal medicine - From one generation to the next
Thousands of plant species, found in various ecological situations, are used in folk medicine by the rural and ethnic communities of Bangladesh, many of which are not even literate but have gained knowledge about the effective plant-based formulations of medicine from their ancestors.
10
Types of food & The sequence of healthy eating
Bengali dishes are divided into four types, such as;
- charbya (food which is to be chewed, like rice, fish, etc.),
- choṣhya (food which is to be sucked, liquids like ambal, tak etc.)
- lehya (food which is to be licked, like chatni) and
- peya (drinks, like milk)
Even the sequence of eating foods is also prescribed in the sacred texts of Bengal. Boiled rice and ghee should be consumed first, followed by spinach and rest of the vegetables, and the meal should end with milk with boiled rice.
Nugget: Bangladesh has the nickname ‘The Land of Six Seasons’ for good reason. The country really does have six seasons: Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, Late Autumn, Winter and Spring. Each season has distinctive characteristics and the Bengali calendar marks each with a festival. The summer is hot and sunny, while winter is foggy with shorter days. Unsurprisingly, the rainy season is… rainy. Spring, also known as King, is a crowdpleaser. The flowers are at their fullest and smell their sweetest.
