This Buzzfeed post on 17 Foods All Americans Miss While Living in Europe made me laugh because I could relate…at least once upon a time. When I first moved to Mumbai, half my suitcase on every trip back from London would be filled with food to tie me over. Fortunately the longer I live in Mumbai, the less reliant I become on foods that aren’t available here. What can I say- I rather fill my luggage space with clothes than food ;). Fortunately Mumbai is becoming increasingly advanced in terms of foods. I’m still shocked to see Lindt available in most supermarkets and filled with delight at the sight of Natural Skippy jars. However imported products here are either stale, overpriced or in worst case, a combination of the two.
Given the range of healthy products available in the West, I used to say it’s easier to eat a healthy diet there (i.e. in the US or England). I actually now think that the opposite holds true. Sure I’d love to be able to walk to the supermarket here and instantly stock up on my favorite brand of almond butter (Meridian). It would be awesome if getting my salmon fix didn’t mean eating frozen fish. Snacking on-the go would be slightly easier if bars like KIND or Larabars were readily available. If only berry season in Mumbai included blueberries!
Because all these “healthy” processed foods aren’t readily available here, a majority of our diet in Mumbai is filled with food that’s whole, real, fresh, additive-free & locally-sourced …and really, isn’t that the essence of a healthy diet? Rather than fret over all that’s not available, I’ve learned to adapt by embracing foods that are including:
- A variety of flours, including several that are naturally gluten-free (corn, chickpea, lentil, rice, millet, sorghum)
- Fresh coconut cream & coconut water
- Abundance of fruits including apples, oranges, bananas, pineapple, pomegranate, papaya, mangoes, pears, watermelon, sapodilla (chikoo), figs (anjeer), grapes, custard apples (sitaphal)
- More nuts & seeds than I can imagine…including flax & chia seeds which cost one-tenth of the price
- Market-fresh seafood
- Cold-pressed oils
Fortunately some supermarkets have started to occasionally stock almond milk, but it’s not the end of the world when that’s no longer an option. I can easily make a batch up my own without any added preservatives or sweeteners (recipe here) . My point is that it is awesome that manufacturers in the West increasingly create products that are both convenient and nutritious to some extent. It sure makes eating healthy that much easier for us consumers. However these products merely enhance a healthy diet, not form the basis of one. Regardless of location, the easiest way to make healthy eating work is by going back to the basics. In other words, by choosing REAL foods that are locally available…and sometimes that will mean taking extra time & effort to scope out the options.
What’s are some healthy foods available in your town?
Khushboo, yesterday a coworker of mine was telling me about the fresh fish she and her family brought home from their Florida vacation -about how her son caught these huge king fish and the guys on the boat cleaned, scaled and cut it into fillets and it was the freshest she had eaten in awhile, she went onto say that a large portion of the fish in big name grocery stores in the US have been previously frozen – so, our fish over here and your fish in Mumbai have something in common 😉
I remember growing up in Sri Lanka and in Abu Dhabi with an abundance of fresh coconut water from those green coconuts – I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a packaged coconut water that tasted as good as the real thing!
We do have an abundance of fresh peaches though and my daughter and i like poaching them with cinnamon and then topping them with fro yo …mmm mmm mmm so good!
I would LOVE to try an ATL peach one day- I bet they are juicy as anything!!
So true- Niki complained when she returned from Iran about how there wasn’t this or that at then embraced all the fresh produce and the tomatoes and cucumbers which could be eaten like candy.
Mmm I wouldn’t mind cucumbers from Iran!!
Oh yes!!
Living in Switzerland means a lot of food envy when I read American blogs. But it’s funny, like you say, I used to order tons of stuff from Vitacost until I realized that I can either live without it, or make my own.
We have tigernutbutter here. It’s superhealthy and sooo delicious – I doubt one can get it in the US .
For what it’s worth, I have a lot of Swiss envy…especially in terms of chocolate 🙂
Love this! I actually find when i travel abroad (Europe mainly) i really don’t miss much food from the US because all the food there is so FRESH and amazing. in fact, what i miss most about france are the apricots. apricots here are so-so (i eat them all summer long anyways) but i really miss them fresh off the tree. the yogurt is better there also in my opinion. but yes, the moral- eat local 🙂
It’s funny you mention yogurt & France- I was blown away by the yogurt section in French supermarkets…SO much variety!
thats very true.
Yes yes yes! You know I totally agree with this.
The local berries and tomatoes here in the summers are simply awesome. Oh, and the corn. As long as I’ve got local fruits and veggies, I’m a happy girl. Processed healthy foods are just the extras!
LOVE summer produce…hope you’re lapping it up for the both of us :)! Another place that you must check out in London is the Partridges Market- I blogged about it here: http://kthadani.com/2012/12/17/deck-the-stalls/
Totally agree! Sounds like there is lots of yummy locally available fresh produce! That is way better than processed stuff, even if the processed stuff tastes delicious!
We really are spoiled for choice when it comes to fresh food here 🙂
Haha love that G&B stash! I haven’t lived anywhere else for any long period, but I love what you said about going back to basics – there’s no excuse for not having amazing food when you use that as your rule of thumb!
I’m normally a Lindt girl but lately, G & B has been my number 1!
I would tend to think the food would indeed be healthier in Mumbai. When I first moved to London, I was shocked by how much junk food is in the stores here – you can’t escape it!
Seriously- I can only imagine what it’s like in the US!!
Mango chia pudding is the best! I bet the mangoes are unreal there.
Let’s just say, you haven’t tasted a mango till you’ve been to India!!
I don’t know what sapodilla is but I want to try it!! Yum! I can never get enough fruit 🙂
It’s a super sweet tropical fruit- it’s not my favorite but I am seem to be in the minority 😉
I can relate to SO many things on that list, but the tiny coffee cups made me laugh big time. I spend a lot of time in Europe since that’s where all of my family is, and I couldn’t believe how hard it was to get a decent sized cup of coffee over there… And to make matters even worse, the half-sized portions are like twice the price. Crazy sauce. And good cereals… holy moly. Sometimes I gripe about the fact that Canada doesn’t have a lot of the foods available in the States, but it could always be worse…
Hahah I’m so with you about the coffee in Europe- as delicious as the coffee tasted in Paris, I wish it lasted more than 2 sips!!
Fun article to read! Fortunately the only thing on that list I would really miss is PB. I think I could survive otherwise (plus, I find processed European brands of chocolates and candy to be much more appealing than American kinds!).
My life changed when I realised how easy it is to make nut butter at home 🙂
Ummm I need to move to Mumbai!! This is ALL I eat, and I would be in heaven.
Indeed you really do need to move here :)!!
I actually think this most defines my current diet of choice: eating as many fresh, local and whole foods as possible. As great as healthy convenience foods can be, they are also processed and many times expensive so I try to make due with whole seasonal foods on hand. It works really well for me, and since I rarely eat the convenience foods, I don’t miss them when I travel. Win-win. 🙂
The beauty is that the more you embrace REAL food, the worse convenience foods start to taste- at least that has been the case for me 🙂
I haven’t commented in a while…just finished catching up on older posts. I am heading to London this week, sorry we missed each other again! But it’s always great to see your London recs and now Paris recs too.
I don’t miss anything about the US when I’m traveling. Everything is so much fresher outside of this country, at least in Europe / UK. And I could eat food from M & S every single day.
Great to hear from you Ameena- hope you are well! Wish our trips to London would coincide..please be sure to eat some M & S on my behalf :)!
Hi,
I have read a lot about Chia seeds. Are they the same as what we call in Hindi , Sabja?
Yup!