If we are becoming prone to an increasing number of ailments, it might be because we are sidelining what is natural food for us and are submitting ourselves to our taste buds.

If there is one issue on which the whole world may hold a cosmopolitan view, it is food! So, we gobble Chinese, Thai, Italian, Mexican and Continental cuisine in India. And, south Indian and north Indian delicacies and sweetmeats are savoured all over the world. However, we do not stop to ponder on how these food intakes affect our health. Whatever is exotic is foreign. And, our bodies may not respond well to food that might contain some foreign elements.

Today Indians in metropolitan cities, particularly those who work in offices, prefer pizzas, burgers and hot dogs because they are much easier to handle than rice and rotis with their accompanying curries. The continental dishes can be munched while you are working but you have to set apart some time to eat Indian dishes. Sometimes convenience scores over suitability.

Just because we patronize these exotic foods or fast foods or junk foods as we call them, it does not mean that these foods are best suited to satisfy our appetite and support our constitution. People are made different according to the geographical area and the climatic conditions of the place where they are born. Migration has scuttled many food habits that were more natural to human beings inhabiting different parts of the world.

Hill folks are slimmer and shorter as compared to plainspeople. That is because they would be ungainly on hills if they were taller and stockier like plainspeople and it would be difficult for them to maintain their centre of gravity while climbing hills. People in the Antartic region weather a different kind of climate as compared to people who live in other parts of the world.

That is why nature has provided different kinds of vegetation in different parts of the world. The vegetation of an area decides the staple food and medicines for a particulars area.

When we import vegetables or fruits from other countries; or, eat food that is meant to be eaten in other countries, we force down our throats food that is not readily acceptable to our stomach. The food that is the natural diet for our body grows naturally in the area where we are born. Be it rice, wheat, cereals, spices or medicinal plants, the local vegetation is sufficient to feed the local needs.

When we set aside food that is the natural diet for us and become a slave of our taste buds or feed our urge to taste exotic foods, we cause damage to our stomach and our system. That is why many Indians long to visit the toilet when they suffer from constipation after enjoying continental dishes because they are low on fibrous content. Similarly, many Westerners fail to control their frequent urge to visit to the toilet after eating spicy foods from India!

The point is: Man may be the most evolved creature on earth. And, he might try to consume whatever catches and holds his fancy. But, all said and done, nature knows best!