Advancing technology and new styles of food have brought new illnesses with them. Yet our regional dishes kept us strong and even stopped us from gaining weight. The pulses that once never left our tables — foods that belong to the immunity-boosting group — have been replaced by pizzas, hamburgers and chips. In those same regional dishes, eating foods with probiotic properties gave the immune system great strength. Whether it is the freshness of the vegetables used, the fact that they were in season, or the spices — whatever you put it down to, it is because these dishes were cooked in a healthy way that they protected us against many illnesses for centuries, built resistance to viruses and kept our bodies strong. Once fewer people in our families cooked these dishes, and they were no longer passed on to new generations, we grew used to fast-food culture and started spending our days on snacks in shopping centres — and that is when we stopped eating well. Let us get to know these dishes again.
