“Our formula for Health is Happiness”, says Ruma Neogy. But does rest of the Neogy family agree? Let us find out.

The Neogy residence is the second stop in my quest for finding and sharing about households that follow traditional ways to attain and maintain health. The reason for my being here was the constant stream of pictures of delicious traditional food on Ruma’s Facebook page, which had ignited my interest. I not only wanted to learn about her philosophy on food and health, but was also curious to know what 'mantra' she followed, to ensure optimum health for herself and her family.

The doorbell is answered by Ruma’s older son, who keeps me company until Ruma joins me. Ruma and her husband, Chitro Neogy, are both engineers, and came for graduate studies to the University of Cincinnati. This is where they first met, leading to a relationship that culminated in marriage. And this is where Ruma first learned to cook. This may come as a surprise to many who know Ruma but she had never cooked before marriage. It is only during her student life that she began cooking.  Because of the study and research assistantship work load, she decided to grocery shop in bulk and cook for a week. She also did it because according to her she was always aware of the values and virtues of home cooked food, having eaten that way all her life from childhood. Her mentor in cooking was a faculty’s wife, who was from Kolkatta. This helped because Bangladesh, where Ruma is from, and Kolkatta, share similar food and eating practices. She calls her even today to ask for new recipes or if she is encountering difficulty in a particular preparation.

Ruma walks in and greets me with her usual smiling face. We sit down on a comfortable sofa to start our conversation. My first question: What defines health for you? “Happiness,” comes the prompt reply. “Health is related to mind. It is very important to live in a stress-free atmosphere in order to remain healthy”. I found myself nodding in eager agreement, thrilled to find such an emphatic understanding of relationship between the mind and body, in a non-medical household.

That is great Ruma! What do you and other family members do in terms of physical activity for maintaining health? “Yoga, walks and gym”, said Ruma. Her two sons do gym in school and husband wife go to a professional gym nearby.  They do yoga and walks beside gym. In summer, gym is replaced by swimming and gardening. The Neogys own a swimming pool and everyone loves swimming. Although no one meditates per se, but the underlying philosophy of contentment and happiness is palpable in the house, and more than compensates for absence of meditation. I congratulate Ruma and Chitro for being good role models for their kids. The best and most effective way to teach our kids anything is to do it ourselves and set the right example.
 
Finally we are on the topic of food! What do you think about the role of diet in health? “We take our home cooked food very seriously.  Every day we have dinner together and my home cooked dinner menu always contains four traditional dishes - daal, chicken/fish, sauted/steamed vegetable and chopped salad." says Ruma. “We never get soda, chips or ice creams in the house, except maybe for a party. We don’t use any canned or processed products in our house. Desserts are limited, but one thing that is our staple is white or brown rice”. We get into a little discussion about white vs brown. Ruma admits that it was challenging to get the men to eat brown instead of white rice when she first decided to have brown rice on a regular basis but now the men have gotten into the habit of taking brown rice regularly. Ruma then tells me all about the various herbs, spices and traditional vegetables that she grew up with – drumstick flowers and leaves dish, pumpkin flower fritters, fresh new mango leaves raw with rice…the list goes on as I listen in wonderment. I personally know that she makes an effort to find elusive ingredients and make all these traditional dishes even here in US. She tells me that she has used every vegetable and greens available in American groceries to cook dishes in Indian style. She even has her own kitchen garden. She shares with me that her paternal grandfather was an Ayurvedic doctor. So she was exposed to a traditional Ayurvedic lifestyle in her childhood, as her own mother imbibed these traditions from her father-in-law. Ruma has continued that chain and uses traditional home remedies and preventative practices in her household. Ruma's story is an example how traditional practices can be carried down generations and integrated in day to day lifestyle for a healthy and preventative way of life.

It does not come as a surprise when Ruma says that fortunately, there have been very few major illnesses in the family so far, and even the need for antibiotics had been minimal while raising her kids. Her philosophy has been not to rush to the doctor when someone falls sick. While taking care of Chitro's father, Ruma found that often times, taking a sick patient to the doctor makes him even more tired, nervous and ill. Rather Ruma follows some simple traditional basics which she grew up with to evaluate whether the situation warrants medical attention, or can be treated through rest and home remedies.
 
The interview done, I am led to the dinner table where at least 10 dishes are laid out. I am excited to get the opportunity to sample Ruma’s cooking. As we are sitting down to eat, Chitro helps his father to the table. I watch in admiration the love and bonding that is evident in the family. I can see proof and endorsement for Ruma’s formula for health – love, happiness and fresh, healthy food! The Neogy household is indeed treading the path of health in traditions, and in the process enjoying preventive health and wellness for their entire family.

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