You are what you eat

A RENOWNED expert on authentic Thai cuisine and a committed vegetarian, Nidda Hongwiwat looks considerably younger than her 67 years. She is strong, full of energy and spends time every morning doing 1,000 bounces on her personal trampoline. Not bad for a sexagenarian.

So it’s really no surprise to see Nidda taking full charge of the latest – and larger – branch of her Sangdad Health Mart, which sells organic and chemical-free foods, fresh produce and freshly cooked vegetarian dishes.

Nidda, who founded cookbook publisher Sangdad and the food magazine Krua, is known for her opposition to mainstream medicine and her belief in the naturopathic approach, which seeks to prevent illness through stress reduction and changes to diet and lifestyle. 

“I’m going to withdraw from my other projects and put all my effort into operating Sangdad Health Mart,” she tells the Sunday Nation.

“This is the last phase in my career so I want to make the most of it by doing good for both buyers and sellers as well as body and mind,” says the author of several books on Thai and vegetarian foods.

Rejecting mass-produced items in favour of local artisanal produce grown organically with no chemicals, Nidda buys her organic rice from the farmers of Baan Lad Charoen in Ubon Ratchathani, free-range eggs from Saraburi, organic coconuts from Samut Prakarn and garlic from Mae Hong Son. 

“The World Health Organisation recently reported that stroke, heart, lung and liver diseases are the leading killers in the world and indeed have resulted in 50 million deaths a year over the past decade. These diseases are caused by an unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity and the statistics inspired me to set up this health mart. I work with several organic agricultural cooperatives, including one in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Wang Nam Khiew district and sell their products here,” adds Nidda, who worked for Mother and Child, Muang Boran and Sarakadee publications before setting up Sangdad in 1985.

The first branch of Sangdad Health Mart opened four months ago next to her office in the Town-in-Town area off Lat Phrao. Her new outlet on Ekamai-Ram Indra Road, which was launched last month, is about double the size, allowing for a far larger stock of healthy products and a vegetarian restaurant called Dee Jing, meaning “so good”.

Here you will find almost everything you need for a healthy diet. The organic, chemical-free products range from rice, garlic, curry paste, nuts, soy sauce, palm sugar, vinegar, nuts, sea salt to fresh vegetables, body lotion, soap, shampoo and indigo-dyed apparel.

Nidda also has her own brand, named Dee Jing like the restaurant, which offers alkaline water, which is less acidic than regular tap water and rich in alkalising compounds said to help the body metabolise nutrients and expel toxins, along with fresh juices, Himalayan salts and fleur de sel.

But despite all her talk about healthy food and a balanced lifestyle, Nidda is quick to admit that she abused her body when she was younger. 

“I used to work very long hours and didn’t bother taking care of my health,” she says with a grimace. “I would snack on processed foods at my desk and I rarely took any exercise. That finally caught up with me in 2002, when I was diagnosed with arrhythmia. The doctor told me I had a choice. I could either take medication my whole life or be fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

“The cause of my disease, I realised after reading dharma books, were my eating habits and lifestyle. I began to exercise, meditate, drink more water, eat raw food and dietary fibre, and spend 30 minutes a day in the sun, as sunlight penetrates deep into the skin and helps the blood vessels dilate, thus decreasing blood pressure. The changes to my lifestyle resolved my heath problem and I have eaten a vegetarian diet ever since,” she says.

Her husband has also benefitted.

“My husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004 and I advised him to follow the naturopathic approach. He stopped drinking tea and coffee, sugar and meat and committed to raw food. He also spent 30 minutes in the sun every day and 

 tried to avoid stress. In just one month he lost 10 kilograms, his psoriasis faded and today he is cancer free.”

Nidda brings the natural approach into all aspects of her life. Her bedroom has no air-conditioner but relies on natural ventilation. 

 She starts her day by drinking water, then meditates and does some yoga before bouncing on the trampoline to increase oxygen in her blood vessels. Fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables and dietary fibre such as whole grains and raw nuts make up breakfast and dinner and lunch is a vegetarian dish.

Her restaurant is proof that there is nothing boring about vegetarian cuisine. The food has gone through as little refinement as possible and is free from additives or other artificial substances. Nidda grows her own bean sprouts, which are used in her woonsen pad tai or stir-fried glass noodles with organic tofu and free-range egg seasoned with organic cane or palm sugar. Her rad na (noodles in gravy) topped with assorted vegetables and mushrooms has plenty of flavour. 

“I add chemical-free tofu skins to my pad krapow (stir-fried dish spiced with basil and chilli) and guay jub (rolled noodles in brown broth) because the tofu skin is higher in proteins than tofu itself. I use a variety of magnesium-rich vegetables as the base for guay jub, Jew’s ear mushrooms are also used in many dishes as they are high in iron and that helps reduce blood pressure.”

Nidda also recommends eating an egg a day, adding that despite publicity to the contrary, this doesn’t raise cholesterol to harmful levels. She offers an onsen egg that is slowly cooked with rock salt water at 75-degree Celsius for 20-30 minutes to keep in the nutrients. The white is soft and silky and the yolk comes out firm, but retains the colour and creamy texture of an uncooked yolk.

Coconut water is a drink that should be enjoyed every day too, as it is high in essential electrolytes, helps reduce blood pressure and facilitates digestion.

Packed with protein, fibre and essential fats, Nidda sources the peanuts grown in Mae Hong Son known as lai sua for their soft skin with a tiger-like pattern. She’s developed a sandwich spread and chilli paste made from organic fermented soy bean that is rich in amino acids which help regulate the metabolic processes in our body.

“Consuming a healthy diet throughout life helps prevent malnutrition and disease. Sadly, though, the increased production of processed food, rapid urbanisation and changing lifestyles have led to a shift in dietary patterns. People are now consuming more foods that are high in fats, sugars and sodium, and many do not eat enough fruit, vegetables and dietary fibre.

“I just hope that my stores will encourage people to take a look at their lives and eat more healthily,” she says.

 

FRESH FROM THE FARM

Sangdad Health Mart is on Ekamai-Ram Intra Road and open daily from 10am to 8pm. 

Dee Jing vegetarian restaurant serves vegetarian dishes from 11.30am to 6.30pm.

Talks on healthy living are held on two Saturdays a month and can accommodate up to 50 people. 

Check out at “SangdadHealthMart” page on Facebook or call (02) 530 5290-1. 

Organic, chemical-free produce can also be found at the weekly farmer’s markets at K Village mall on Sukhumvit Soi 26, Root Garden in Thonglor, and Park Venture on Ploenchit.