Kornelia Santoro talks to Angela Paljor about the effectiveness of home-cooking and adherence to food logic as the panacea for mental problems
Kornelia Santoro started out as a journalist and went on to become a homemaker and writer. While she struggled to get her first novel published, her knowledge and love for food increased immensely as she developed an alternate stress-buster. This continued till she discovered that she not only loved to eat but preferred to cook what she ate. Cooking suddenly became the tool of self-control and balance in life; she had a say in whatever went inside her mouth and the amount she wanted to consume. Slowly she developed a mathematical equation between her cooking skills, the kind of food she prepared and the state of her mind. And she found her cure to depression and her tendency to wander into many pursuits. A “happy belly for a happy mind” became her mantra.
Author of two cookbooks that have won the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, her latest book Cooking for Happiness builds upon years of scientific research and her own experiences to explore the ways in which food affects the mind. She shares with us her culinary secrets through 100 easy-to-prepare recipes that will both nourish your brain and help you fight those dreaded lows. They will reduce your stress levels, elevate your mood and in the process, make you want to eat more.
Santoro fought anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder when she was young and had to undergo psychotherapy. She shares, “When you are suffering from anorexia nervosa, you are obsessed with food. I started to collect cookbooks at the age of 16, when I was totally in the grip of this mental disease. Rather than eating, I would cook and write about it. But when I went through menopause at the age of 50, I got really depressed and my gynaecologist gave me some anti-depressants. Since I was acquainted with the fact that your intake affects your mood and your body and I loved eating, I decided to use food rather than medicines to fight my depression.”
She spent two years learning about how food influences one’s mood. She read numerous books and scrolled through various websites to understand everything possible. “I learnt that feelings never last as they are just electric impulses which are transmitted through numerous nerve cells. If a person is depressed, that means something is really wrong with his/her brain. Nowadays, scientists feel that depression can be caused because of the wrong levels of neural transmitters which enable the nerve cells to respond. To keep the neural transmitters at a proper level, one needs to eat well. One needs enough minerals, proteins and vitamins,” says Santoro.
The author makes sure that her facts are right. Every time she writes, she sends a copy to her friend who is a neurologist, who affirms the potential of the food she talks about in restoring mental well-being.
Even when she was suffering from anorexia nervosa, she enjoyed food – heavily restricted of course. “When the family sat down to coffee and cake as part of a typical German tradition, I made sure to get the biggest piece of my favourite cake. But instead of eating two or three pieces like the rest of the family, I only ate one – and of course I hardly ate anything for dinner after this indulgence. I believe food is one of the things that our bodies exchange with the world around us – like air. When you take in food, you allow your surroundings to penetrate into your body. This can happen in many ways and the process is different for everybody,” Santoro has us know. Eating behaviour says a lot about a person. “When I notice that I am eating too quickly, I know something is wrong. Once you focus on the food and taste what is in your mouth, your senses open up. I also believe you can judge people by the way they are eating. Picky eaters really choose what they want in their life. I am not a picky eater, but my son is. He has a very strong personality and is able to set limits. I am more happy-go-lucky.”
Talking about the meditative properties of cooking, she shares, “When you are cooking, one has to be very attentive. Otherwise you can cut or even burn yourself. Also, it’s about creativity. One can obviously follow recipes but it’s better to use it as a base or a guideline and be creative. It’s all about trial and error.”
Santoro believes in home-cooking as a great meditative exercise. “You need to cook and eat the right kind of food to achieve both happiness and a healthy balance for your brain. You can only realise this with home-cooking as you will be aware of how much healthy fats and premium ingredients you have consumed. And often a simple meal is the most comforting,” she adds.
The author is very critical about processed food which contains chemicals and unhealthy fats. “I believe that one should avoid packaged food as much as possible, especially chips and inferior chocolate sweets. Blended and refined vegetable oils are bad for the body.”
Santoro emphasises the importance of following a proper eating habit in an age where people are living a fast-paced life. “Earning money is not as important as keeping our mind and body sound. This is one of the reasons that I have incorporated recipes that can be cooked fast and are suitable for people in a hurry.”
Travelling across the world, she has incorporated various cuisines, yet she loves Mediterranean cooking. “I have left Indian cuisine to the people who have excelled at it.” Santoro loves dal makhni and roti, the Hindu way of cooking and native Goan cuisine.