Article on 'Gopalkala' by
Gandhali Gode on the occasion of 'Janmasthami'
Consulting Nutritionist and Dietician, Pallavi's Spices
Janmashthami-
Shravan Maas (Month) is considered the holiest month of the year as it comes with various auspicious religious and colorful festivals. “Janmashthami”, the birth celebrations of ‘Lord Krishna’ is one of the widely celebrated festival across many parts of the country. Devotees are served ‘Gopalkala’ which is a famous & favorite dish in all the age groups. It will be interesting to know the importance of this ‘Prasad’ to the devotees from a more scientific point of view as was intended by our ancestors.
The main ingredients for Gopalkala are: Milk, Curd/ Dahi, Pohe, Jowarlahi, Ginger and salt to taste. Some prefer to add cucumber and green chilly too to make it more tasty.
Milk: is a good source of Protein and Calcium Fat. Milk
is the first staple food immediately after our birth. It is an
essential component of a diet for all the age groups as our body
structure is mainly based on calcium and protein. Proteins are known as
building blocks of our body and required for its growth &
maintenance. They provide energy as well. Calcium is also necessary for
formation of teeth & bone, helps in blood clotting, contraction of
heart muscles & acts as a transmitter of nerve impulses.
However, gradually milk consumption decreases due to changes in food habits, and many other factors. It is highly recommended to have at least one glass of milk every day. In case of pregnancy, lactation period deficiency, intake should be increased accordingly. But in certain disease conditions like, kidney disease (low protein diet, fluid restriction is important), lever diseases (hepatic coma, cirrhosis), heart disease (low fat diet), peptic ulcer, diarrhea, lactose intolerance milk should strictly be avoided.
Curd: Curd is a good source of Protein. During curd formation the lactose of milk is converted into lactic acid and helpful for the people suffering from lactose intolerance. Curd is reported to have better nutritive value than milk. Though there is no increase in the fat or protein content of milk during fermentation, the digestibility of curd is more than that of milk. The calcium and phosphorous contents of curd are more easily assimilated. Curd contains more vitamins than milk. Not for people who suffer from kidney disease, cough cold, liver disease, etc.
According to the “Ayurveda”, Curd is considered as cold food. (Sheet Annapadarth) which narrows the arteries which results in improper supply of blood to the heart. Therefore Ayurvedik practitioners will never advise people to consume curd.
Poha/ Rice flakes: Rice flakes is a main source of Iron which is important for regulation of Hemoglobin and also acts as a carrier of the oxygen & carbon di oxide. They help in blood formation and also play a role as anti- infective agent. As Iron requires acidic medium for absorption, eating rice flakes with curd is useful.
Jowar lahi- Jowar is a healthy cereal which contains Carbohydrates, Proteins and Calcium B and complex vitamins. Comparatively it has low glycemic index than rice hence it is useful for diabetic patients too. Jowar lahi is helpful for all age groups and is also useful for weight loss.
Ginger- It acts as an antioxidant; ginger is a good appetizer, also useful in lactation period. It helps to decrease sensation of vomiting. Ginger tea is useful in cough, cold, fever.
More about ‘Gopalkala’:
The legend behind the Gopalkala can be found in Puranic scriptures. Astrologer Kapil Chandrayan says that it dates back to the times when Krishna as a child used to take the cattle for grazing. "Many of his friends would accompany him and all of them carried lunch packets or shidori with them. Krishna used to mix all the food and distribute it among the boys. Hence, kala is a mixture of food with milk, curd, and butter.
On the midnight of Janmashtami, these scrumptious dishes are offered to the Lord to welcome him. It is said that Lord Krishna was born in midnight hence Janmashtami is celebrated in the midnight singing and dancing in praise of Lord Krishna.
Gopalkala is one of those
luscious, salty, delicious mix of puffed rice, curd, milk, sugar and
cucumber and is the highlight of the celebrations. Basically most of the
varieties of sweets are prepared with diary products that include
butter, milk or curd. Besides being delicious to taste, it is appetizing
and stomach filling. It is an excellent recipe for those devotees who
were fasting the whole day.
Addition of few green chilies, and flavored with cumin seeds cucumber gives a soothing, refreshing and cooling effect. Curd is an excellent diary product which provides lot of health benefits as it is a very good source of calcium, phosphorus, riboflavin, vitamin B2 and iodine. Thus we can very well understand here that our ancestors had a scientific approach benefitting everyone, even while deciding on a 'Prasad' for a particular occasion.
(Images used for illustrative purposes only)
Gandhali Gode on the occasion of 'Janmasthami'
Consulting Nutritionist and Dietician, Pallavi's Spices
Janmashthami-
Shravan Maas (Month) is considered the holiest month of the year as it comes with various auspicious religious and colorful festivals. “Janmashthami”, the birth celebrations of ‘Lord Krishna’ is one of the widely celebrated festival across many parts of the country. Devotees are served ‘Gopalkala’ which is a famous & favorite dish in all the age groups. It will be interesting to know the importance of this ‘Prasad’ to the devotees from a more scientific point of view as was intended by our ancestors.
The main ingredients for Gopalkala are: Milk, Curd/ Dahi, Pohe, Jowarlahi, Ginger and salt to taste. Some prefer to add cucumber and green chilly too to make it more tasty.
However, gradually milk consumption decreases due to changes in food habits, and many other factors. It is highly recommended to have at least one glass of milk every day. In case of pregnancy, lactation period deficiency, intake should be increased accordingly. But in certain disease conditions like, kidney disease (low protein diet, fluid restriction is important), lever diseases (hepatic coma, cirrhosis), heart disease (low fat diet), peptic ulcer, diarrhea, lactose intolerance milk should strictly be avoided.
Curd: Curd is a good source of Protein. During curd formation the lactose of milk is converted into lactic acid and helpful for the people suffering from lactose intolerance. Curd is reported to have better nutritive value than milk. Though there is no increase in the fat or protein content of milk during fermentation, the digestibility of curd is more than that of milk. The calcium and phosphorous contents of curd are more easily assimilated. Curd contains more vitamins than milk. Not for people who suffer from kidney disease, cough cold, liver disease, etc.
According to the “Ayurveda”, Curd is considered as cold food. (Sheet Annapadarth) which narrows the arteries which results in improper supply of blood to the heart. Therefore Ayurvedik practitioners will never advise people to consume curd.
Poha/ Rice flakes: Rice flakes is a main source of Iron which is important for regulation of Hemoglobin and also acts as a carrier of the oxygen & carbon di oxide. They help in blood formation and also play a role as anti- infective agent. As Iron requires acidic medium for absorption, eating rice flakes with curd is useful.
Jowar lahi- Jowar is a healthy cereal which contains Carbohydrates, Proteins and Calcium B and complex vitamins. Comparatively it has low glycemic index than rice hence it is useful for diabetic patients too. Jowar lahi is helpful for all age groups and is also useful for weight loss.
Ginger- It acts as an antioxidant; ginger is a good appetizer, also useful in lactation period. It helps to decrease sensation of vomiting. Ginger tea is useful in cough, cold, fever.
More about ‘Gopalkala’:
The legend behind the Gopalkala can be found in Puranic scriptures. Astrologer Kapil Chandrayan says that it dates back to the times when Krishna as a child used to take the cattle for grazing. "Many of his friends would accompany him and all of them carried lunch packets or shidori with them. Krishna used to mix all the food and distribute it among the boys. Hence, kala is a mixture of food with milk, curd, and butter.
On the midnight of Janmashtami, these scrumptious dishes are offered to the Lord to welcome him. It is said that Lord Krishna was born in midnight hence Janmashtami is celebrated in the midnight singing and dancing in praise of Lord Krishna.
Addition of few green chilies, and flavored with cumin seeds cucumber gives a soothing, refreshing and cooling effect. Curd is an excellent diary product which provides lot of health benefits as it is a very good source of calcium, phosphorus, riboflavin, vitamin B2 and iodine. Thus we can very well understand here that our ancestors had a scientific approach benefitting everyone, even while deciding on a 'Prasad' for a particular occasion.
(Images used for illustrative purposes only)
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