Every few days, a new diet trend goes viral. Keto, intermittent fasting, juice cleanses, carb-cutting, fat-free, sugar detox and many more. People quickly try these plans hoping for fast results, often without taking advice from an expert. But these extreme diets can harm the body in the long term as they can slow metabolism, disturb hormones, weaken immunity and even damage the gut.
Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar strongly warns against this ‘trend-based eating.’ In her audiobook Mitihara on Audible, she reminds people that real wellness comes from steady, sensible eating and not from sudden restrictions. Her approach is simple, “Eat in rhythm with seasons, rely on local foods and follow habits that Indian families have trusted for generations.”
So what should you have to keep your health in check?
Tulsi tea
One of the examples she shares is tulsi tea. In many Indian homes, this is made without thinking of it as a ‘health drink.’ Rujuta explains that tea boiled with ginger and tulsi is naturally good for immunity and is soothing during cough and cold. Tulsi is not just a plant, she says, it has medicinal value. Unlike packaged wellness products, this remedy is safe, familiar and time-tested.
Eat fruits whole: Don’t turn them into juice
Another habit she talks about is eating fruits in their natural form. She says fruits should be eaten whole with fibre and texture. When fruits are turned into juice, the sugar becomes concentrated and the fibre is lost. So she suggests drinking juice only as a rare treat, not as a daily routine.
She also advises eating one fruit at a time. A mixed fruit chaat is okay occasionally at weddings, but it should not replace a proper meal. For best benefit, fruits can be eaten first thing in the morning, between meals, or around workout time.
Stop obsessing over calories
Many people believe that weight gain happens because we are burning fewer calories compared to earlier generations. Rujuta disagrees. She says there is no data from the past to prove that people burned more calories centuries ago. Most of our calorie burn happens through basic body functions like breathing, heart beating and digestion and those have not changed.
According to her, the real reason behind rising obesity is the shift in what people eat, more processed, packaged foods that fill the stomach but give very little nutrition. Eating ‘diet foods’ or ‘low-calorie snacks’ does not solve the problem if they are ultra-processed.
Eat according to the weather
Rujuta advises that one must follow seasonal eating. When temperatures keep changing, the body also gets affected like mood swings, sleep issues, digestive problems and fatigue become common. But the right food at the right time can balance this.
She recommends starting mornings with nuts or dry fruits, followed by a normal homemade breakfast. Lunch should change with the weather, for example, thepla and bhakri feel more suitable as winter approaches, while rice-based meals and hydrating sherbets are more fitting in summer. She says dinner plays a big role during season shifts because good sleep and good digestion depend on it.
Don’t eat ‘superfoods’ without thinking
According to Rujuta, nutrition is not only about what we eat, but also how and when we eat it. Even the best foods can become useless if eaten in the wrong timing, wrong combination or wrong proportion. Many people now add ghee, seeds, protein powder or exotic superfoods out of excitement or greed, thinking more is always better. She warns that this often causes poor digestion and does not give real health benefits.
Rujuta’s health secret
Instead of fancy diet plans or expensive ‘health’ products, Rujuta advises people to go back to the basics like tulsi tea when it’s cold, a handful of nuts in the morning, eat fruits as they are instead of juicing them, have something like thepla or bhakri for lunch, and eat a simple homemade dinner at the right time.