We keep on trying so many fad diets and lifestyles but forget Mahatma Gandhi’s way of life, which is actually minimalistic, simplistic and goes with the flow and rhythm of nature. If I were to sum it up, all it takes is waking up early with the sunshine, sleeping early and eating frugally. He always went for small, simple vegetarian meals and eating as much as Nature intended man to eat. Eating for him was not about indulgence but a necessary duty to your body, helping it to sustain itself. He always advocated eating regional and seasonal foods, including a lot of fruits, dry fruits, vegetables, herbs, wholesome foods, simple-cooked food that didn’t destroy inherent nutrients and drinking clean water. He promoted the use of cow and goat milk, incorporating pure ghee and jaggery. The Gandhian regime also advocated fasting to give the body a break and detoxify itself. So, he would incorporate a day of fruit juice and liquid diet intermittently. His argument was once your body feels light and fit, you can focus on positive insights and meditation comes easy. It activates the process of autophagy, which helps prevent various ailments. The Gandhian way of life is also about being physically active and walking as much in the open air as possible. Doing rhythmic breathing with the help of pranayama, super light exercises in the evenings and resting between busy schedules, all have a tranquilising effect. Breathing right, sleeping in a clean place under the open sky when possible is also beneficial. The Gandhian way of eating emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, millets, legumes, herbs and condiments. We can adapt his food logic in daily life. 1) Start the day by drinking adequate warm water. It acts as a vasodilator, which means it expands the blood vessels, improving circulation to muscles and organs. 2) Include ginger, herbal and green tea. Ginger is particularly good for heart health as research has shown that it can lower cholesterol by 17 per cent and triglycerides too. 3) Breakfast should be fruit heavy with pomegranates, honey dew melon, musk melon, apple and pear. They are all high in fibre, antioxidants and low in sugar with high satiety value. Remember that natural sugar is also sugar and in a nation of diabetics, we have to be conscious about the food we eat. 4) Have a bowl of salad 20 minutes before lunch. This will add fibre and prevent overeating. 5) For lunch, include dal (moong, masoor, kulith, etc). Include a millet-based roti like bajra, jowar and nachni. Have a good serving of vegetables (bottle gourd, pumpkin, greens like spinach, methi, amaranth, green beans, cauliflower, radish or anything seasonal and regional). If you like rice, go for unpolished rice. Rice alternatives like kodo millet or foxtail millet. Include dahi and chaas with jeera, hing, mint and salt as part of lunch. 6) For your evening routine, include green or ginger- based tea. Have a bowl of sprouts salad or makhana or dry fruit (soaked nuts - almonds/walnuts/black raisins) and seeds (some sunflower, sesame, pumpkin seeds). 7) Dinner should be early and light. Include a vegetable and lentil-based soup like pumpkin, ash gourd, bottle gourd, with moong or masoor and/or moong/sweet potato/yam/sprouts based chilla, tikkis, moong-based khichdi. 8) Just 30 minutes before bed time, have a cup of warm milk spiced with nutmeg/cardamom/ginger / cinnamon based on your body type. 9) Rely on your herb heritage. Using Indian spices and herbs like jeera, ajwain, coriander, turmeric, methi, saunf, ginger, pepper, mint, coriander leaves are beneficial. 10) Hydrate yourself throughout the day. 11) Cook fresh and only as much as you can consume. Choose only regional and seasonal foods. 12) Use one teaspoon of organic cow ghee at least twice a day. 13) The Gandhian diet avoids processed, preserved, packaged and flavoured foods, refined flour, sugar, salt, food high in saturated fats. 14) Following the circadian rhythm and eating around the same times each day is very important. 15) Following the sleep-wake cycle allows digestion to be easy and will benefit with a regular routine. The Gandhian way is about being aligned with Nature. Along with the right foods and nourishment and what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat, longevity is possible. Very few people knew that Gandhiji had set up a nature cure hospital and Seva Gram. He ploughed the fields, nursed lepers with care and love, set up daily discourses on moral values, food, yoga, made people meditate, and took them on the path of naturopathy. He also propagated sahaja yoga or simple yoga routines that can be adapted by everybody. Sunbath, mud/clay bath, water therapy are beneficial as they can help promote good health. (Dr Mehta has trained Bollywood superstars Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta, billionaires, politicians, Miss World/Miss Universe candidates and the Maharashtra Police. A best-selling author, he has been appointed FIT India Movement Champion by the Sports Authority of India.)
