Radhi Devlukia On The Surprising Habits That Are HARMING Your Digestion

Hey everyone, welcome back to On. Purpose, the place you come to to become. happier, healthier, and more healed. I'm. so grateful that you're back here today, and I'm so excited to introduce you to. my guest. This guest has been on the. show more than anyone else. She was the. first guest ever on the show, and she's. the cutest, most beautiful, most. incredible guest we ever have had on the. show. I'm of course speaking about the. one, the only, hardest guest to book of. all time, longest commute to the studio.

of all time, my incredible wife, Radhi. Devlukia. For those of you that don't. know, Radhi is a clinical dietitian, nutritionist, and always learning cook. Radhi brings a modern approach to the. ancient principles of holistic. well-being, and earned her Ayurvedic. Health Counselor 1 degree at the. California College of Ayurveda. Right. now, I couldn't be more excited or more. proud of Radhi because her book, her.

first ever book, is out right now. It's. called Joyful. It has more than. and it's all. about cooking effortlessly, eating. freely, and living radiantly. Obviously, I don't think I've ever wanted you to. get a book more than this one, even more. than my books. This is the most. important book that I want you to get. this year. Please go and grab a copy. We've put the link in the caption, in. the comments, wherever you are right. now. Go and order Joyful. Welcome to the.

show, my amazing wife and the love of my. life, Radhi Devlukia. Thanks. Oh my. gosh, you're so professional doing this. I mean, we've been doing it for a bit. It was better than the first time you. came on like 5 years ago. amazing. Thanks for that intro. I love. you so much. I'm genuinely so proud of. you. Like, looking at this book, and. obviously I've had the inside track of. watching you work on this book for the. last 3 years. The amount of energy, the amount of. effort, the amount of love, the amount.

of devotion that's gone into this book. is amazing and it's so beautiful. And. for those of you that don't know, when. you do get it, you can take off this. part even though it has your face. my face off. take my favorite part off. And look how. beautiful this is. It's a stunning, stunning book. people to be able to have a coffee table. book, but also know that it's my. cookbook. But, um I like the part where. you can just take my face off and leave. it on your table for little surprises. inside. Uh I have so many questions for you. because even though I've seen you work.

on this book, I find that when you get. inside someone's mind and heart, you. understand so much more about what. they've created. And even though I've. watched you from the outside, I don't. always know all the inside. So, I want. to dive straight in and one of the. things I love about this book is the. beautiful pictures you have with your. family, your ba who's your grandma, your. mom, your dad. I'm in it as well, of. course. I got one picture. Uh but.

what I love is that your family have. been such big inspirations for you in. your cooking journey. And I just wanted to go through your. grandma, mom, sister, family, dad, like, you know, just the people in your life. that have inspired you and I wanted to. know what have you learned from each of. them or what have you gained from each. of them in your cooking journey? I would. say that because one both of us grew up. in an Indian family, food is literally. always has been and always will be the. center of everything. Whether it's.

celebrations, whether it's making sure. that we eat dinner every single day. together. And so, I think I've learned. to form connections through eating. because of having grown up with it. That. is my place where I feel like I can. connect to someone the most when we're. sharing, you know, a delicious meal or a. nice dessert together. Um and so, there's that, but also, you. know, both our moms had full-time jobs. growing up, but she still managed to. make break- like homemade breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day. And.

so, watching her do that for us with so. much love, and also eating her food and. feeling her love through the food, I think my deep connection with food. comes purely through that. To have it. have having experienced that from her. My grandma's the same. She passed. everything down to my mom in that way. My mom was cooking with my grandma from. the age of like 12, and she gets her. love for it from her as well. And so, I. definitely think that it feels like. something generational that's been. passed down into me. And my dad, my dad.

is someone who, you know what I mean? He's so quiet. He's so sweet. And. whenever my mom would go away for work. or anything, he would always step in and. be someone who he wouldn't be like, "Let's just order out." He would find. something. He could make mac and cheese. really well. So, my dad's mac and cheese. is in the cookbook. That's like my one. memory of growing up when my mom would. go away, he would make this mac and. cheese, and we'd the one time we'd get. to sit in front of the TV and eat. And we'd eat mac and cheese and sit in. front of the TV. And so, I really I feel. like I mean, which is the same as. everyone, I'm sure. I could not have.

created this book without all of the. inspiration that I've got from them. Like all the recipes are so inspired by. where we're from, like from India, from. our heritage of things that we've grown. up eating. And then my mom and all the. things that I feel like are my comfort. foods when I think about her. And so, actually, a lot of the recipes are. connected to memories and things that I. can I can make and then feel the love. and the energy of the person that I eat. it with or that I cooked it with or that. cooked it for me. It's completely weaved.

and and just created through. family. Like that is what the book is. about, and that is that is what I hope. people feel when they read it. Yeah, no, it comes across, and it's so beautiful. because. you see all of those influences and all. of those energies that come in and one. of the most interesting things about you. is that you obviously trained as a. nutritionist and then a dietitian, both. of your degrees, and then you've become. an Ayurvedic health counselor and. studied Ayurveda as a big part of your.

learning journey and I know you consider. yourself a continuous student and. wanting to develop those skills, but. walk me through how those two things. have impacted your understanding of. food. I started off doing my degree as a. nutritionist and a dietitian. And so. then I was working in hospitals where I. was seeing everything from diabetes. clinics to the elderly who are. malnourished to. the little children, like pediatric. clinics, trying to get little fussy. eaters to eat a little bit more. And so.

I actually loved working in that. environment. I loved being someone who. could be patient facing, seeing them. every week, trying to see their progress. and feeling like I had a direct impact. to them. But the only part I kind of. struggled with was naturally, when. you're part of a system, you have to. recommend what the system recommends. And so that was a bit difficult for me. because I always wanted to. be food-forward versus supplements or. you know, anything in a bottle. But. sometimes that's not, you know, the.

easiest or most efficient way. And so I. definitely loved it, but I felt there. was a slight disconnect. And then when. we moved to New York, I threw myself. back into study and I found Ayurveda. And for anybody who doesn't know what. Ayurveda is, Ayu means life, Veda means. knowledge, and it's basically the. science of life. And. it, as soon as I learned about it, it. clicked. Everything felt like it made. complete sense. And it would it felt. just like when you go to a place and it. feels like home, when I learned about. Ayurveda, I felt like I'd found my home.

in the practices and the rituals and the. understanding of my body. The. differences between the two. were incredible. Like, you know, Western. medicine and Western healing. is all about curative. Like, you get to. the point of disease and then let's. figure out how to cure it. Whereas in. Ayurveda, it's all about how can we. start understanding our body? How can we. start noticing the symptoms, the things. our body's trying to tell us, and how do. we tune into that so that we catch. everything a few steps before disease so.

we can actually have an opportunity to. prevent it. And on top of that, it's so. individual. Like, a lot of the time with. Western medicine, it's one size fits. all. Um and I really appreciate so much. of Western medicine, the diagnostics, like how we're able to figure things out. through so many systems that we have. But, the one thing we kind of lack is. this individual nature of the way you. eat a tomato, which we know you eat a. tomato and I eat a tomato. Whenever I. make a meal, it affects you so. differently to me. And so, I love the.

individual nature of healing our body as. me, like not what this person online is. telling me, not what this book is. telling me, but let me observe and be an. active participant in my health every. single day so that when I eat something, I'm not eating this salad because this. person told me it was the best thing for. their body. I know I'm eating it because. it's the best thing for my body, and I. feel it through the way my body feels, through how my digestion is. Yeah, those. are like a couple of differences that I.

found. And then I just started learning. more and more about this holistic. practice and started practicing it. So, now I know how it feels and I can share. it with other people having practiced. and lived it. I love that point that you. just made about being an active. participant. in how you feel. Yeah. And I didn't start with this, but. I wanted to say it now. Sadly, you had. to give up all those patients and. everyone you worked with to only have. one patient. And that person's been me for the last 8. years that you've been coaching me and. you've been my health coach and my.

health guru. And you have helped me with. so many things, whether it was. really working on my sugar addiction, working on my addiction to soft drinks, fizzy drinks, what do they call them. here? Sodas. Mhm. So many. things I had that I thought I'd figured. out. So I loved meditating and reading. and working on the mind, but I didn't. want to physically work out. I didn't. care about the body and you helped me. understand that. You probably switched. my sleep schedule around. I think when.

we met, I was someone who could sleep a. lot later and now I sleep really, really. early and that was a big part of what. you changed. And all of those have made. me feel healthier and happier every. single year because you've helped me. build these habits. And I just want to. add none of that was done through force, none of that was done through telling me. what to do, but you were always. patiently coaching and guiding me as in. how I showed enthusiasm or what I wanted. to learn. And so what I love about this.

book is that you've taken all of that. and you've now made it accessible to. anyone who wants to change their habits. And that's what's so amazing about this. book. It's not a cookbook in that yes, it does have 125 recipes. and it does have it does have recipes. This is a cookbook, guys. a cookbook. But it really has all of. these day-to-day guides on habits and. how to change your rituals and your. morning routine and your evening routine. and practices with food and without that. improve your life. And so as someone.

who's been a recipient of your coaching. and of your guidance, I'm so excited. that everyone gets to have this now. through Joyful. You've been such a good. student. I feel like I haven't even had. it hasn't really been you being a. student. You've always wanted to make. yourself better in some way and I think. that's the difference, right? Like you. can. we know this from having parents and you. know, having different teachers in our. life that. I've learned best through observing. someone or experiencing how amazing they.

are through the practices that they've. done. And so, when I was writing the book, I. knew I wanted it to come from a place of. love and knowledge because I think that. is the place where people learn the best. and make make sustainable change. It's. like I can tell people that eating a. certain way is terrible for you and. you're going to die early and like. whatever it is that, you know, you could. say to really scare someone into it. But. that just makes them either want to hide. from themselves or it makes them want to. curl up into a ball and kind of be like,

I need to this because this is too much. information and it's overwhelming. And I. do think what you said about, you know, me teaching you, you were an active. participant in your health. And I think. that is actually the key like for me, I've intertwined I said when I first. wrote this cookbook, I was like, I do. not want it to just be a cookbook. I. love sharing food with people. It is my. love language. But what I want more is. food is just one aspect. Like we all. know food is just one pillar of our. health. And then to be able to. intertwine throughout your day all of. these micro these micro habits that.

create such major impact. And that's. what it did for me. Like one of the. things in there is breath work. And I think about this so much and I. just took a deep breath now because. breath has honestly saved me from being. someone who has mass anxiety going into. things that I find so difficult. And by. the way, not even difficult things, things that I find difficult. So going. into events where there's lots of. people, being coming onto interviews and. speaking in places where I don't have. full control over it. Like having all.

those my minor things which actually. impacted me so much, breath work has. been the one thing that's allowed my. mind to slow down, for me to collect my. thoughts, um for me to energize myself. in the afternoon, for me to help relax. me in the evening. And so, I've shared. breath work to like really take people. through their day to to tackle and and. handle everything that comes our way. And so, from breath work to the way that. we eat and the way that we connect to. our food, all of that helps us create.

more joyful moments throughout the day. And the more joyful moments you have. throughout the day, the more joy you end. up with every single day. Like it it. accumulates throughout the day. I want. to dive into some things in the book now. because I want to give people a sense of. how this cookbook is shaped and curated. in order to help people. And I wanted to. start off by asking you this question. about the modes because you break down. the modes is like a big part of your. book. And you talk about the three. Could you walk us through these three.

modes and how we think about food when. it comes to these three? Yeah. So, the. three modes in Ayurveda, essentially, they're the. energies of the world, of everything. that we eat, of everything that exists. externally and internally. And so, there's the mode of goodness, the mode. of passion, and the mode of ignorance. And so, I've spoken about it in the. sense of our lifestyle and our food. That's how I focused it in the book. And. so, mode of goodness, uh are basically foods which make you.

feel good. Like on a basic level, it's. foods that nourish you deeply, that that. nourish your body, that that are filled. with prana. Now, prana is life force, and what that means is. having the most amount of vitality and. energy in that in that produce. And so, a simple way to explain it would be you. pick an apple from the tree. At that. point, that apple has the most amount of. nutrient value. It has the most amount. of life and it's just been taken from. the tree. It has, you know, the most.

it's the most abundant in that form. And. then you take it home and you leave it. out for a couple of days. And you leave. it out, and slowly slowly the quality. externally starts getting bad. You see. these brown spots that come up. And then slowly it starts getting mushy. inside. And so, the thing is you can eat. something in its purest form, or it can. end up degrading and becoming something. which can move through the modes down to. something that's no longer beneficial. for you. But, the point is trying to eat.

the most amount of foods that that form. within this that fall within this mode. of goodness. And so, the types of foods. would be fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, um. you know, like avocados and like just. all the foods that. come from a fresh natural place. And so, if you possibly can, buy organic where. you can. The less chemicals, the less um. things that are put onto your foods that. are unnatural, the better. And then, lifestyle-wise, mode of goodness are.

again the things that don't just make. you feel good in the moment, but. actually bring goodness to your life. long-term. And so, a lot of the time we. mistake our temporary joys for things. which are good for us. And I think it's. learning how to differentiate the two, so you know that for me, when I'm eating. um a sugary donut in the moment, it. brings me joy. And sometimes that's. great, but actually in the long term, it. may ruin my sleep, it may make me. lethargic in the morning. And so, the.

foods that actually bring energy and. good digestion, all the things that make. your bodily systems feel good, those are. the foods in the mode of goodness. And. also, the activities are the same. Um and then, when you get to the mode of. passion, so all those foods that you eat. that give you immediate gratification, so the sour, the salty, the um the. chili, all the things that you'd put. into your food to create that kind of. burst of flavor into it. Those are still. okay to have, but again, in moderation. Mode of goodness being the larger.

amounts of foods and activities that you. do, mode of passion will be a really. intense workout that gets you sweating. and you're like, "Oh!" at the end of it, you know, it really gets your aggression. out. So, that's a mode of passion. activity. And the foods would be what I. just said, like chilies and sour foods. and spices that are really intense. And they have their place as well. Of course they do. All of these have. their place, by the way. They all have. their place. But, as we go down, you. have to have less and less of those. foods. And then, um the last one is mode of ignorance. And those are the foods that essentially.

make your body feel lifeless and. lethargic, and make your digestion feel. sluggish. Um and those type of foods end. up being foods which are deep fried. because it's so dense and heavy in oil, leftovers, foods that have gone. bad in the fridge that have been there. for a long time. Basically, food that. have lost their life. And, um according. to Ayurveda, also meat and and foods. which no longer have life in them. Like. animals that have have died and then. they they no longer have that vitality.

And so, yeah, it's just being mindful. about all the things that fit into those. modes and how they're affecting you. And. it's not just on our body, it has the. ability to affect our mind and our. consciousness, too, because everything. carries energy. So, whatever energy that. food has when we're we're digesting it, it's also assimilating into our blood. and then our bones and then our entire. being. And so, it can also affect our. mind. So, a lot of the foods in those. categories, they also will affect our.

mind in the same way they affect our. body. And I love this because I know. you've done this for yourself before. You keep and I've been you've. recommended it for me to do as well, is. doing like a food diary or food audit. for a week. And actually just testing it. out because I think sometimes we don't. realize how subconsciously some of these. things work and how subtly they work. And if you hadn't taught me in how to. spot these things where it's like, "Well, did you sleep badly?" Or wait a. minute, "What did you eat the night. before?" Right? Often we think it's so.

mental, but so often it is physical. It. is biological. It is to do with what you. consumed. Yeah, we've I think we've. tuned out of our body so much. You know. when they say about your own inner voice. of when your inner voice when you've got. too many voices that you have allowed to. be louder and louder around you, your. inner voice becomes, you know, quiet or. it becomes dampened. In the same way, our inner cues, our inner intuition. about our own body, we kind of end up. losing that because we're constantly.

hearing avocados are amazing for you, so. you end up eating an avocado every day. even if it's making your tummy feel bad. These salads are amazing for you, so. then you end up eating those salads. And. slowly your body is screaming at you. Well, first of all, it starts to whisper. and it's like, "Oh, it's a bit I feel a. bit uncomfortable." And then you ignore. it. And then you're like, "Oh, my skin. is breaking out and or I'm losing my. hair." Or, you know, your external. symptoms start to come. And still you're. like, "It's nothing to do with my food. You know, I'm going to keep eating. this.". And so you slowly slowly start. quietening your own bodily cues that you.

completely start to deteriorate your. body just because you've stopped. listening to it. And then your body. stops communicating to you. And if it. does, it will scream at you until your. body gets to the point of breaking down. You get IBS or you you end up getting. gut issues. You end up getting skin. issues. And so we don't seem to be able. to catch ourselves in the point of, "Oh, I'm feeling a little bit uncomfortable. today. I wonder what it was that made me. feel uncomfortable." And so the diary's. really important because if you do. struggle with any physical, you know,

problems at the moment, digestive. issues, whatever, start doing the diary of this is what I. ate and this is how it made me feel two. to three hours after. That's usually how. long it will start taking to digest your. food. And then start pairing that up. with, "Okay, this didn't make me feel. good, so I'm going to cut that out and. let me see how I feel." It's a process. of elimination. And it does take a. little bit of work, but it makes such a. difference because then you're not then. your body will start talking to you a. little bit more the more you listen to. it. Yeah, it's like what I told you last. night where. I've been exercising, I've been.

meditating, I've been feeling really. great, I've been sleeping really well. And then for the past four nights, I've. just had such a busy schedule that my. morning routine, evening routine, everything went out of whack. And then. last night I was like, I just need to. eat sugar and I know exactly why. And I. was like, I literally haven't turned to. it was last night. I literally ordered. it for 3 weeks. Yeah, for 3 weeks I I. was I had no refined sugars and I was. absolutely fine, but then the last four. nights, my schedule was crazy. And so. last night I ordered a chocolate fudge. cake, a tiramisu, and had a scoop of ice.

cream and it was amazing. And I'm really. happy I did it. But at the same time, I noticed why I. was craving it because for 3 and 1/2. weeks I've not craved it at all. And. again, I'm not making I'm not trying to. food shame people or make people feel. bad. I I really enjoyed that food that I. had last night, but it was a recognition. of how much my body didn't need that. when I was doing all these other things. and how much I resorted to it as well. Yeah, well it's a reckon you have. noticed what your triggers are for. wanting foods that are just there to.

give you a hit that you need. And so you. already know that when I have lack of. sleep, when I don't have time to rest, when I don't get my weekends, when. I'm going from one thing to another to. another, slowly it's deteriorating me. and then I get to that point. And so. I think what you've done is you've. recognized it. So you know where you're. leading. You know where you're going and. then you'll have to, you know, you have. your sugar dose which is fine that. everybody loves having a little bit of. something. But the fact that you're able. to recognize that the I know this is.

going to happen. Like this is what's. going to it's going to lead to if I. continue down this road. Yeah. Donuts. tonight? Yeah, definitely. Uh I wanted to dive in there's something. beautiful that you did in your book and. I thought these were really well written. and explained and super unique as well. and things that I don't hear people talk. about all the time. So I wanted to dive. into it. You have nine tips for living. joyfully. And the reason I wanted to ask. you about some of these, my favorite. ones, is because I think they're. underestimated and they have a huge. impact on the food we eat. And so I'm.

just going to pick some of the ones that. I like. So, number two is called eat. until satisfied, not stuffed. And I was. thinking that until I met you, I. definitely believed that I would eat. till my limit. And now I'm like wanting. to know what's made and how much there. is and everything else. But, walk us. through why it's important to eat until. satisfied, not stuffed. Yeah, in. Ayurveda it says that you should eat. until you're three-quarters satisfied, not full. And so, what that means is not.

getting yourself to the point So, there's such a fine line between eating. enough to fuel our body and then eating. so much that it then makes us feel. drowsy, lethargic afterwards. And so, learning what those cues are for your. body is really important. And so, it's easier for our body to digest when. we haven't overstuffed it. Like, think. of your stomach as like a. a furnace, where you're constantly keep. putting things on top and so, naturally. there's only certain amount of digestive. juices that are flowing.

So, it's like it produces enough for the. amount that you should be eating. And. then, you end up overdoing it and. overwhelming it, where your digestive. juices aren't actually allowed or unable. to digest everything that's in there. So, then what happens is your food. remains undigested. Your undigested food. ends up fermenting in your stomach. You. then get gut discomfort. You then feel a. bit slothy after your meals. bloated. Feel bloated. So, then those. those foods end up fermenting, producing.

toxins in the body. Then you start. getting headaches and just feeling. really groggy. Or they're like, "I. wonder why I feel this way. I just ate a. full meal. I felt energized, but for I I. thought I would get energy from it, but. instead it's made me feel worse." And. so, the three-quarters full thing is you. will know when you've eaten too much. When you instead of feeling energized by. the meal you're eating, you feel the. opposite. You feel lethargic. You feel. under the weather. You feel groggy. And. so, that's a good indication to you that. maybe you've either eaten the wrong. foods or most likely you've eaten a. little bit too much. And so, the way to.

actually make sure you do that. is conscious eating and like mindfully. eating. Because the fact is when you're. distracted, you've got a burrito in one. hand, you're typing on the other, you're. talking to people like you're all over. the place. And so, what happens is when. you end up eating your food, you haven't. yet prepped your body to say, "Hey, by. the way, food's coming." And so, when. your body knows that, by the way, you. may not have even looked at what you're. eating. Food start your digestion starts. as soon as you look at food. That's the. beginning of when our digestive juices.

start flowing. Our tongue knows to. produce the enzymes it needs to start, you know, digesting the food from the. mouth. And so, when you don't give it. enough notice, you start eating and your. body's like, "Oh, I wasn't ready to. digest all this food." And so, the. taking, looking at the food, you know, having a prayer of gratitude just before. you eat, a second with the food to tell. your body food is coming to nourish you. now. Then taking a bite, slowly eating it. You'll notice that when you eat slowly, and by the way, I don't mean you have to. long out your meal for like an hour.

It's just taking bite at a time instead. of eating a bite before the last bite's. finished. When you do that, you'll notice, "Oh, I. actually only made it through like three. quarters of this burrito. And actually, I feel. actually great. Like this this feels. good for me. This feels like enough.". Whereas if you eat that fast, your body. doesn't even get to tell you, "Oh, okay, I'm stuffed now." until it's too late. Mhm, absolutely. And then, the next one. that you were kind of leading on to is. this idea of chewing your food and the. importance of that. But before I do. that, I want to talk about the one you. just said, like.

I think it's so so so interesting to. hear about how the digestive process. starts. Like until I met you, I'd never heard. that in my entire life of, "Oh, wait a. minute, my body actually has to be ready. to eat.". Mhm. But that actually makes so much. sense. It's like when you go to a. restaurant, you order what you want, and. then they have to prepare it. Yeah. And then, you're being prepared to eat. it, but we almost want our body to. respond like technology where it's like. on off. Like, do this now, do that now.

And it's almost like, well, no, your. body needs to through the scent, through. the sight, through as everything else. like needs to actually feel ready. And. that's such a powerful point. Like, it's. such an important point. put a kettle on to boil water, like. everything takes a little bit of time. And our body is a system. Like, it takes. a second to gear up just like when you. it's rested for 8 hours at night and. then suddenly you're waking up and. you're throwing in your coffee and. you're throwing in all this heavy food. And your body's like, "Oh my gosh, I. just got up. Give me a second." It's. like someone's screaming at you when.

you're waking up. And so, that's how our. body feels, too. Mhm. Mhm. Chewing your. food. Chewing your food. Oh, okay. So, I. have this memory of my dad that my. granddad. every time we'd sit down for a meal, he. would be remind all of us, you have to. chew. I think it was like 32 or like. some 32 times. Like, chew your food. And. so, everyone would have to sit there. chewing their food like 32 times. You. don't have to do it 32 times. That's. like the recommended amount because the. fact is the more you digest in your. mouth, which is what our teeth are for, the more that you break it down, the.

less work our stomach has to do. Mhm. So, if you're eating food, even if. it's small, even if it's big, it's like. our teeth were made to break down the. food. Our tongue was made to release the. enzymes to break it down. You skip that. part, your stomach's doing double the. work than it needs to. Chewing your. food. So, if you're having digestive. issues, one of the simplest things you. could do is chew your food a little bit. better. Because if your digestive juices. or your gut is a little bit weaker, it's. going to find it even harder to break.

things down. So, whether it's a raw. foods, you know, sometimes cooked foods. you can get away with, soups you can get. away with, of course. But the things you have to really pay. attention to chewing more are the things. with the roughage around it. So, like. more fiber around it. The beans, um. salads. When you're eating salads, especially, chew it well so that it gets. broken down. I I mean that's such a. simple yet huge point. I know as as. someone who eats very fast and you've. slowed me down so much but I always. found that I had to eat quick because. when I worked in the corporate world you.

didn't really get a lunch and so you'd. quickly eat and you didn't want to be. seen eating cuz you always being judged. for not working hard enough and so I got. into this habit of like eating really. really quick. And what I realized was. yes I could eat quick but it's exactly. what you said. I wasn't chewing my food. properly. Obviously I'm then getting. cramps or feeling bloated or whatever. else it may be. And you don't feel good. and now you're not working or you're not. alert at work because you're not feeling. great anymore. And so it sounds so.

simple but that ability to chew your. food effectively and I love what you. said about how the stomach's doing. double the work. Again we don't look at. our body as a system. And so we don't. recognize that oh that's what's putting. pressure on my stomach. And that's why. I'm feeling pain because I could have. eaten food that's good for me but I'm. not chewing it. I'm not breaking it. down. Exactly. Yeah. I love that one. Okay, I'm picking some more cuz these. nine methods of eating joyfully living. joyfully are brilliant. So that's a.

couple of them. I wanted to pick a few. more. This one was intriguing to me. because you put eat and cook with your. hands. Yes. You know I mean in our culture in Indian. culture and in many of Eastern. traditions you eat with your hands and. again that's another way it's another. sign to your body because we've gotten. used to holding metal things so our body. doesn't actually know it could think. that we're about to saw something. It. could think that we're about to write. something. You know there's no. connection. It's it's dead material that.

you're holding on to. And so you start. cutting your food up and your your. body's looking at it but it doesn't. quite understand like so I can see the. food but I can't touch the food and then. suddenly you put it into your mouth and. it's like, "Oh, we're eating now." So, our hands have nerves and as soon as. they start feeling the food, um. you know, even with children, if you. think about it, touch and texture is. such an important part of your body. recognizing what you're doing. And so, that's just another indication. to your body that you are about to eat.

Um and also a connection to food. Again, we have such a disconnect to the food. that we're eating. It doesn't kind of. allow you to do anything else. Your. hands are a little bit dirty. You're. connecting with the food that you're. eating. Um and so, one, it removes. distraction and you doing other things. And two, it just allows you to reconnect. back to the food that you're eating. It. helps when your hands are a cooking pan. Like, you can hold really. You can hold really hot food. Like, I'm. like, I'll literally throw something into the.

air and you'll just be like sitting. there going, "What is your issue?". Yeah, my mom calls them asbes- asbestos. hands. I don't know what that means, but. she's always called it that. I think. it's like a thing when they were. younger, like asbestos, but um my mom. has it, too. I think it's just a cook. thing. You just get like numb at the at. the uh tips of your fingers. You just. pick anything up. Uh one more that I wanted to focus out. of all of these, like I said, there's. nine. I'm just picking some of my. favorites, was and this one I think is a. big one for people and this one was a. big one for me, avoid cold drinks and. iced beverages. This is one that.

whenever I've shared it with people who. have had gut issues, without fail, they've said, "Oh my god, my gut has. changed so much since I stopped drinking. cold drinks." Game changer. And the. reason is, your body, when it is. starting to eat, is creating heat. Like, if you think about a furnace, you think about a fire. For it to burn. something, our digestion is like a fire. It needs heat. So, there's your body. trying to build up this heat and and.

take all its energy towards your stomach. and then you're going. and And dampening the fire. Dampening. the fire over and over again is your. body's just heating up, the acids are. just building up and then you're like, "Oh, let me dilute the acids and let me. dampen the fire, the digestive fire. that's happening." One part of it is the. cold drink, like the cold part of it. that's dampening the fire, and the other. part is too much liquid when you're. eating is diluting your digestive. juices. What's recommended is like a. half a cup of warm water or some a warm.

tea that you can maybe with some spices. for your digestion, um drinking that. slowly, sip at a time as you're eating. your food. And then like half an hour. after or half an hour before, you can if. you really want to, you can drink your. drink. Yeah. Yeah, no, it's such a and it's so. common, right? Like I grew up in a house. where I would have a can of Sprite. Yeah. chilled right next to my meal. yeah, so good. or whatever else it may be, and you get. so used to it. Or like, you know, we. have a friend who would just put loads.

of ice into water. Yeah. when they're just about to have their. meal, and it's so normal, it's a normal. part of culture. Yeah. But it's not necessarily good for. you. Yeah, which is the same as everything. that we see. It's like there's so much. that just because it's the most common. thing to do doesn't mean it's the right. thing to do for us. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And and so those are some of. my favorites. Like I said, there's so. many more, but I thought those were so. unique and I'd never heard them anywhere. before. I've obviously learned them. through you, but they're so simple and what I love. about them is you don't need to.

you don't need to learn a new skill, you. don't need to develop a new habit. These. are things that you can start practicing. right now. Yeah. What else you learned from our. book? Mhm? I wanted to ask you about. I mean, I learned a lot from your book, but I learned it from you and now the. book is going to help lots of people. So, I think one of the biggest things. for people these days is a lot of people. are missing meals Yeah. and skipping. meals. And often what ends up happening. is then your first real meal is dinner, like your first real meal, like.

substantial meal. And naturally we end. up overeating or we end up you know, we're trying to get all the nutrients. from that meal. What's your take on. skipping meals and how does that affect. us? And what can we do if we find that. to be a pattern in our life? Yeah, um I would say that you know, it's. it's a very specific thing to your body. type and you will know just by doing it. whether you are the body type that can. take it or not. I have a body type where.

I can not eat in the morning till I've. worked out. I work out on an empty. stomach. I then will have my meal maybe. at like 10:00, 11:00. I I will fast for. a long period of time and my body. thrives off it. Mhm. You with your body type, your digestion. is so strong and fiery and your body. type is such that you have to have your. meals on time. When you wake up, you're. ready to eat. You're hungry. By the. afternoon, like clockwork, you are. hungry. Like every meal has to be at the. right time. Otherwise, you feel that. negative effect. You feel your stomach.

getting acidic. Like you feel all those. effects, right? And so, I would say you. really need to I mean I I know I wish I. could give a direct answer cuz but that. would be that would be wrong. Um you. have to see if when I am waking up and. if I'm hungry straight away, your. digestive system is ready to eat. If. you're waking up and you're like, I. could go another 3 hours without eating, test out test it out for yourself. And. so, there are certain body types where. especially if you're quite a slim build, lose weight quite often, quite easily,

you generally are quite ravenous and and. hungry all the time, you probably need. to be having your meals regularly. And. if your digestion is suffering when you. don't, that's an indication that you. need more regular meals. For me, if I. end up skipping a meal, my body actually. is is good with fasting and it and it. actually feels better sometimes and less. lethargic when I do do that. So, sometimes I will last off like two meals. and I'll be okay with it. But I think um. yeah, there's there's so much where it's.

like intermittent fasting is amazing and. then someone does and they're like, I. felt awful. But like they said it works. for me, but I feel so bad doing it. Then. don't do it. It's not for your body. type. The active participant thing keeps. coming up in my mind, but it is work to. figure out yourself just like when. you're figuring out your partner and. you're figuring out, you know, your. relationship with them. Your body is the. same. It's waiting for you to listen and. learn from it and and it will tell you. what it needs. Yeah, and I think what's. been my personal experience is that when. you don't listen to these smaller.

initial warnings, the body just gets. louder and harder and harsher. And we. think there's something wrong with our. body when actually your body's been. doing the right thing all along, which. is telling you to be an active. participant and listen to me. It's like. your partner that just gets louder and. louder and louder if you're not. listening or your alarm clock gets. louder and louder and louder when you're. not listening. You know, waking up. Yeah, exactly. And so your body's trying. to get you to do the same thing. Wake up. Yeah. Yeah.

All right, one question I wanted to ask. you is on a busy day, what's one. practice you can implement to make sure. you slow down? What's one thing you do. and one thing people could do? Cuz I. feel like eating fast it sounds like, drinking fast, we we do a lot of things. fast and that seems to cause a lot of. issues. For me, because as you know, my. mind, the way I talk, everything is. quite this and then this and then this. and I'm all over the place. And so I can. relate to being someone who's very fast. minded and constantly feeling like I'm.

all over the place. I have to just say breath work again. Breath before you eat, take three. breaths. Before you go into something. that you're worried about, take three. breaths. Like really feel deep breaths. going into your body because we take. such shallow breaths. Your breath is the. anchor between your mind and your body. It brings you back into your body. It. allows you to reconnect with yourself. Um and so it sounds really simple, but I. guarantee you like take a breath right. now. Like take a breath and feel what. happens to your body. It automatically.

slows down. Every time I've gone from in. this podcast from where I'm speaking. fast, I've taken a breath and then I. slow down. I've taken a breath and I've. slowed down. And so. my cure to having a fast mind and having. the habit of being like that. has been just taking a breath. And it's. like as simple as it gets, right? Like. breath is is there for you. It's it's. ready to be used and navigate your. emotions, your day, um and and help you. in some way if you allow it to. Yeah, definitely. It's a great natural tool.

that's built into the body. Yeah. in order to help you set a pace for. life. Oh my god, that's so true. And if you think about it, every single. one of your emotions is monitored by. breath. Like when we're nervous and. we're anxious, our breath gets shallower. and quicker. And when we're calm and. focused, our breath becomes deeper and. slower. And when we're stressed or we're. under pressure or we're late for. something and we're worried, our breath.

gets shallower and gets quicker. Yeah. And when you're feeling like you're in. the right place and you made it on time. and all of those things, your breath. gets deeper and slower again. And we. also have always said to people, we also. say things like that takes my breath. away. Mhm. Like when something's really. beautiful, it's breathtaking. And we. also say things like let me just catch. my breath or let me take a breath. because it's linked to our emotions. And. so we've learned to realize that our. breath changes, but we haven't learned.

to realize we can change our breath. Yeah. And what you've just described is you. can choose to change your breath in. order to feel a way you want to feel. Totally. I I completely agree. Yeah. You can really navigate your. emotions through it. Like I think about. when I'm I'm like depending on how I'm. crying, my breath changes completely. You know, if you think about when you. see someone really intensely crying, they're they're breathing so shallow, they're feeling so overwhelmed, and. suddenly their breath is getting faster, they can't even speak because they. can't, you know, they're they're they.

can't catch their breath to actually say. something. And so, um yeah, breath can. navigate your emotions, your day, uh your mind, everything. Mhm. What's something you've changed your. mind about this past year when it comes. to your mindset around health or the way. you eat food? Protein. Mhm. I grew up. vegetarian. And um my sources of protein, being from. an Indian family as well, was lentils. and beans, and um you know, those are.

actually the main sources for us. And then, um when I started learning. more about while I was working out and. the amount of protein my body needs, you. know, my book I talk about how the. average American, I think it was. something like has over 75% more protein. than they need. So, there's one side. where, because of the foods that people. are consuming, they're actually. overeating on protein to a point where. it can harm your body. But then I find. with. vegetarians, and if you're plant-based, you actually can get the right amount.

that you need, and I've been managing to. do that. But it does take a little bit. more work to get it to navigate and get. it into your food. But I've noticed what. a difference it's made, like everything. from hair fall, hair shedding. I when I. started increasing my protein, my hair. was shedding less, my skin was getting. better, um. I was feeling more satiated and more. full in my meals, because sometimes I. realized my meals were focused so much. on carbohydrates that they were being. digested so fast, and I was hungry even. though I had such a large meal, I was.

still hungry so often. And then I. started introducing protein, and I could. last 3, 4 hours, 5 hours between my. meals, and I felt satiated. way. It's changed our life. Right? It's made such a difference. And. so, um. you know, some of the for anybody who's. plant-based or thinking about having. more plant-based days and they want want. protein, I would say obviously beans and. lentils are great sources of that, but. then also, you know, I kind of want to. dispel the myth around tofu being bad. for you because there have been so many. studies that have been done. Yes, to say.

that when you have, you know, they talk. about soya and how it affects your. hormones and your estrogen levels. Those. studies were done. on people who are having such an. excessive amount of of soya. It was. like, imagine having five or six blocks. of soya every single day. When you say. blocks, do I mean like blocks of tofu, let's say. So, naturally, anything in. excess Not chunks, large blocks. Large blocks, yeah. Anything in excess, of course that's going to cause negative. effects on your body. Everything has.

that. There's a There's anything in. excess, even water in excess, you can. have too much water. And so, I would say. that if you are health having a healthy. um natural amount of of tofu or soya in. your diet, it's not going to affect your. hormone levels. And I mean, I'm happy to. share the studies at some point, you. know, about about that, but I really. researched it cuz I was scared of it, too. Um so, soya is a great source of. it. Another great source is from your. nuts and your seeds, hemp seeds, flax. seeds. Like, you know, in 2 Tbsp, I.

think there's nearly like 6 g of. protein. Now, you may think that's a. small amount, but you add that into a. few dishes every single day um like. throughout the day and you can gain so. much from it. Um and then obviously. you've got your your um meat. alternatives, which do have that. I try. to avoid that as much as possible and. get it from natural means. Um. but there are so many great ways to get. protein into your diet, and it that that. for me this year has been I've really. been focusing on that, and it's been a. game-changer. Yeah, it's amazing. I felt. the difference as well, for sure. I.

think it's been huge. What's the biggest. change you've made in your health. journey that has changed your. relationship with food? Eating to make my body feel good, not. look a certain way. Mhm. Because I. realized that, you know, a lot of my. book is is to do with the journey I've. had to go through with food. Where I. remember when we met, I was so conscious. about the way that I was being perceived. um and the way my body looked that I.

would want to eat a way that I thought. made me look better. And especially this last year, yeah, the. last couple of years, I've been trying. to improve my relationship with food cuz. I didn't realize how much it was. impacted by the way I wanted to look. versus the way I wanted to feel. You. know, a lot of the recipes in this book. and a lot of the things that I've shared. are helping people to connect back to. their body, but create a better. relationship to understand that. you food, like you don't have to choose.

between food that. um. between food that makes you feel good. and food that brings you joy. Food can. be both and you can learn how to do that. and the way to cook to make it do make. you feel that way. Like we normally. associate, if I want to look a certain. way, I have to eat salads and things. just leaves and I can't have any fun. when I'm eating because anything that. brings me joy is going to be bad for me. Like it's going to be something that. that doesn't make me look a certain way. But actually how you feel when you're. eating and how you feel in your life is.

so. so feel is so much more satisfying when. you nurture that versus constantly. living to figure out how you're going to. change the way you live. Externally, both can be true. You can want to change. your external body, but at the same time. thinking about how is my inside feeling, too? And doing both at the same time is. possible and will make you feel so much. better. I was listening to something today and. it was talking about.

self-objectification. and it was really interesting because it. was talking about how we view ourselves. constantly as other people view us. We. live our life as other people view us. So, for example, on this podcast, I may. be thinking, "How am I going to sit in a. way where I'm going to look the most. flattering?" And how am I going to like. move my body in a way where maybe they. don't get the bad side of me. And so, you're constantly living through other. people's perception of you. Essentially objectifying yourself. And.

so, I feel like having a better. relationship with food has allowed me to. care less about those things and and. live from inside out rather than outside. in. Mhm. That's so powerful. Yeah, it's. so powerful. And that requires so much. courage and going against the grain. because society has conditioned us. Mhm. to think a certain way. Like, I. remember years and years and years ago, I remember walking through a department. store and the line above the kind of.

billboard above the makeup section said, "Get the natural look.". Yeah. And and I just found that. hilarious because I was like, "You obviously already have the natural. look.". Mhm. I'm not saying there's anything. against makeup. I've no issues with it. I'm I'm I'm good with it. It's great. It's just It's interesting how it's. being sold to us. And so, we're being. convinced that. the natural isn't good enough or there's. a way to be more natural. Mhm. And ev- each to their own. Everyone's allowed to do whatever's. right for them. But I think the more we. live our life through the lens of, "Will.

people think I look good like this?". We'll always be disappointed because. there are some people who think you look. good and some people who think you. don't. Like, we talk about this a lot. with fashion. Like, I really enjoy. fashion. Yeah. But when you see my fashion. choices, you're like, "I'm not sure what. you're doing, mate." Yeah. And and then. and then everyone else would think it. looks great. But the point is I'm doing. it for myself. Yeah, totally. You are. the only person that you can ever do it. for because. it's so hard to win. Like, you could. have everyone think you're amazing one. person think you're not or the other. option where everyone thinks you're.

crazy and one person thinks you're. amazing. And at the end of the day, the. one person you need to feel that way is. you. Yeah. Right? That's That's what I'm. hearing from what you're saying. And And you kind of rob yourself of. experiences like um. I was talking to uh Liz Moody. I was. talking to this girl and she was saying. how, you know, when you go to the beach. and you look into the sea and you see. the the sand underneath you and you have. like you're thinking, "Oh, I want to go. into the ocean, but I'm a bit worried. about what people are going to think. about me in this swimsuit.".

I've had that. I've I've robbed myself. of so many experiences. We've gone to. pool parties and I've been I'm not. getting in the pool. Like, just so you. know, I'm not going to get in the pool. right now because I don't feel. comfortable. And I've robbed myself of so many. experiences where she was like, "Think. about when you're 80 years old and you. look back at those experiences and. you're Are you going to say to yourself, 'So glad I didn't get in the pool that. day because they would have seen my. cellulite' or are you going to think, 'I'm so glad I jumped into the ocean and. I felt that ocean around me and I.

created these memories and I felt the. sand beneath my feet and I had the. experience.' And so, I've really been. thinking about that a lot more of like. having the experience because whenever. I've gone into situations where I'm. constantly consumed by other people's. view of me, I've not been present. I. barely remember the event. I barely. remember where I've what I've been doing. or where I've been. Like, there's so. much so such lack of presence which it. doesn't allow me to even experience what. I wanted to. Um and I feel like that's. kind of changed um.

throughout the time. I'm still working. on it, but it's it's definitely um. yeah, all of that fuels into everything. Like, it really it really changed the. way I was eating and connecting to my. body, too. Yeah, I think you've also. found this and this is why I'm excited. for people to get the book is that. you've found a way to make healthy food. really tasty. Yeah. And I always say that to you. Like, I. find it so easy I'm so lucky to have you. and I always say that to everyone. When. everyone's like, "Oh, wow, you live a. really healthy lifestyle." I'm like, "You don't know who I'm married to, right?" Like and it's And now it's. almost like everyone gets to have you in.

their kitchen through the book, where. they can also feel that way and feeling. confident that when you're cooking for. your family, that you don't have to. sacrifice taste in order for it to be. good for you. Exactly. And a big part for you with that is is. the spices and the herbs that you talk. about. So, walk us through what you're. fascinated with spices. Like. Our nickname for you is Spice Girl. And. because of that, like in the actual. sense, like what Walk us through the. value of spices and why they make food.

flavorful and good for you. I'm so glad. you asked me because it's literally my. favorite topic about this book. Um. spices have, you know, been a part of our life our. whole life because I remember even when. we were younger, I would be I'd be. coughing and sneezing and my mom would. use spices in water to like boil boil a. tea with spices to help me with that. Or, you know, when you get a cut or a. bruise, our parents are getting out this. turmeric patty and like putting it onto. our scabs. And you know, we grew up with.

that, but I didn't realize the power of. them until I started studying the. medicinal potency and benefit of them. And so, yes, they make your food taste. and look vibrant. Like it's amazing. You. can take like a humble potato and you. can mix different spices together. and taste different parts of the world. through just the spices you're using. So, spices not only take you to. different parts of the world and help. you to experience different cultures and. cuisines, they also allow you to buy. really basic ingredients and elevate.

them and make them feel so different. every single day. Um and the benefits of. spices, oh my goodness, well, you know. this. For the past, I don't even know. how long, 10 years, I have used spices. in my medicine box. Spices have been my. go-to. If I have a headache, essential. oils and spices. If I have a headache, what do I go to? Yeah, your essential. oil. My peppermint oil. Like, if I have. a cough, what do I tell you that I'm. going to make you? Aj- ajwain seeds in. water. Like, and I have found when I've. allowed my body to rely on natural means. to heal itself. And what I mean by that.

is like the spices, the oils, whatever. I'm using, the food that I'm eating, my. body's immunity has gotten better and. better. The way that my body reacts to. um being in stressful environments has. changed because I've allowed my body to. heal itself through what I'm actually. putting into my body. And so, I actually. have feel my best when over the past few. years progressively as I've done that. And it's so easy because all you have to. do is the spices you can buy ground or. whole or in mixes of blends that you can.

just add in. You don't even have to. think about it. You can put it into your. hot water in the morning. My one of my. favorite things is CCFT, coriander, cumin, and fennel tea. Easy way if you're not not used to using. spices at all, even if you don't cook at. home, add these three spices in equal. parts, a teaspoon of each, into hot. water. Beautiful way to add in spices. without you even having to do much. And. then, experiment with your food. Become. like a play in your kitchen. I really. think, you know, the book is not. prescriptive. I actually want you to use.

the book and the recipes to play in the. kitchen and sub things out. And I've got. so many things where I'm like, "If you. don't have this, use this. If you don't. have this, use this." Because nothing. about food has to be prescriptive. And. so, um spices are a really fun way to do. that. So, yeah, one of the huge. intentions and goals with my book is for. you to have a spice cupboard that is. full and and overfull by the time you. get to the end. And I've got a chart in. there to tell you what the benefits of. them are, how you can use them, um to.

your medicinal benefit, but also to make. a food taste way better. Yeah, I think. that's really important that you've got. so many charts and graphs and things to. make it really easy in the book yeah, Yeah. anyone to understand because a lot. of people may be thinking, "God, I've. never really used. Totally. any spices. I'm not really aware of. them." But, you've actually made that. really simple and accessible. then I'm like, "Pick a spice a week and. play with it. Pick a spice a week, add. it into different things like nutmeg, add it into your milk your your milk at. night. Nutmeg is a mild sedative. It.

helps with sleep. Um in the morning for. your digestion, you know, for centuries. Indians have eaten fennel seeds after. their meal. It's a tradition. You go to. an Indian restaurant, you go to an. Indian house, they'll pass around fennel. seeds after their meal. That's because. it is amazing for gas, for bloating, for. digestive relief after you've eaten. And. so, like try our fennel seeds in your, you know, water in the morning. They're. so Pick one thing. You don't have to be. overwhelmed with so many different. practices and spices and things in the. book. Pick one or two a week that you.

want to incorporate um and see how you. like it. See how your body reacts to it. Yeah, I love that. I mean, you just. mentioned two things there that I wanted. to speak to you about. People have. always been fascinated with your morning. and evening routines. I wanted to ask. you, what does your morning routine look. like now? And why have you chosen the. specific things that exist in it? Mhm. Good question. And you're not part. of my morning routine. What do you mean? You don't know what my morning routine. is. Of course I do. Um what is my morning routine? So, Well, I don't know what happens before I. wake up.

That's true. Um so, I wake up in the morning. um and brush my teeth and also use my. tongue scraper, which by the way is an. Ayurvedic ritual that if you don't do, that is a must. You do not know how. clean your mouth can actually be if you. haven't used a tongue scraper. It's also. really important to remove toxins that. have built up over the night because. that's the time your body starts to. clean up and take away the toxins. And. one place that they come out is on the. top of your tongue. And so, tongue. scraping is a must. And then I make my. CCF tea in the morning, sit down for my.

meditation. And I have a mantra meditation practice, as you know. Um and that's usually for about an hour. and a half mixed in with breath work to. help me refocus um, and keep bringing my mind back to my. practice. And then um, I usually get ready for my. workout. Go for my workout and that's a ranges. from Monday, Wednesday, Friday a weight. workout. I love weight training. It. really helps to build strength and I. feel confidence in my body. On the other.

days I'll either do running or like a. heated yoga class. Other things that. help also stretch out my body because I. find weight training kind of shortens. your muscles whereas Pilates and yoga. really helps to lengthen them. So kind. of a mix of both. And then I'll come. back, get ready. And then what else do I do? Oh, then I eat my breakfast. Yeah. What do you usually have? Oh, what do I normally have for. breakfast? So at the moment I'm trying. to do savory breakfast after listening. to Glucose Goddess. Um, and really trying to incorporate.

more savory foods and I prefer savory. breakfast anyway. So I do everything. from a sourdough toast um, with some sort of protein on it. So. either like having a good amount of. hummus with lots of veggies. I'll put. like tomatoes and cucumbers. Um, maybe. doing and I'll sprinkle some sort of. spices on top. So whether it's, you. know, toasted coriander seeds um, or. cumin powder. And then um, a bit of hot. sauce cuz I just love hot sauce. And. then I'll have that or I've been having. these like protein bagels, you know, topped with the same kind of thing. And.

then I'll have a protein shake. afterwards. So what about your lunches. when you don't want to feel lethargic. after your lunches because so often we. struggle to know what to eat because we. still have a few hours of work left. Like what do you do for your lunches? What do you enjoy? Yeah, I try to keep. it balanced in the sense of I will still. have a carbohydrate at the at lunchtime. And by the way, um, our body is so in sync with nature and. our digestion is the strongest when the. sun is at its highest. And so the sun is. at its highest naturally in the middle.

of the day. And so our lunch should. actually be our largest meal of the day, ideally, because that's when our. digestion is the strongest. It's able to. digest like the heavier things that we. want to eat. And so, I will have like a. larger portion of my carbohydrates, if. possible, in the afternoon. And then, I. will mix in lots of different veggies. Like, eating the rainbow is no joke. You. have to eat variety of colors. And so, I. will make sure that when I'm doing my. shop, I have a variety of vegetables. with different colors, because each of. those colors represent different. nutrients and different vitamins and.

minerals. And so, to make sure you're. also getting enough of what you need in. terms of vitamins, minerals, make sure. that you have a variety of different. colors on your plate. So, I'll buy like. pink radishes, I'll buy cucumbers, I'll. buy different colored carrots. And um. either I'll have them on the side or. I'll just quickly saute them. Have it with either some noodles or um. throw some tofu in the scramble. Honestly, I just make sure I know the. basics of like A really good way of. doing is write down where your protein's. going to come from, what veggies you.

like eating, and what carbohydrates you. like. And then, just mix it all in. I. love doing a one-pot thing. So, I'll. throw in noodles, I'll throw in my. veggies, I'll throw in some tofu, mix it. all up, or I'll do a scrambled like. scrambled tofu on toast. I just know. that the areas I need to make sure I. have in my meals, and then I kind of. just pick and choose between I go. between them and decide what I feel like. um and what flavors I want. And then, what about dinner? Dinner um Walk me. through the whole day. I know. Oh my. gosh. Uh dinner. I mean, you know, it can be so varied. I. love For me, a dal or a a a soup or like.

a a beanie curry. I'll probably have I. won't have like as much like flatbread. or rice with it, just because I try not. to have too many carbs at night uh or. something too heavy at night. But, I love Indian spices are just my. comfort food. And at night, especially. when it's cold outside, I love having a. mixed lentil like dal. And all of these recipes are in the. book? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, there's a really. good like red lentil dal in there. There's also my mom's three bean curry. with coconut milk and it's so good. So.

much flavor in it. So yeah, I'll usually. do that or a one-pot thing because at. night you just you just want to throw. everything in one thing and and not. spend too much time in the kitchen. And. so there are so many recipes in there. that are like 30 minutes. and then other ones where maybe you feel. like spending a little bit more time in. the kitchen. And so you can spend an. hour creating a beautiful meal if you. have time on the weekend. Yeah, I'm so. lucky that I get to be the recipient of. all of these. You are the guinea pig, yeah. Yeah, I'm the guinea pig. All of these. have been tested on me. And what about your evening routine? How. is that been constructed for you? My.

evening routine is usually I try to as. soon as I stop working I usually go walk. for a little bit. I find it really helps. me to wind down. I won't do an intense. workout but I'll definitely walk. Go on. the treadmill for about like 20 minutes, half an hour, listen to something. Um. And then one thing that's really helped. me is I don't like bright lights at. night. I really try to avoid bright. lights. It's made such a difference to. my like circadian rhythm, the rhythm of. your body that helps with sleep. Artificial light really messes with.

that. And so whether it's using candles. or really keeping the lights dim, that. for me has helped me notice that oh wow, I'm actually really tired by 8:30 or. 9:00 and it's time for me to get into. bed rather than And by the way, TV has. the same line so do our phones and so. uh for me the bright lights are too. intense for me and it and it really. you know, messes with my rhythm of. sleep. So I've started using candles and. stuff a lot more. And then we've been. trying to read a lot more and so I'll if. I'm by myself I'll I'll read, um.

sometimes watch a little cheeky show of. something which might be called Love. Island, not going to lie. And then. um. And then oh, eat dinner and that before. that. And then one of the my favorite. practices which is like a self-love. ritual for me is um abhyanga. It's a. really beautiful practice of Abhyanga is. a. You learn that in the book as well. Yeah, I talk about it in the book, and. it's it's um. massaging your own body with oils. That's as simple as it is. But, if you. think about it, how many how many times. a day do we probably have a lot of.

negative self-talk? And how many times a. day do you give yourself a hug? And like. just It's literally like giving yourself. a hug. Just as when someone's had a long. day, a hard day, they come home and you. give them a hug. Like you give them a. cuddle. And in the same way, our nervous. system wants us wants to hear from us. and feel from us that I love you, and I. care about you. And one of the most. amazing ways of doing that is by just. giving yourself a little massage. And. so, whether it's just the bottom of your. feet, putting the warm oils on your. hands, massaging the bottom of your. feet. That's where all of our nerves.

end. And so, bottom of your feet, or. even giving yourself a little scalp. massage, or if you have time, have a. warm shower and lather your body in. those oils. Oils actually help to. lubricate your nervous system. They seep. into your skin. They basically act as a. hug for your nervous system. They help. to soothe your nerves at night. And so, that's been one of my favorite rituals. that I do before I sleep. Um. Yeah, and I'll do that whether it's a. 2-minute one quickly, or if I have a a. bit longer on weekends, then I just kind. of lather myself up till I'm really. deep-fried. Yeah. I love it. I love it. No, and I'm.

glad that we went through your whole. day, because I think so often we don't. There was so much that just came out of. that in. terms of like, you know, like what to. eat in the morning, why you eat certain. things in the afternoon, why you don't. eat them at nighttime. Like we've just. learned so much and so many practices. And again, for anyone who wants to. understand them more deeply, they are. well explained inside Joy Filled Book. gosh, wait. Can I say one more thing? Of. course you can. I realized actually, um. you know, I was going through a period. where I was finishing eating by 5:00. p.m. Like I wouldn't eat anything after.

that. And what was amazing is I was. using. you when that happened, yeah. Yeah, I. was using a tracker, and for my sleep, um I was using the Whoop at the time, and I noticed I was getting a 100% I've. never had this 100% sleep score. On my Whoop. And it was telling me and and I'd gone. from being 70% to having 100% every. single day. Wow. And it was because my body was not. working while it was sleeping. Mhm. That's huge. because when you're when you end up.

eating. late at night, when you're trying to. sleep and your body's trying to rest. and, you know, actually spend time. having downtime, it's actually still. working digesting its food. And so, you. can wake up after 8 hours sleep feeling. so tired still because your body's. actually been working half of the time. to digest what you've been eating. So, that was like a big. like aha moment for me where I was like, "Wow, that really does make sense. Having lighter meals at night affects so. much um including your sleep." Mhm. Yes.

That's great. No, that's huge and and. that's amazing. I mean, to have a 30%. increase in your sleep score. because your food is not being digested. while you're sleeping. Yeah. Cuz so many. of us are eating so close to when we. sleep. Yeah. A little snack, a little dessert, a little sugar. Yeah. Huge. Uh one thing I want to do, I want. to do something fun with your book. So, I'm going to ask you questions that I. want you to link back to recipes that. apply to those questions.

Ooh, okay. This is fun. Something fun. And you can look at your. book if you need to to show us, but I. know. Okay, can you give me an example of the. question? There's no example. We're just. going straight into it. So, the first question I'm going to ask. is, if someone has a long day at work, they're really tired, but they do want. to make a home-cooked meal, what's the. easiest one that they can go to? My rainbow noodle stir-fry. Okay. It's like super easy. Um what I would. say is have your veggies cut up earlier, then it's literally like a 10-minute. meal. Amazing. Yeah, it's got this really great sauce. with it. Um you get your veggies, you.

get everything all in one thing, and it. still tastes good and it feels like. takeout. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, good. How do you How do you. recommend people meal prep because. that's an important part of of of this? Yeah. Chopping takes up so much time. My. day my meals are cut down significantly. when I've chopped my peppers beforehand, when I've grated my cabbage, when I've, you know, everything that you possibly. can. I wouldn't say to do it too much in. advance because as soon as you cut up a. vegetable, it starts to spoil. And so, I'd say you can cut up peppers 2 3 days. in advance. Um.

same with like carrots, cabbage, and. stuff. Tomatoes go bad straight away. You cut them up by like an hour later, they're bad. Avocados as well. Avocados as well. And. so, there are certain things you can. chop up. Uh and I recommend doing that, especially if you're someone who has. been wanting to eat more at home, but. just don't have the time to. Cut up your stuff in the weekend because. at least I'll give you a good 3 4 days. worth of uh chopped up stuff that allows. you to eat at home. Um and that's been a. game changer for me. I've been so busy. lately, and I've still, since I've got. back here, I'm actually so proud that I.

have not ordered out or eaten out once. And that's been a that's crazy for me. because I've also been Yeah, you've been. working so hard, Um but having things chopped up. and also having planned what I'm going. to eat. Usually, we end up ordering out. when you're like, "Oh, I've got nothing. planned, and I just don't even want to. look at my fridge and figure it out.". Figuring it out is half the battle. So, if you already know and you already have. the ingredients, it makes it so much easier. And then. you've chopped up you've basically done. half the work. I love it. Yeah. Okay, so let's say another. scenario. I've got all these scenarios.

Okay. So, someone's got someone they're. dating coming over for the first time, second time. Maybe they're going making. them something this time. Mhm. What do you cook for someone to. impress them from your book? Oh my gosh. You want to show off, you know? Good. question. I would say my jalapeno cheesy. dough balls. Mhm. You know why? Because they're. Those were amazing. We had them the. other day. good. You can have like a there's a. masala topping to go on top, too. But. the reason I say that is because it. shows that you don't take things too. seriously. That it's a fun dish that's. like a pull-apart thing. Um.

yeah, you didn't try too hard. You're. sh- it's a sharing dish where you kind. of pull apart the bread, and um it's. fun. It's also just a pop of flavor and. vibrance. And also who doesn't love a good bread. dish? Yeah. Like bread is life. Love it. Yeah. If you've got another scenario, if. you've got the girls coming over, it's. girls night. You're hanging out, what are you going. to make? Okay, so for girls night I. would probably say the roasted red. pepper tagliatelle. Mhm. And then mixed. with that, we're not done yet. night now. Yeah, roasted red pepper.

tagliatelle and then doing like the. butter bean and tomato salad. Mhm. Because you always want something a. bit lighter on the side. Mhm. Um and then having some sort of. veggie side because you always need I. have a whole veggie hero section. So I'd. probably do like the zucchini baba. ghanoush or the sweet and salty. broccolini. Mhm. And then for dessert, because for girls night you need. dessert. I have this decadent cake. Which is. amazing. It's like.

one of the best desserts in here I'd. say. Um I made it the other day, the. triple chocolate brownie black forest. celebration cake. But what I do is I. deconstruct it so it ends up being a. brownie sundae. So that would be my ultimate girls. night. I love that. All right, do. ultimate guys night. Oh, ultimate guys night, easy. I would. do my bean burgers. Okay, I like that. I. like that. do my bean burgers. strong start. Yeah. I then would do bean burgers with. a side of my dad's mac and cheese.

Um and then for a bit of balance, I'd. probably throw in. some veggies. Which would be in the form of my golden. caramelized fennel. Mhm. I think that'd. be a nice like little refreshing side. dish. And then for dessert, I'd probably. have to go for cookies three ways. Mhm. That sounds good. Or a crumble, yeah. that. Cookies three ways sounds good. Cookies three ways. is amazing. Yeah, yeah. for guys night, yeah. And last scenario, date night.

Ooh, date night. I mean, I've been really lucky cuz. Rowie's been testing recipes from the. book every day. So I've been spoiled. every day, but. Date night, I'd probably go with. um. It depends. Is this like a like a. a married couple that have lived. together for a while, they want to make. a special date night. So. lasagna because Mhm, that was so that. was so. fuss and it's just so tasty. And then. I'd throw in maybe like my warm nutty. superfood salad on the side. Um.

Oh, and maybe my cavolo nero the sweet. potatoes with cavolo nero pesto. Mhm. So. when are we doing date night? Um yeah, I. mean I can make it all tonight if you. want. Straight off. baklava cheesecake. Ooh, baklava cheesecake. all off. Or my chocolate mud pie for you. cuz you love chocolate. Chocolate mud pie. Both of those sound. amazing. Rowie, I'm so proud of you. Thanks. And I am so excited honestly for. everyone to have you in their kitchen. because I'm so grateful to have you in. ours. Thank you. And like you all just.

heard, there are obviously over 125. plant-based recipes in here and every. single one of them sounds amazing. And I. can truly say as someone who's eaten. every single one of them multiple times, I'm not bored of them. They're. incredible. And I think anyone who gets. this book and cooks from it is going to. invite so much joy, so much energy, so. much vibrancy into their life. And. that's what I wanted to ask you as a. final question around you know, you. called the book joyful. You talked about. cooking effortlessly, eating freely, and.

living radiantly. Like what is your hope. for people? Because this isn't just. about. it isn't just about the recipes, it's. about inviting abundance and energy into. their life. It is. Three intentions. One intention. is reminding people that you do not have. to choose between the food that makes. you feel good and food that brings you. joy. It can and should be both. Um two. that every that life is about all those. little joyful moments to accumulate to. bring you more and more joy throughout. the day, whether it's through your.

practices, your wellness rituals, or. through the food that you're eating. And. three, that you feel you spice up your. life. Like you fill your cupboards with. the spices that spice up your body, but. also spice up your food, too, that. really create vibrance cuz spices are. vibrant and create more vibrance in your. body and your life, too. Um. And actually, I'll add on a last one. Um. I feel like I'm a seriously grateful. student of many great teachers, and it. really was a way for me to be able to.

share. so much of what I've learned from the. people that have taught me so much, from. my mom to my Ayurvedic teachers to my. spiritual teachers, everything. I was. able to accumulate that and pour it into. this book, and I'm so excited for people. to feel the changes that I have felt in. my life through everything that I've. shared in there. So, um yeah, that's my. intention for it. The book is called. Joyful Everyone, more than 125. plant-based recipes by Radhi Devlukia, Cook Effortlessly, Eat Freely, and Live. Radiantly. You know what I'm going to.

say, go get it right now. Uh it would. mean the world to me. I love supporting. you, not just because you're my wife, but because you're so incredibly. talented and so smart, and. I think this book is going to change so. many homes, families, and relationships. So, it's definitely changed ours. So, thank. you so much. I love you. Congratulations. saying And uh so excited for you. Congrats. Thanks. Thanks, everyone. If you loved. this episode, you'll love my interview.

with Dr. Gabor Maté on understanding. your trauma and how to heal emotional. wounds to start moving on from the past. Everything in nature grows only where. it's vulnerable. So, a tree doesn't grow. where it's hard and thick, does it? It. grows where it's soft and green and. vulnerable.