The Art Of Eating

Naini Setalvad’s philosophy of good food shuns fad diets in favour of fresh seasonal items which nourish our body and promote overall well-being

These days, we have different diets surfacing all the time! It is so frustrating that it has led to people forgetting how to eat simply. On top of it, I am seeing a rise in the number of people who have such negative concepts about food that they fear it. I am constantly interacting with people who are scared that the food they eat will make them fat, sick, or unhealthy, and they land up missing out on major food groups completely, which contributes to their ill health. It makes me sad because I love food; I think of food, I dream of food, and the cause and effect of food on the body are very important to me.

I am fed up of people coming to me and asking me “Can I do keto?” or “Can you cut out gluten from my diet?” or “Can you give me a low GI diet so that I don’t feel hungry?” or telling me they want to turn vegan. And my personal favourite is “My body needs more protein, so can you increase my protein and remove all carbohydrates?” All I want to tell them is “If you would just eat normally, then you can live well!” Human beings have completely forgotten the art of eating! Sitting at the table peacefully is a thing of the past. They are always obsessing about whether or not a particular food will make them fat or thin, help them build muscle or have a flat stomach, or help them lose body fat or cause them to gain it.