I ate like Kareena Kapoor for six months, and no, my body didn’t take revenge
My mind and body are both foodies now
I like diet-hopping as much as Gen Z supposedly likes job-hopping. One minute, I am convinced that I can thrive on smoothie bowls like a wellness guru, the next, I am listing vegan food items I’ll need for my new diet. You can think of me as a tourist—staying on a diet long enough to explore (six months, to be precise), take notes and decide whether I want to commit long-term.
Why, you ask? I have always been a fitness enthusiast. When I switched from home workouts to exercising at a gym in 2015, I was advised to follow a high-protein diet to supplement my weightlifting routine. That is when I grew curious about the nutritional aspect of fitness and began reading up on it. From all the diets that were presented as the ‘best thing you can do for your body’, I wanted to see which one could actually work for me, and become a part of my lifestyle.
Also, I don’t like monotony when it comes to food, so I liked switching things up regularly. My life as a marketing professional, living in Mumbai with family, allowed for this kind of experimentation. I had the time and resources to plan and cook, and access to specific ingredients required for each diet. Over the years, I tried everything from intermittent fasting and veganism, to the keto diet too. But only one food approach has stayed with me past the experimental six-month period.
In 2018, while looking for a new diet to try, Kareena Kapoor ‘s old statements about eating everything she wanted and still managing to stay a size zero resurfaced on my social media feed (I guess my algorithm picked up on my obsession with eating healthy?). Like thousands of other Indians, I was intrigued, and turned to her nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar whom she credited for her approach to food. Even though my goal wasn’t losing weight or being a size zero, I wanted to understand the science behind Diwekar’s advice. Her bestselling book Don’t Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight (2009) became my guide for this experiment.
Step 1: Testing the principles
I was both surprised and impressed by the advice Diwekar offered in the book. Unlike other diets and eating plans, her approach didn’t require me to curtail anything. And it was so rooted in traditional food practices that the tips felt relatable and easy to follow.
Eating in tune with my surroundings
The principle central to her philosophy is pretty straightforward: “Eat local. Eat seasonal.” As someone who had been sourcing avocados and quinoa from specialty stores (this was before Instamart, you see), and paying quite a lot for them, this felt like a welcome change. The rule was simple: eat whatever you find at your local sabzi mandi. Because whatever grows or is found near you is fresh and specific to that season or region, thus helping your body build immunity and navigate environmental changes.
When I truly paid attention and looked closer home, I discovered gems such as tadgola (or ice apple), a delicious summer fruit—low-calorie, high-fibre, packed with minerals—I hadn’t even heard of before. For six months, I ate simple ghar ka khana which only included locally available veggies, fruits and grains.
And this wasn’t just limited to where I lived, either. Whenever I would travel, I would eat whatever was local to that destination. For example, since bread is a staple of the Parisian diet, I ate that while I was travelling in France. I didn’t have to worry about carrying food, or planning what I needed to eat to fulfil my nutritional goals. I would just go with the flow—a principle I still follow almost eight years after having read about it the first time.
Giving up wake-up coffee
The next piece of advice, and probably the most scandalous one for Indian households, was not to start your day with chai or coffee. These stimulants are acidic in nature and having them on an empty stomach may lead to acidity or increased heart rate due to the caffeine rush. Diwekar advises starting your day by eating something, like a fruit or soaked almonds, and then having your beverage. Even now, I don’t have my morning coffee in isolation. It is always accompanied with something to eat.
Say no to saying ‘no’
Diwekar’s book made me realise that a lot of things, such as sugar, rice and ghee, that are positioned as being harmful for health won’t actually affect you if consumed in moderation. For example, she advised against curtailing one’s cravings for dessert, which I loved! I don’t care about junk food, but if someone offered me mithai, I would never refuse. And her advice let me embrace my sweet tooth. Now, I don’t feel guilty while eating sweets. Of course, I am mindful about portion control. I won’t eat 10 motichoor laddoos when two would be enough to satisfy my cravings. But I no longer stare longingly while others enjoy all the treats.
Diwekar does have a caveat for desserts though: eat them in the morning, instead of at night. Since most desserts are made of refined flour and sugar, they have a high glycemic index. When you eat them with dinner, the glycemic index and carbohydrate load increases because you are consuming many things together. And since there is little or no activity before bedtime, all of it converts into fat. So, during those six months, whenever someone brought home dessert for after dinner, I’d always ask them to save some for me to eat the next morning. And I ate everything—jalebis, rasgulla, rasmalai, cake. The best way to start your day is on a sweet note, if you ask me.
Similarly, against popular opinion, she gave the green light to consuming ample ghee, because it is not fattening when consumed in moderation. Instead, it has essential fatty acids that help with metabolism. In a video that I later saw, she stresses the rule of thumb for the amount of ghee you should use: “Add enough to enhance the flavour of the dish, but not enough to mask the flavour.”
Eating with intention
But above everything else, over those six months I understood the most important rule of her food philosophy: regulation is far more effective than restriction. Diwekar stresses that you should eat till you feel full, and not just for your taste buds or emotions. And most importantly, your entire focus should be on the food while you are eating.
When I focused on each bite, savouring the flavours and chewing every morsel, I could feel in tune with the food I was consuming. This is also how I knew when to stop. And I noticed that when my mind was not making that connection with the food, I would either end up overeating or not enjoying what I was eating.
Step 2: The report card
Honestly, I don’t think I was just following a diet for those six months; I was making lifestyle changes, ones that would last well into the future. But since I like to evaluate every new diet practice I try, I created a report card for this one too, when the six months were up.
What I wrote about it in my notes back then was how my skin had flourished and looked amazing. Earlier, whenever I would consume dairy or sugar consistently, I would notice breakouts on my skin. But after beginning to moderate my intake and eating at the right time, that changed immediately. My skin cleared up, and I was glowing, without any change in my skincare routine or products. It was all the magic of the diet, and seven to eight hours of sleep (my desk job left space for that kind of rest back then).
I also noted that I had lost around two kgs, even though that wasn’t my objective. In fact, I was lifting weights at the gym to build muscle, so it was counter-productive. The only drawback that I saw in the diet was a lack of protein options, without which it was difficult to meet my workout goals. I wasn’t taking any additional protein powder or shake at the time either.
And then there were some principles I agreed with but couldn’t always follow, like not using the phone while eating (come on, it is difficult!) or folding my legs and sitting while eating, which is said to aid digestion.
But the pros still far outweighed the cons. I didn’t have to worry about planning my meals days in advance because all the veggies and fruits I was consuming were readily available in local markets, and I could run out and get them even just an hour in advance. My food expenses reduced too as the freshness and variety increased. The fact that I still follow most of the principles mentioned in the book bears testimony to the impact it had on me.
Step 3: Staying with the program
What this approach towards food did for me was far greater than the visible changes. It shifted my outlook towards eating, from feeling guilty to feeling good. I view my diet and eating habits with much more positivity now.
I eat whatever I want to, and my mindset is always, “this is good for me and I am enjoying what I am eating” versus “I need to spend two hours in the gym now that I have eaten a laddoo.” There are no terms and conditions. I can have a pizza or aloo ka parantha without feeling like it is the biggest mistake of my life. And because I eat with intention and positivity, I feel that the food digests well and does not do anything negative to my body (here’s more from Diwekar on how you can enjoy your food without worrying about calories).
It’s been such a weight off my mind that I try to spread this outlook. Whenever I am out with friends and if they say, “I can’t eat this because it has too much sugar” or they’re worrying about how they’ll ‘make up’ for eating something they really wanted to, I urge them not to think this way and to be present in the moment. What’s the point of going out for a fun time if you put so many restrictions on yourself?
The experiment that worked
I tried intermittent fasting, and it didn’t work for me because I love my breakfast and did not like having hours-long gaps between meals. I tried the Keto diet and found it to be too particular for my taste. I turned vegan, and while it improved my skin, it messed with my protein intake.
But I deeply connected with Diwekar’s principles, because they didn’t feel like an imposition, but more like intuition. They are lifestyle changes that you can incorporate easily, and follow throughout your life. I adopted some of them at 23 and now at 30, still abide by them effortlessly.
We are entering a new year, which is a time for setting and following new diet and fitness practices. And I have more experiments I want to try. My goal for 2026: tracking my calorie intake and maintaining a calorie deficit as much as possible. But I’ll be doing this within the framework of Diwekar’s food philosophy, so I can meet my food goals but with maximum joy.
As told to Raaina Jain
* Please consult your doctor before trying new foods or diet.
