Rujuta Diwekar: The ghar ka khana nutritionist

Hindustan Times

05-06-2025

It is true that Rujuta Diwekar's popularity graph rose, thanks to actor Kareena Kapur's size zero. Equally, she has a lot more to her than the Kareena Kapoor tag.
Rujuta is a nutritionist with a difference; one who has the confidence to junk nutritionists and say 'no one needs one'. A firm believer that 'nutritionists only confuse people', Rujuta is also among those who say No to supplements; Yes to gluten and is absolutely against diets, fads and deprivation. The fancier the name, be it the Keto diet or a rainbow one, the greater her aversion to it. Rujuta's Yes to mangoes and all fruits' is music to the ears of diabetics.
Mention avocado and she will give you a local substitute; say olive oil and she will replace it with an Indian homegrown cooking oil and so on and so forth. In essence, Rujuta is Indian and one who promotes whatever is grown and consumed in an average Indian home by hundreds and millions across the length and breadth of the country.
In her latest book, her tenth in a row, Rujuta has come up with an interesting connection of food and road rage: 'Hangry' to quote her. In other words, Hungry plus Angry.
While her 'eat everything' formula makes many dieticians and nutritionists see red, few know that Rujuta is involved in community work. Her Sonave Community Farming project, for instance, involves individuals in farming in her ancestral village. Apart from promoting fresh produce, it is an initiative that involves kids to farms and farming, provides pre-school meals and supports local farmers.
Rujuta was in the Capital last week to launch her book, 'The Commonsense Diet'. If she had her way, she would have knocked off 'diet' from the title but she gave in to the publisher.
If reports are anything to go by, it was Kareena who advised her to 'pen all her words' and reach out to those who cannot afford her. Yes, Rujuta is an expensive nutritionist and one who is out of reach for average men and women. The reason: she is good, speaks a lot of sense and is a celebrity nutritionist who is chased by celebrities including Alia Bhatt, Anil Ambani and Saif Ali Khan, among others.
In an exclusive interview amid her jam-packed schedule in Delhi, Rujuta busts myths about diets, fads and starvation.
Excerpts:
Gluten and wheat: Please eat them. Srikhand is all about gluten and wheat. Don't give up on gluten just because it is the latest trend; you shouldn't give up on dairy just because it is the latest trend
Supplements: If your daily diet is heavily dependent on supplements, it is the opposite of good health. Wholesomeness of our health comes from the wholesomeness that we have on our plate. One who eats dal chawal if you feed him on Quinoa, he will never lose weight. He will only get frustrated.
On Prime Minister Modi's advice on cutting oils: Reducing 10 percent of edible oil may be a difficult calculation to make but cutting down eating from packets, jitna packet khulta hai utna pet phulta hai, the more packets you open the more your stomach expands, is a good method to ensure our edible oil consumption is lesser not by 10 percent but even more. And delete food delivery apps.
On Kareena Kapoor's size zero: Kareena got to that fitness eating alu parantha, dal chawal, bananas and ghar ka khana, home food. That is the take-home message: that you eat food that is local, seasonal and traditional and you will be in the best shape. Call it size zero or fit or whatever. We confuse getting thin with being healthy. Thinness has nothing to do with good health.
On nutritionists: The answer is No. I don't think anyone ever needs a nutritionist. Look at what dieticians and nutritionists end up doing? They end up confusing people and get you to not eat the food you love
Disease-specific diets: There is no such thing as a disease-specific diet: if you have cancer, eat this; if you have diabetes, eat this or cholesterol ke liye yeh khao ,eat this for cholesterol or eat this for weight loss. You only need to eat balanced meals at home.
HANGRY: A state of being upset and hungry. If you are dieting and haven't eaten in a long time, then you will experience road rage, fights inthe office just because one has not eaten: Jo ghar se bina khaye nikalta hai voh har jang haarta hai, one who leaves home hungry loses every battle…
Of shapes and size: Your body should not be your burden. Everyone's body comes in a different size and different shape and in one's own life your body shape changes every five years
Exercise: When you overdo exercise your immunity dips. Today what has happened is that there is dysfunctional exercise wherein one's health gets worse than what it was at the start of the exercise. The goal of the exercise should NOT be to burn calories
Mangoes to diabetics: A YES when they are in season. Mangoes should be a part of your life. Even the American Diabetic Association recommends mangoes, in fact all fruits for diabetics.
English name obsession: the Sitaphal versus kiwi: We think that fruits that have names in theEnglish language are worthwhile and every native fruit seems to be problematic and every imported fruit a cure and an answer.