From the importance of eating mindfully to better gut health, not seeing carbohydrates as villains to the importance of exercising, renowned nutritionist and author, Kavita Devgan gives us the whole picture of healthy living in conversation with Prachi Raturi
When you wear so many hats with an effortless charm and a warm smile, you are bound to have a fan following of sorts. It is another thing that Kavita Devgan, popular nutritionist, author, columnist and speaker would rather focus on things that should matter than pay attention to fads.
With a firm focus on sensible eating, traditional knowledge , nurturing one’s body and mind with nutritious wholesome food, Kavita, with over 25 years of practice, has not only authored several books but also won the love and trust of several individual including celebrities like, Kalki Koechlin, Amish Tripathi, Kapil Dev, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Dr Devi Shetty, Dr Siddharth Mukherjee, Dr Ashok Seth, and Prof K Srinath Reddy to name a few.
A firm believer in the fact that a healthy mind and body are deeply interconnected, Kavita has stood by The Mind Diaries like a pillar of support. Speaking at our events and helping carry the message of healthy in mind, healthy in body to more and more people, Kavita Devgan once again gracefully agreed to give us a detailed interview on healthy eating for a healthy mind. Excerpts from the interview:
How did you get interested in nutrition?
Well, my dad wanted me to become a doctor and I even took up bio in plus two because of that (and also because I enjoyed the subject). He was really keen but by the time I finished my 12th class I had made up my mind not to study medicine. I wasn’t very clear about what I really wanted to pursue but somehow, I was totally clear that I did not see myself as a doctor. So even though dad tried to convince me, I resisted and finally got my way. Luckily, I am like this: once I make up my mind I stick to it. So, then I decided to study Home Science (honours) with specialisation in nutrition at Delhi University as I found that more interesting than other science streams like botany or zoology. And thank God for that as it was love at first lesson for me. As I realised the potential for prevention, I was sure this is what I wanted to do. What helped was that I was naturally, maybe genetically a healthy eater (thanks to Mom’s efforts), so I was a good fit. I followed up my graduation with a specialisation in Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition and then post an internship at Safdarjung Hospital, I was a qualified Dietician, ready to practice.
How have you seen the approach to food and nutrition in our society change over time?
Our diets are in constant flux and over the last century eating habits have changed dramatically. What we eat has become completely different from what our grandparents ate, and this is where we have gone completely wrong. Turning back the clock and revisiting some of those time-tested common sense-based approaches is the need of the hour, to help put a lid on the lifestyle diseases epidemic we are facing today.
Does comfort food comfort the mind too?
Food and memory are closely tied, and certain foods are powerfully linked to memories of happier times, mostly of our childhood. These foods go on to become our comfort foods. Thus, when nostalgia strikes, we succumb to them. So, very often the comfort we get from comfort food actually has less to do with food or the ingredients and more to do with the memories surrounding it. That is why everyone’s idea of comfort food varies. Mine could be an ajwain parantha, and yours could be khichri or roshagulla.
Even as we grow older, food never stays just nutrition, or just calories and protein, but something that’s firmly attached to our memory, senses and feelings of well-being. No wonder, it is food we all turn to in times of stress, distress and anxiety.
And there is science behind it. Anything that gives us pleasurable feelings triggers a reward centre in our brain called the nucleus accumbens. It’s a part of our brain which works on dopamine and endorphins, chemicals which make us feel good. This is why certain foods create actual and very real ‘comfort’ in our minds by boosting happiness too.
Our diets are in constant flux and over the last century eating habits have changed dramatically.What we eat has become completely different from what our grandparents ate, and this is where we have gone completely wrong.
And what would you call healthy comfort food?
I believe that comfort foods are a blend of science and emotions and that’s why they work. Popular thinking and the voice of reason tells us that emotional eating is bad. I agree! But comfort foods when used smartly do not come under this ‘emotional eating’ umbrella. It is, I believe, a tool to be used sparingly to be effective. Like our elders did, keeping special foods special by serving them only on special occasions.
Memories lead to calories. The bad news here is that extra servings of comfort food may come with potentially dangerous baggage – extra fat around the abdomen. But this can be avoided if instead of trying to fill our emotional void with new age junk masquerading as comfort food, we stick to our childhood comfort foods, as those are likely to be home cooked (which is always a good thing).
Please know that comfort and junk foods are completely distinct. Comfort foods are not just emotional anchors but are also usually nutritionally sound, and the latter merely offer a sugar and calorie rush. Eating so-called ‘junk foods’ high in fat, sugar and salt does activate the brain’s reward system, but that high is transient. It’s not the deep reward of real comfort.
So, before you order that humongous burger or open a packet of chips, ask yourself if your grandma would have fed you this when you were happy or sad. The answer is no, right. So, choose wisely!
There is a lot of talk suddenly about gut health and gut reset. How important is it and what are the natural ways of enhancing a healthy gut?
We all know enough about the connection of our gut and our health. How healthy it is determines a lot of important things for us: our immunity, longevity, energy levels, weight, even the glow of our skin.
But new research is pointing towards an interesting direction. Apparently, there is a strong connection and the key to better mental health can be found in our gut. New thinking is that our gut’s health can affect our mood and even have a say in whether we are at risk for anxiety and depression.
The obvious question that arises now is can simple dietary tweaks change our mental well-being? Well, it seems they absolutely can! So, eat carefully – and to stay brain healthy.
Here are some gut boosting tips.
- Eat a balanced diet. Very often what we are eating (even if we are trying to eat super healthy – low-fat this and low-fat that) can actually be making things worse for our mind. So, focus on eating a balanced diet that has all food groups, fats included, as both our gut and our brain need good fats to stay good.
- Eat a happy diet. What you eat has the power to make you feel good or really bad as food affects our emotions directly. So, what’s an unhappy meal? Well, boiled cabbage cannot make anyone happy. It can only make you bored. And it’s the same for any insipid food that doesn’t excite your taste buds. So, there is no point in trying to throw all that down your throat. By the way, science also says that when you eat food that you don’t enjoy, nutrient absorption is very low. So, what’s the whole point! Really!
- Eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Inflammation is usually a result of our exposure to multiple chemicals and additives, and new research is showing that markers of inflammation are found to be elevated in depressed people, so be careful about what you plate. Cut out all (or at least as much as you can) processed and sugary foods and see your gut get more efficient and as a result your energy levels go up and mood get buoyant. Eat as much whole, real foods as possible and include known anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric, garlic and ginger in your diet daily. Leaky gut fans the flames of inflammation and depression, so avoid all low nutrient and gut damaging foods.
- Boost good bacteria. Eat more plant and dietary fibre, as they can help you achieve and maintain microbiota diversity, which is extremely important for scoring a clearer mind and happier disposition. Eating fermented and probiotic foods is a good idea.
- Heal your gut constantly. We live in toxic times, so every now and then do a sensible detox (not a crash detox as that will only harm more). Not only will it help you lose weight, but it might also just keep you away from depression too.
Could you guide our readers about what are some good foods for some common mental health conditions, besides of course consulting mental health professionals?
Sometimes your feeling unhappy has nothing to do with your circumstance, but everything to do with what you are (or not) plating. Yes, there are clearly some happy nutrients and happy foods, deficiency of which can send you down the (moody) blue lane fast enough. And eating them consciously can have a very positive effect on our mood. Here are some feel good foods.
Turmeric
It tastes bitter but is exactly what you need to stay super healthy and depression free. That is thanks to the much-feted compound curcumin in it, which helps lift levels of the neuro-chemicals – norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin – and make us happier as a result.
Walnuts
Walnuts are a rare vegetarian source rich in mood-boosting omega-3 fatty acids, a nutrient our body needs to fight off inflammation in the brain, which leads to depression.
Guava
Not many people know that guavas are loaded with vitamin C. They contain four times the vitamin C than oranges. Now besides being an effective immune booster and an anti-aging agent for our skin and collagen, C is an effective natural anti-depressant too.
Chickpea
This is loaded with happy mood B vitamins: vitamin B1, or thiamine, which promotes brain and nervous system health, and folate (B9) and B6, pyridoxin, which helps regulate mood by helping the body make the happiness hormones serotonin and norepinephrine.
Pumpkin seeds
They have a slight crunch, interesting green colour, and nutty flavour and come from the humble pumpkin. Besides iron and magnesium, they deliver a lot of zinc, whose influence on mood is very well known. Zinc modulates brain functions like appetite, sleep, cognitive function and mood. Plus, they are highly concentrated in an amino acid called tryptophan, which helps lower anxiety levels and keep us calm.
How balanced would you call a typical Indian meal?
Indian cuisine does not get its due. Rarely does it get listed in the healthy cuisines of the world lists. That’s sad, because it has a lot going for it – not just taste wise, but health wise too. But here I am talking about the balanced Indian diet, which automatically prioritised portion control and promoted eating variety – two big rules of eating right. Today, of course we have moved far away from it, and eat a primarily restricted version of the traditional thali, and that is not balanced at all.
Carbs are suddenly the villains and proteins are on a pedestal. How does one not get affected by all one sees and hears about what to eat and what not to eat?
Carbs are maligned the world over by fitness fanatics, fad diet roll out experts, gullible celebs and often also by not so clued in (and easily swayed by trends) nutrition experts.
In fact, every possible disorder happening today is being blamed on carbohydrates, making them the most rapped food group in the last decade. Time to change that and enter this ‘still’ new year and nascent new decade early on.
Here are some things that can be done:
Control carbs
Now I didn’t say to cut out all carbs, but rather to eat fewer carbs. These diet secrets are meant as lifestyle changes for you to stick with for the long term. Eating fewer carbs is a realistic and very effective way to flatten your tummy
Stop carb bashing
Even when on a diet don’t depend just on protein, carbs are important too. Your food should add up to 40 per cent carbohydrates, 35 per cent protein, and 25 per cent fat.
Stay happy
Tryptophan from protein works best when consumed in conjunction with a small bit of carbohydrate. Why do you think dieters tend to become depressed about two weeks into a diet? Because by that time their serotonin levels have dropped immensely due to decreased carbohydrate intake. Also, complex carbohydrates are broken down slowly by the body, ensuring a slow and steady release of energy into the bloodstream, keeping blood sugar levels constant and your mood upbeat.
Everyone talks about having the last meal by 7pm. What is the advice for those who can’t?
The popular advice going round is that dinner should definitely be over by 7. Well, it’s both right and wrong. It’s right to an extent because it makes good sense to finish your last meal at least several hours (about 2-3 hours seems to be the consensus) before you go to sleep. Ideally one would think that an average person will go to bed at 10, so that’s how I suppose it has been calculated. But being a stickler for time (7 PM) is not the crucial point here, as some people go to sleep by 11, some by 12, some even earlier by 9 (yes, many do) so one can adjust/stretch the time for dinner accordingly and nothing will go wrong. What is more important is to understand the reason behind this.
First reason is the simple fact that those who eat later tend to eat more (calories). Why? Usually because one has stretched hunger by then, so portion control goes out of the window. As it is we eat lopsided in India: dinner is our heaviest meal whereas it should be lightest, and we also habitually tend to eat late. Double whammy there!
Second, a heavy meal just before sleeping can lead to indigestion and thus interfere with our sleep leading to not just a sluggish morning the next day but terrible acid reflux (which shows up as heartburn) through the night too. When we go to bed without giving enough time to the body to digest our big meal and sleep on the side or even on our back (that’s practically most of us) then our digestive juices slide into the oesophagus and cause heart burn, which (let me scare you further) if left unchecked might lead to bloating, nausea and may even lead to asthma.
How does stress affect our eating patterns. Are there any tips to eat more mindfully?
Stress can definitely mess up our diet big time. Here are some basic steps to mindful eating.
Chew more
Chew your food properly. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to respond to increased glucose levels (due to the food) and get the ‘I’m full’ message. So, if you eat at supersonic speed, you’ll end up eating much more than you should.
Stop emotional eating
Learn to recognise it. Emotional hunger comes suddenly and needs to be satisfied instantly, whereas physical hunger occurs gradually and can wait. Also, when you are actually hungry any food will do but for comfort eating, only comfort foods work.
Plan dinner beforehand
It really helps to have a meal ready – or almost ready – to eat for dinner. Make sure the fridge is stocked with healthy staples such as stir-fry ingredients (tomatoes, diced carrots, boiled peas, mushrooms, avocados) and a few healthy add-ons like low fat cheeses, along with beans and pulses and whole wheat pasta.
Only eat when eating
When you are eating, avoid all distractions, and just focus on your food … look at it, taste it, feel it … let your stomach extract the maximum possible nutrients.
Know your portions
Practice portion control consciously. Your portion could decide just how many extra calories you are wolfing down on a daily basis. When the portion size of a dish is too large, share your dish. Use smaller size plates and glasses to serve food for yourself.
Hydrate well
Very often what you perceive as hunger is only dehydration. So, before you pick up that cookie, have some water first. Enough water will keep all body systems chugging along well too.
Snack smart
Plan for smart snacks. Besides the three main meals, have two protein and fibre rich snacks with a warm beverage. For example, green tea with pickled vegetables and protein rich pistachios or buttermilk with fruit and apple butter and some cheese.
Keep it real
Stick to real food as much as possible, as that’s the way to unconsciously (and automatically) construct nutrient dense diets, which will help construct a disease-free body for you.
Would you like to share any cases where your guidance towards the right food helped them with a mental health issue?
Almost everyone today comes with gut issues, whether they realise it or not. And in most cases, it has started affecting their mood, memory and brain (focus, concentration, etc). In fact, brain fog is a very common problem today, even in the younger age group. Renaming their diet, including functional foods, and adjusting for food allergies has helped many of my clients sort out mental issues.
How does being fit affect our mind?
Exercise releases endorphins, which are known as ‘feel-good’ hormones that improve our mood.
It also helps increase self-confidence, helps people relax and lower anxiety and depression.
Kavita’s books
Don’t Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People
Ultimate Grandmother Hacks: 50 Kickass Traditional Habits for a Fitter You
Fix It with Food: Superfoods to Become Super Healthy
The Don’t Diet Plan:A No-Nonsense Guide to Weight Loss
The Immunity Diet: Fight off Infections and Live Your Best Life
500 Recipes: Simple Tricks for Stress Free Cooking