Radhi Devlukia On The Surprising Habits That Are HARMING Your Digestion

She describes how her mother cooked homemade meals daily even while working full-time, and how her grandma and dad contributed specific dishes and memories (including her dad’s mac and cheese). She says the cookbook is woven from family, heritage, comfort foods, and the feelings tied to who she ate with or who cooked for her.

She contrasts Western approaches she experienced in hospital work (often curative and system-driven) with Ayurveda’s emphasis on noticing early signals and preventing issues by tuning into the body. She also stresses that individuals can respond differently to the same food and should observe what works for them rather than follow generalized rules.

She explains mode of goodness (fresh, nourishing, high “prana” foods), mode of passion (intense flavors and activities that give immediate stimulation), and mode of ignorance (foods that feel heavy/lethargic such as deep-fried foods, old leftovers, and foods that have “lost their life”). She says these modes can affect body, mind, and consciousness because food carries energy.

She recommends tracking what you eat and how you feel two to three hours later to identify triggers, then using elimination to see what improves symptoms. She describes how ignoring early discomfort can escalate into louder signals and bigger issues, and says listening restores the body’s ability to communicate.

She says Ayurveda recommends eating until three-quarters satisfied so digestion isn’t overwhelmed; overeating can leave food undigested, fermenting, and causing discomfort and grogginess. She links mindful, slower eating (including pausing to look at food and expressing gratitude) to better digestion because the body begins preparing digestive enzymes even before the first bite.