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Jay Shetty PodcastJay Shetty Podcast

Radhi Devlukia On The Surprising Habits That Are HARMING Your Digestion

Jay’s wife Radhi is back on the podcast! This time, to share her extensive nutrition and digestive health wisdom!

Jay ShettyhostRadhi Devlukiaguest
Feb 26, 20241h 12mWatch on YouTube

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Transcript

  1. 0:00 – 2:43

    Intro

    1. JS

      Hey, everyone. Welcome back to On Purpose, the place you come to to become happier, healthier, and more healed. I'm so grateful that you're back here today, and I'm so excited to introduce you to my guest. This guest has been on the show more than anyone else.

    2. RD

      [laughs]

    3. JS

      She was the first guest ever on the show, and she's the cutest, most beautiful, most incredible guest we ever have had on the show. I'm of course speaking about the one, the only, hardest guest to book of all time-

    4. RD

      [laughs]

    5. JS

      ... longest commute to the studio of all time, my incredible wife, Radhi Devlukia. For those of you that don't know, Radhi is a clinical dietician, nutritionist, and always-learning cook. Radhi brings a modern approach to the ancient principles of holistic wellbeing and earned her Ayurvedic Health Counselor 1 degree at the California College of Ayurveda. Right now I couldn't be more excited or more proud of Radhi, because her book, her first ever book, is out right now. It's called JoyFull. It has more than 125 plant-based recipes, and it's all about cooking effortlessly, eating freely, and living radiantly. Obviously, I don't think I've ever wanted you to get a book more than this one, even more than my books.

    6. RD

      [laughs]

    7. JS

      This is the most important book that I want you to get this year. Please go and grab a copy. We've put the link in the caption, in the comments. Wherever you are right now, go and order JoyFull. Welcome to the show my amazing wife and the love of my life, Radhi Devlukia. Radhi.

    8. RD

      Thanks. Oh my gosh, you're so professional doing this.

    9. JS

      I mean, we've been doing it for a bit.

    10. RD

      [laughs]

    11. JS

      [laughs] It was better than the first time you came on, like, five years ago.

    12. RD

      This is amazing. Thanks for that intro.

    13. JS

      No, I love you so much.

    14. RD

      I really appreciate it.

    15. JS

      I'm genuinely so proud of you. Like, looking at this book, and obviously I've had the inside track-

    16. RD

      Mm-hmm

    17. JS

      ... of watching you work on this book for the last three years.

    18. RD

      I know.

    19. JS

      The amount of energy, the amount of effort, the amount of love-

    20. RD

      The amount of tears

    21. JS

      ... the amount of devotion-

    22. RD

      [laughs]

    23. JS

      ... that's gone into this book is amazing, and it's so beautiful.

    24. RD

      Thanks.

    25. JS

      And for those of you that don't know, when you do get it, you can take off this part, even though Radhi's face-

    26. RD

      You can take my face off

    27. JS

      ... you can take my favorite part off. And look how beautiful this is.

    28. RD

      Yeah. I made it that way.

    29. JS

      This is just a stunning, stunning book. Um-

    30. RD

      I wanted people to be able to have a coffee table book, but also know that it's my cookbook. But, um, I like the part where you can just take my face off and leave it on your table for little surprises inside.

  2. 2:43 – 5:48

    Recipes Inspired by Family

    1. JS

      know all the inside. So I wanna dive straight in, and one of the things I love about this book is the beautiful pictures you have-

    2. RD

      Mm

    3. JS

      ... with your family.

    4. RD

      Yeah.

    5. JS

      Your ba, who's your grandma, your mom, your dad. I'm in it as well, of course.

    6. RD

      You made a guest appearance.

    7. JS

      I, I got one picture.

    8. RD

      [laughs]

    9. JS

      Uh, but what I love is that your family have been such big inspirations for you-

    10. RD

      Mm-hmm

    11. JS

      ... in your cooking journey.

    12. RD

      Yeah.

    13. JS

      And I just wanted to go through your grandma-

    14. RD

      Mm-hmm

    15. JS

      ... mom, sister, family, dad. Like, you know, just the people in your life that have inspired you, and I wanted to know what have you learned from each of them-

    16. RD

      Mm-hmm

    17. JS

      ... or what have you gained from each of them in your cooking journey?

    18. RD

      I would say that because, one, both of us grew up in an Indian family, food is literally always has been and always will be the center of everything. Whether it's celebrations, whether it's making sure that we eat dinner every single day together. And so I think I've learned to form connections through eating because of having grown up with it. That is my place where I feel I can connect to someone the most, when we're sharing, you know, a delicious meal or a nice dessert together. Um, and so there's that, but also, you know, both our moms had full-time jobs growing up, but she still managed to make breakf- like, homemade breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day. And so watching her do that for us with so much love, and also f- eating her food and feeling her love through the food, I think my deep connection with food comes purely through that, to have, have, having experienced that from her. My grandma's the same. She passed everything down to my mom in that way. My mom was cooking with my grandma from the age of, like, 12, and she gets her love for it from her as well. And so I definitely think that it feels like something generational that's been passed down into me. And my dad, my dad is someone who [laughs] you know my dad. He's so quiet. He's so sweet. And whenever my mom would go away for work or anything, he would always step in and be someone who, he wouldn't be like, "Let's just order out." He would find something. He can make mac and cheese really well, so my dad's mac and cheese is in the cookbook. That's, like, my one memory of growing up. When my mom would go away, he would make this mac and cheese, and we'd, the one time we'd get to sit in front of the TV and eat.

    19. JS

      [laughs]

    20. RD

      And we'd eat mac and cheese and sit in front of the TV. And so I really, I feel like, I mean, which is the same as everyone, I'm sure, I could not have created this book without all of the inspiration that I've got from them. Like, all the recipes are so inspired by where we're from, like, from India, from our heritage of things that we've grown up eating. And then my mom and all the things that I feel like are my comfort foods when I think about her. And so actually, a lot of the recipes are connected to memories and things that I can, I can make and then feel the love and the energy of the person that I ate it with or that I cooked it with or that cooked it for me. It's completely weaved and, and just created through family. Like, that is what the book is about, and that is, that is what I hope people feel when they read it.

    21. JS

      Yeah. No, it comes across, and it's so beautiful because- You see all of those influences-

    22. RD

      Mm-hmm

    23. JS

      ... and all of those energies that come

  3. 5:48 – 10:30

    Studying Ayurvedic Medicine

    1. JS

      in.

    2. RD

      Yeah.

    3. JS

      And one of the most interesting things about you is that you obviously trained as a nutritionist, and then a dietician-

    4. RD

      Mm-hmm

    5. JS

      ... both of your degrees, and then you've become an Ayurvedic health counselor and studied Ayurveda-

    6. RD

      Mm-hmm

    7. JS

      ... as a big part of your learning journey. And I know you consider yourself a continuous student-

    8. RD

      Yeah

    9. JS

      ... and wanting to develop those skills. But walk me through how those two things have impacted your understanding of food.

    10. RD

      I started off doing my degree as a nutritionist and a dietician. And so then I was working in hospitals where I was seeing everything from diabetes clinics, to the elderly who are malnourished, to, um, little children, like pediatric clinics, trying to get little fussy eaters to eat a little bit more. And so I actually loved working in that environment. I loved being someone who could be patient facing, seeing them every week, trying to see their progress, and feeling like I had a direct impact to them. But the only part I kind of struggled with was naturally, when you're part of a system, you have to recommend what the system recommends. And so that was a bit difficult for me, because I always wanted to be food forward versus supplements or, um, you know, some- anything in a bottle. Um, but sometimes that's not, you know, the easiest or most efficient way. And so I definitely loved it, but I felt there was a slight disconnect. And then when we moved to New York, I threw myself back into study and I found Ayurveda. And for anybody who doesn't know what Ayurveda is, Ayur means life, Veda means knowledge, and it's basically the science of life. And it, as soon as I learnt about it, it clicked. Everything felt like it made complete sense. And it w- it felt just like when you go to a place and it feels like home, when I learnt about Ayurveda, I felt like I'd found my home in the practices, and the rituals, and the understanding of my body. The differences between the two were incredible. Like, you know, Western medicine and Western healing is all about curative. Like, you get to the point of disease, and then let's figure out how to cure it. Whereas in Ayurveda, it's all about how can we start understanding our body? How can we start noticing the symptoms, the things our body's trying to tell us, and how do we tune into that so that we catch everything a few steps before disease so we can actually have an opportunity to prevent it? And on top of that, it's so individual. Like, a lot of the time with Western medicine, it's one size fits all. Um, and I really appreciate so much of Western medicine, the diagnostics, like how we're able to figure things out through so many systems that we have. But the one thing we kind of lack is this individual nature of the way you eat a tomato, which we know. You eat a tomato and I eat a tomato whenever I make a meal, it affects you so differently to me. And so I love the individual nature of healing our body as me. Like, not what this person online is telling me, not what this book is telling me, but let me observe and be an active participant in my health-

    11. JS

      Mm

    12. RD

      ... every single day-

    13. JS

      Mm

    14. RD

      ... so that when I eat something, I'm not eating this salad because this person told me it was the best thing for their body. I know I'm eating it because it's the best thing for my body, and I feel it through the way my body feels, through how my digestion is. Yeah, those are, like, a couple of differences that I found. And then I just started learning more and more about this holistic practice and started practicing it. So now I know how it feels, and I can share it with other people, having practiced and lived it.

    15. JS

      I love that point that you just made about being an active participant-

    16. RD

      Mm

    17. JS

      ... in how you feel.

    18. RD

      Yeah.

    19. JS

      And I didn't start with this, but I wanted to say it now. Sadly, you had to give up all those patients and everyone you worked with to only have one patient.

    20. RD

      [laughs]

    21. JS

      [laughs] And that person's been me for the last eight years-

    22. RD

      Mm

    23. JS

      ... that you've been coaching me, and you've been my health coach and my health guru, and you have helped me with so many things. Whether it was really working on my sugar addiction, working on my addiction to soft drinks, fizzy drinks, what do they call them here? Sodas.

    24. RD

      Mm-hmm.

    25. JS

      So many things I had that I thought I'd figured out. So I loved meditating, and reading, and working on the mind, but I didn't want to physically work out.

    26. RD

      Mm.

    27. JS

      I didn't care about the body, and you helped me understand that. You probably switched my sleep schedule around. I think when we met, I was someone who could sleep a lot later, and now I sleep really, really early.

    28. RD

      Mm.

    29. JS

      And that was a big part of what you changed. And all of those have made me feel healthier and happier every single year-

    30. RD

      Mm

  4. 10:30 – 13:50

    How to Make Sustainable Changes In Your Body

    1. JS

      so what I love about this book is that you've taken all of that, and you've now made it accessible to anyone-

    2. RD

      Mm

    3. JS

      ... who wants to change their habits, and that's what's so amazing about this book. It's not a cookbook. In that, yes, it does have 125 recipes.

    4. RD

      [laughs]

    5. JS

      And it does have [laughs] it does have recipes.

    6. RD

      It is a cookbook, guys.

    7. JS

      It is a cookbook.

    8. RD

      [laughs]

    9. JS

      But it really has all of these day-to-day guides-

    10. RD

      Mm

    11. JS

      ... on habits, and how to change your rituals, and your morning routine, and your evening routine, and practices with food and without-

    12. RD

      Yeah

    13. JS

      ... that improve your life. And so as someone who's been a recipient of your coaching-

    14. RD

      Mm-hmm

    15. JS

      ... and of your guidance, I'm so excited that everyone gets to have this now through JoyFull.

    16. RD

      Well, you've been such a good student. I feel like I haven't even had, it hasn't really been you being a student. You've always wanted to make yourself better in some way, and I think that's the difference, right? Like, you can ... We know this from having parents and, you know, having different teachers in our life, that I've learnt best through observing someone or experiencing how amazing they are through the practices that they've done. And so when I was writing the book, I knew I wanted it to come from a place of love and knowledge, because I think that is the place where people learn the best and make the- ... make sustainable change. It's like I can tell people that eating a certain way is terrible for you, and you're gonna die early and like whatever it is that, you know, you could say to really scare someone into it. But that just makes them either wanna hide from themselves, or it makes them want to curl up into a ball and kind of be like, "I need to ignore this because this is too much information, and it's overwhelming."

    17. JS

      Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

    18. RD

      And I do think what you said about, you know, me teaching you, you were an active participant in your health, and I think that is actually the key. Like, for me, I've intertwined ... I said when I first wrote this cookbook, I was like, "I do not want it to just be a cookbook." I love sharing food with people. It is my love language, but what I want more is food is just one aspect. Like, we all know food is just one pillar of our health. And then to be able to intertwine throughout your day all of these micro, these micro habits that create such a major impact, and that's what it did for me. Like, one of the things in there is breathwork, and I think about this so much, and I just took a deep breath now because breath has honestly saved me from being someone who has mass anxiety going into things that I find so difficult. And by the way, not even difficult things, things that I find difficult, so going into events where there's lots of people, be- coming onto interviews and speaking in places where I don't have full control over it. Like, having all those m- mi- minor things which actually impacted me so much, breathwork has been the one thing that's allowed my mind to slow down, for me to collect my thoughts, um, for me to energize myself in the afternoon, for me to help relax me in the evening. And so I've shared breathworks to, like, really take people through their day to, to tackle and, and handle everything that comes our way. And so from breathwork to the way that we eat and the way that we connect to our food, all of that helps us create more joyful moments throughout the day. And the more joyful moments you have throughout the day, the more joy you end up with every single day. Like, it, it accumulates throughout the day.

    19. JS

      I wanna dive into some things in the book now-

    20. RD

      Yeah, please

    21. JS

      ... because I wanna give people a sense of how this cookbook is shaped and curated-

    22. RD

      Mm-hmm

    23. JS

      ... in order to help people.

  5. 13:50 – 18:35

    The Three Modes in Ayurveda

    1. RD

      Yeah.

    2. JS

      And I wanted to start off by asking you this question about the modes because you break down the modes-

    3. RD

      Mm

    4. JS

      ... as, like, a big part of your book.

    5. RD

      Yeah.

    6. JS

      And you talk about the three. Could you walk us through these three modes and how we think about food when it comes to these three?

    7. RD

      Yeah, so the three modes in Ayurveda, essentially they're the, um, energies of the world, of everything that we eat, of everything that exists externally and internally. And so there's the mode of goodness, the mode of passion, and the mode of ignorance. And so I've spoken about it in the sense of our lifestyle and our food. That's how I've focused it in the book. And so mode of goodness, um, are basically foods which make you feel good. Like, on a basic level, it's foods that nourish you deeply, that, that nourish your body, that, that f- are filled with prana. Now, prana is life force, and what that means is, um, having the most amount of vitality and energy in that, in that produce. And so a simple way to explain it would be you pick an apple from the tree. At that point, that apple has the most amount of nutrient value. It has the most amount of life in it. It's just been taken from the tree. It has, you know, the most, it's m- the most abundant in that form. And then you take it home, and you leave it out for a couple of days. And you leave it out, and slowly, slowly the quality externally starts getting bad. You see these brown spots that come up. Um, and then slowly it starts getting mushy inside. And so the thing is you could eat something in its purest form, or it can end up degrading and becoming something which can move through the modes, down to something that's no longer beneficial for you. But the point is trying to eat the most amount of foods that, that form within this, that fall within this mode of goodness. And so the types of foods would be fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, um, you know, like avocados, and, like, just all the foods that come from a fresh, natural place. And so if you possibly can, buy organic where you can. The less chemicals, the less, um, things that are put onto your foods that are unnatural, the better. And then lifestyle-wise, mode of goodness are, again, the things that don't just make you feel good in the moment but actually bring goodness to your life long term. And so a lot of the time we mistake our temporary joys for things which are good for us, and the thing is learning how to differentiate the two. So you know that for me, when I'm eating, um, a sugary doughnut, in the moment it brings me joy, and sometimes that's great. But actually, in the long term, it may ruin my sleep. It may make me lethargic in the morning. And so the foods that actually bring energy and good digestion, all the things that make your bodily systems feel good, those are the foods in the mode of goodness, and also the activities are the same. Um, and then when you get to the mode of passion, so all those foods that you eat that give you immediate gratification, so the sour, the salty, the, um, the chili, all the things that you'd put into your food to create that kind of burst of flavor into it, those are still okay to have but again in moderation. Mode of goodness being the larger amounts of foods and activities that you do. Mode of passion will be a really intense workout that gets you sweating, and you're like, "Ugh," at the end of it. You know, it really gets your aggression out, so that's a mode of passion activity. And the foods would be what I just said, like chilies and sour foods and spices that are really intense.

    8. JS

      And they have their place as well.

    9. RD

      Of course they do. All of these have their place, by the way. They all have their place. But as we go down, you have to have less and less of those foods. And then, um, the last one is mode of ignorance, and those are the foods that essentially make your body feel lifeless and lethargic and make your digestion feel sluggish. Um, and those type of foods end up being foods which are deep-fried because it's so dense and heavy in oil, leftovers, foods that have gone r- bad in the fridge that have been there for a long time, basically food that have lost their life. And, um, according to Ayurveda, also meat and, and foods which no longer have life in them, like animals that have, have died, and then they, they no longer have that vitality. And so Yeah, it's just being mindful about all the things that fit into those modes and how they're affecting you. And it's not just on our body, it has the ability to affect our mind and our consciousness too, because everything carries energy. So whatever energy that food has when we're, we're digesting it, it's also assimilating into our blood, and then our bones, and then our entire being. And so it can also affect our mind. So a lot of the foods in those categories, they also will affect our mind in the same way they affect our body.

    10. JS

      And I love this because I know you've

  6. 18:35 – 23:04

    Listening To Your Body’s Cues

    1. JS

      done this for yourself before. You keep, and I've been, you've t- recommended it for me to do as well, is doing like a food diary-

    2. RD

      Yeah

    3. JS

      ... or food audit for a week, and actually just testing it out.

    4. RD

      Yeah.

    5. JS

      Because I think sometimes we don't realize how subconsciously-

    6. RD

      Mm-hmm

    7. JS

      ... some of these things work and how subtly they work.

    8. RD

      Yeah.

    9. JS

      And if you hadn't taught me in how to spot these things, where it's like, "Well, did you sleep badly? Oh, wait a minute, what did you eat the night before?"

    10. RD

      Mm.

    11. JS

      Right? Often we think it's so mental-

    12. RD

      Yeah

    13. JS

      ... but so often it is physical.

    14. RD

      Mm-hmm.

    15. JS

      It is biological. It is to do with what you consumed.

    16. RD

      Yeah. We've, I think we've tuned out of our body so much. You know when they say about your own inner voice of when your inner voice, when you've got too many voices that you have allowed to be louder and louder around you, your inner voice becomes, you know, quiet or it becomes dampened. In the same way, our inner cues, our inner intuition about our own body, we kind of end up losing that because we're constantly hearing, "Avocados are amazing for you," so you end up eating an avocado every day, even if it's making your tummy feel bad. "These salads are amazing for you," so then you end up eating those salads. And slowly your body is screaming at you. Well, first of all, it starts to whisper, and it's like, "Oh, it's a bit f- I feel a bit uncomfortable," and then you ignore it. And then you're like, "Oh, my skin is breaking out and," or, "I'm losing my hair," or, you know, your external symptoms start to come, and still you're like, "It's nothing to do with my food. You know, I'm gonna keep eating this." And so you slowly, slowly start quietening your own bodily cues that you completely start to deteriorate your body just because you've stopped listening to it. And then your body stops communicating to you. And if it does, it will scream at you until your body gets to the point of breaking down. You get IBS, or you, you end up getting gut issues. You end up getting skin issues. And so we don't seem to be able to catch ourselves in the point of, "Oh, I'm feeling a little bit uncomfortable today. I wonder what it was that made me feel uncomfortable."

    17. JS

      Mm.

    18. RD

      And so the diary's really important, because if you do struggle with any physical, you know, problems at the moment, digestive issues, whatever, start doing the diary of, "This is what I ate, and this is how it made me feel two to three hours after." That's usually how long it will start taking to digest your food. And then start pairing that up with, "Okay, this didn't make me feel good, so I'm gonna cut that out and let me see how I feel." It's a process of elimination. And it does take a little bit of work, but it makes such a difference-

    19. JS

      Mm-hmm

    20. RD

      ... because then you're not, then your body will start talking to you a little bit more the more you listen to it.

    21. JS

      Yeah. It's like what I told you last night, where I've been exercising, I've been meditating-

    22. RD

      Yeah

    23. JS

      ... I've been feeling really great, I've been sleeping really well, and then for the past four nights, I've just had such a busy schedule-

    24. RD

      Yeah

    25. JS

      ... that my morning routine, evening routine, everything went out of whack.

    26. RD

      Mm-hmm.

    27. JS

      And then last night, I was like, "I just need to eat sugar," and I know-

    28. RD

      Sugar

    29. JS

      ... exactly why.

    30. RD

      I know.

  7. 23:04 – 27:33

    Eat Until You’re Satisfied, Not Stuffed

    1. RD

      Yeah.

    2. JS

      So number two is called eat until satisfied, not stuffed.

    3. RD

      Mm.

    4. JS

      And I was thinking that until I met you, I definitely believed that I would eat till my limit.

    5. RD

      Yeah.

    6. JS

      And now I'm, like, wanting to know what's made, and how much there is, and everything else.

    7. RD

      Yeah.

    8. JS

      But walk us through why it's important to eat until satisfied, not stuffed.

    9. RD

      Yeah. In Ayurveda it says that you should eat until you're three-quarters f- satisfied, not full. And so what that means is not getting yourself to the point... So there's such a fine line between eating enough to fuel our body, and then eating so much that it then makes us feel drowsy, lethargic afterwards. And so learning what those cues are for your body is really important. And so- It's easier for our body to digest when we haven't overstuffed it. Like, think of your stomach as like a, a, a furnace, where you're constantly keep putting things on top. And so naturally there's only a certain amount of digestive juices that are flowing in your digestive system. So it's like it produces enough for the amount that you should be eating, and then you end up overdoing it and overwhelming it, where your digestive juices aren't actually allowed or aren't able to digest everything that's in there. So then what happens is your food remains undigested. Your undigested food ends up fermenting in your stomach. You then get gut discomfort. You then feel a bit s- slothy after your meals.

    10. JS

      You feel bloated.

    11. RD

      Feel bloated. So then those, those foods end up fermenting, producing toxins in the body. Then you start getting headaches and just feeling really groggy, or then you're like, "I wonder why I feel this way. I just ate a full meal. I felt energized. But for s- I, I thought I would get energy from it, but instead it's made me feel worse." And so the three-quarters full thing is you will know when you've eaten too much when you, instead of feeling energized by the meal you're eating, you feel the opposite. You feel lethargic. You feel, um, under the weather. You feel groggy. And so that's a good indication to you that maybe you've either eaten the wrong foods, or most likely you've eaten a little bit too much.

    12. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    13. RD

      And so the way to actually make sure you do that is conscious eating, and like mindfully eating. Because the fact is when you're distracted, you've got a burrito in one hand, you're typing on the other, you're talking to people, uh, like, like you're all over the place. So what happens is when you end up, um, eating your food, you haven't yet prepped your body to say-

    14. JS

      Mm-hmm

    15. RD

      ... "Hey, by the way, food's coming." And so when your body knows that, by the way, you may not have even looked at what you're eating. Food start, your digestion starts as soon as you look at food. That's the beginning of when our digestive juices start flowing. Our tongue knows to produce the enzymes it needs to start, you know, digesting the food from the mouth. And so when you don't give it enough notice, you start eating and your body's like, "Oh, I wasn't ready to digest all this food."

    16. JS

      Mm.

    17. RD

      And so the taking, looking at the food, you know, having a prayer of gratitude just before you eat, a second with the food to tell your body, "Food is coming to nourish you now." Then taking a bite, slowly eating it. You'll notice that when you eat slowly, and by the way, I don't mean you have to long out your meal for, like, an hour. It's just taking a bite at a time instead of eating a bite before the last bite's finished. Um, when you do that, you'll notice, oh, I actually only made it through like three-quarters of this burrito, and actually I feel s- actually great. Like, this, this feels good for me. This feels like enough. Um, whereas if you eat that fast, your body doesn't even get to tell you, "Oh, okay, I'm stuffed now," until it's too late.

    18. JS

      Mm, absolutely.

    19. RD

      Yeah.

    20. JS

      And then the next one that you were kind of leading onto is this idea of chewing your food.

    21. RD

      Mm.

    22. JS

      Like, the importance of that. But before I do that, I wanna talk about the one you just said, like, I think it's so, so, so interesting to hear about how the digestive process starts.

    23. RD

      I know.

    24. JS

      Like, until I met you, I'd never heard that in my entire life of-

    25. RD

      Mm-hmm

    26. JS

      ... oh, wait a minute, my body actually has to be ready to eat.

    27. RD

      Mm-hmm.

    28. JS

      But that actually makes so much sense.

    29. RD

      Yeah. [laughs]

    30. JS

      It's like when you go to a restaurant, you order what you want, and then they have to prepare it.

  8. 27:33 – 30:03

    Why You Need To Chew Your Food Properly

    1. RD

      feels too.

    2. JS

      Mm, mm. Chewing your food.

    3. RD

      Chewing your food. Oh, okay, so I have this memory of my dada, my grandad, every time we would sit down for a meal, he would b- remind all of us, "You have to chew," I think it was like 32 or, like, some- 32 times, like, "Chew your food." And so everyone would have to sit there chewing their food like 32 times. [laughs] You don't have to do it 32 times. That's, like, the recommended amount, because the fact is the more you digest in your mouth, which is what our teeth are for, the more that you break it down, the less work our stomach has to do.

    4. JS

      Mm.

    5. RD

      So [laughs] if you're eating food-

    6. JS

      It's huge

    7. RD

      ... even if it's small, even if it's big, it's like our teeth were made to break down the food. Our tongue was made to release the enzymes to break it down. You skip that part, your stomach's doing double the work than it needs to. Chewing your food, so if you're having digestive issues, one of the simplest things you could do is chew your food a little bit better.

    8. JS

      Mm.

    9. RD

      Because if your digestive juices or your gut is a little bit weaker, it's gonna find it even harder to break things down. So whether it's raw foods, you know, sometimes cooked foods you can get away with, soups you can get away with, of course, but the things you have to really pay attention to chewing more are the things with roughage around it, so, like, more fiber around it, the beans, um, salads. When you're eating salads especially, chew it well so that it gets broken down.

    10. JS

      I, I mean, that's such a simple, yet huge point.

    11. RD

      Yeah.

    12. JS

      I know as, as someone who eats very fast-

    13. RD

      Yeah. [laughs]

    14. JS

      ... and you've slowed me down so much, but I always found that I had to eat quick because when I worked in the corporate world-

    15. RD

      Mm

    16. JS

      ... you didn't really get a lunch, and so you'd quickly eat, and you didn't wanna be seen eating 'cause you were always being judged for not working hard enough.

    17. RD

      Oh, wow.

    18. JS

      And so I got into this habit of, like, eating really, really quick. And what I realized was, yes, I could eat quick, but it's exactly what you said. I wasn't chewing my food properly. Obviously I'm then getting cramps or feeling bloated or whatever else it may be.

    19. RD

      Yeah, you're not feeling good.

    20. JS

      And you don't feel good, and now you're not working-

    21. RD

      Yeah. [laughs]

    22. JS

      ... or you're not alert at work-

    23. RD

      Yeah, yeah, yeah

    24. JS

      ... because you're not feeling great anymore.

    25. RD

      That's so true.

    26. JS

      And so it sounds so simple-

    27. RD

      Mm-hmm

    28. JS

      ... but that ability to chew your food effectively, and I love what you said about how the stomach's doing double the work.

    29. RD

      Mm-hmm.

    30. JS

      Again, we don't look at our body as a system.

  9. 30:03 – 31:48

    Cook and Eat With Your Hands!

    1. JS

      This one was intriguing to me because you put eat and cook with your hands.

    2. RD

      Yes. You know, I mean, if it, in our culture, in Indian culture, and in many of Eastern traditions, you eat with your hands. And again, that's another way, it's another sign to your body, because we've gotten used to holding metal things, so our body doesn't actually know. It could think that we're about to saw something. It could think that we're about to write something, you know. There's no connection. It's, it's dead material that you're holding onto. And so you start cutting your food up, and your, your body's looking at it, but it doesn't quite understand. Like, so I can see the food, but I can't touch the food. [laughs]

    3. JS

      Yeah.

    4. RD

      And then suddenly you put it into your mouth, and it's like, oh, we're eating now. So our hands have nerves, and as soon as they start feeling the food, um, you know, even with children, if you think about it, touch and texture is such an important part of your body recognizing what you're doing. And so that's just another indication to your body that you are about to eat. Um, and also a connection to food, again, we have such a disconnect to the food that we're eating. It doesn't kind of allow you to do anything else. Your hands are a little bit dirty. You're connecting with the food that you're eating. Um, and so one, it removes distraction and you doing other things, and two, it just allows you to reconnect back to the food that you're eating.

    5. JS

      It helps when your hands are a cooking pan. Like, you can hold really-

    6. RD

      I know. [laughs]

    7. JS

      [laughs] You can hold really hot food.

    8. RD

      I can hold it.

    9. JS

      Like, I'm like-

    10. RD

      My mom calls it asbest-

    11. JS

      I, I'll literally throw something into the air, and you'll just be, like, standing there going, "What is your issue?"

    12. RD

      Yeah. My mom calls them asbest- asbestos hands. I don't know what that means, but she's always called it that. I think it's, like, a thing when they were younger, like asbestos. But, uh, my mom has it too. I think it's just a cook thing.

    13. JS

      Yeah.

    14. RD

      You just get, like, numb at the f- at the, uh, tips of your fingers. You just pick anything up. [laughs]

    15. JS

      [laughs]

  10. 31:48 – 34:18

    Avoid Cold Drinks and Iced Beverages

    1. JS

      Uh, one more that I wanted to focus out of all of these, like I said, there's nine. I'm just picking-

    2. RD

      Yeah, yeah

    3. JS

      ... some of my favorites, was, and this one I think is a big one for people, and this one was a big one for me, avoid cold drinks and iced beverages.

    4. RD

      This is one that whenever I've shared it with people who have had gut issues, without fail, they've said, "Oh my God, my gut has changed so much since I stopped drinking cold drinks." Game changer. And the reason is your body, when it is starting to eat, is creating heat. Like, if you think about a furnace, you think about a fire, for it to burn something, our digestion is like a fire. It needs heat. So there's your body trying to build up this heat and, and take all its energy towards your stomach, and then you're going, and then dampening the fire. Dampening the fire over and over again. As your body's just heating up, the acids are just building up, and then you're like, "Oh, let me dilute the acids, and let me dampen the fire, the digestive fire that's happening." One part of it is the cold drink, like the cold part of it that's dampening the fire, and the other part is too much liquid when you're eating is diluting your digestive juices. What's recommended is, like, a half a cup of warm water or some, a warm tea that you can, maybe with some spices for your digestion, um, drinking that slowly, sip at a time, as you're eating your food. And then, like, half an hour after or half an hour before, you can, if you really want to, you can drink your drink. [laughs]

    5. JS

      [laughs]

    6. RD

      Yeah.

    7. JS

      Yeah, no, it's such a, and it's so common, right? Like, I grew up in a house where I would have a can of Sprite-

    8. RD

      Yeah

    9. JS

      ... chilled right next to my meal.

    10. RD

      With a pizza.

    11. JS

      Yeah.

    12. RD

      Yeah, something.

    13. JS

      Fries, whatever else it may be.

    14. RD

      Yeah.

    15. JS

      And you get so used to it.

    16. RD

      Mm-hmm.

    17. JS

      Or, like, you know, we have a friend who will just put loads of ice into water-

    18. RD

      Yeah

    19. JS

      ... when they're just about to have their meal.

    20. RD

      Yeah.

    21. JS

      And it's so normal. It's a normal part of culture.

    22. RD

      Yeah.

    23. JS

      But it's not necessarily good for you.

    24. RD

      Yeah, which is the same as everything that we see. It's like there's so much that just because it's the most common thing to do-

    25. JS

      Yeah

    26. RD

      ... doesn't mean it's the right thing to do for us. [laughs]

    27. JS

      Yeah.

    28. RD

      Yeah.

    29. JS

      Absolutely. Absolutely. And, and so those are some of my favorites.

    30. RD

      Thanks.

  11. 34:18 – 37:30

    Is Fasting For You?

    1. JS

      So I think one of the biggest things for people these days is a lot of people are missing meals-

    2. RD

      Yeah

    3. JS

      ... and skipping meals, and often what ends up happening is then your first real meal is dinner.

    4. RD

      Mm.

    5. JS

      Like, your first real meal.

    6. RD

      Mm-hmm.

    7. JS

      Like, substantial meal, and naturally, we end up overeating, or we end up, you know, the, we're trying to get all the nutrients from that meal.

    8. RD

      Yeah.

    9. JS

      What's your take on skipping meals, and how does that affect us? And what can we do if we find that to be a pattern in our lives?

    10. RD

      Yeah. Um, I would say that, you know, it's, it's a very specific thing to your body type.

    11. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    12. RD

      And you will know just by doing it-

    13. JS

      Mm

    14. RD

      ... whether you are the body type that can take it or not. I have a body type where I can not eat in the morning till I've worked out. I work out on an empty stomach. I then will have my meal maybe at, like, 10:00, 11:00. I, I will fast for a long period of time, and my body thrives off it.

    15. JS

      Mm.

    16. RD

      You, with your body type, your digestion is so strong and fiery, and your body type is such that you have to have your meals on time. When you wake up, you're ready to eat. You're hungry. By the afternoon, like clockwork, you are hungry. Like, every meal has to be at the right time. Otherwise, you feel that negative effect. You feel your stomach getting acidic. Like, you feel all those effects, right? And so I would say you really need to, I mean, I, I know, I wish I could give a direct answer-

    17. JS

      No, I get-

    18. RD

      ... but that would be, that would be wrong. Um, you have to see, if when I am waking up and if I'm hungry straight away, your digestive system is ready to eat. If you're waking up and you're like, "I could go another three hours without eating"- Test out, test it out for yourself. And so there are certain body types where especially if you're quite a slim build, you lose weight quite often, quite easily, you generally are quite ravenous and, and hungry all the time, you probably need to be having your meals regularly.

    19. JS

      Mm.

    20. RD

      And if your digestion is suffering when you don't, that's an indication that you need more regular meals.

    21. JS

      Mm.

    22. RD

      For me, if I end up skipping a meal, my body actually is, is good with fasting, and it, and it actually feels better sometimes and less lethargic when I do do that. So sometimes I will last off, like, two meals and I'll be okay with it. But I think, um, yeah, there's, there's so much where it's like, "Intermittent fasting is amazing," and then someone does it and they're like, "I felt awful."

    23. JS

      Mm.

    24. RD

      "But like they said, it works for me, but I feel so bad doing it." Then don't do it. It's not for your body type.

    25. JS

      Mm.

    26. RD

      The active participant thing keeps coming up in my mind, but it is work to figure out yourself, just like when you're figuring out your partner and you're figuring out, you know, your relationship with them. Your body is the same. It's waiting for you to listen and learn from it, and t- and it will tell you what it needs.

    27. JS

      Yeah. And I think what's been my personal experience is that when you don't listen to these smaller-

    28. RD

      Yeah

    29. JS

      ... initial warnings, the body just gets louder and harder and harsher.

    30. RD

      Yeah.

  12. 37:30 – 40:40

    The Importance Of Breathwork

    1. JS

      All right, one question I wanted to ask you is on a busy day, what's one practice you can implement to make sure you slow down? What's one thing you do and one thing people could do?

    2. RD

      Breath.

    3. JS

      'Cause I feel like eating fast it sounds like-

    4. RD

      Mm-hmm

    5. JS

      ... drinking fast, we, we do a lot of things fast, and that seems to cause a lot of issues.

    6. RD

      For me, because as you know, my mind, the way I talk, everything is quite this and then this and then this, and I'm all over the place.

    7. JS

      I love it, man.

    8. RD

      And so I can relate to being someone who's very fast-minded and constantly feeling like I'm all over the place. I have to just say breathwork again.

    9. JS

      Mm.

    10. RD

      Breath. Before you eat, take three breaths. Before you go into something that you're worried about, take three breaths. Like, really feel deep breaths going into your body, because we take such shallow breaths. Your breath is the anchor between your mind and your body. It brings you back into your body. It allows you to reconnect with yourself. Um, and so it sounds really simple, but I guarantee, like, take a breath right now. Like, take a breath and feel what happens to your body. It automatically slows down. Every time I've gone from in this podcast from where I'm speaking fast, I've taken a breath and then I slow down. I've taken a breath and I've slowed down. And so my cure to having a fast mind and having the habit of being like that has been just taking a breath.

    11. JS

      Mm.

    12. RD

      And it's, like, as simple as it gets, right? Like, breath is, is there for you. It's, it's ready to be used and navigate your emotions, your day, um, and, and help you in some way if you allow it to.

    13. JS

      Yeah, definitely. It's a great natural tool that's built into the body-

    14. RD

      Yeah

    15. JS

      ... in order to help you set a pace for life.

    16. RD

      Oh my God, that's so true.

    17. JS

      And if you think about it, every single one of your emotions is monitored by breath.

    18. RD

      Yeah.

    19. JS

      Like, when we're nervous and we're anxious, our breath gets shallower and quicker.

    20. RD

      Yep.

    21. JS

      And when we're calm and focused, our breath becomes deeper-

    22. RD

      Yeah

    23. JS

      ... and slower. And when we're stressed or we're under pressure or we're late for something and we're worried, our breath gets shallower and gets quicker.

    24. RD

      Yeah, exactly.

    25. JS

      And when you're feeling like you're in the right place and you made it on time and all of those things, your breath gets deeper and slower again.

    26. RD

      Mm-hmm.

    27. JS

      And we also, I've always said to people, we also say things like, "That takes my breath away."

    28. RD

      Mm.

    29. JS

      Like, when something's really beautiful-

    30. RD

      Mm-hmm

  13. 40:40 – 44:02

    Plant-Based Protein Sources

    1. JS

      Mm. What's something you've changed your mind about this past year when it comes to your mindset around health or the way you eat food?

    2. RD

      Protein.

    3. JS

      Mm.

    4. RD

      I grew up vegetarian, and, um, my sources of protein, being from an Indian family as well, was lentils and beans and, um, you know, those are actually the main sources for us. And then, um, when I started learning more about while I was working out and the amount of protein my body needs, you know, in my book I talk about how the average American, I think it was something like has over 75% more protein than they need. So there's one side where because of the foods that people are consuming, they're actually overeating on protein to a point where it can harm your body. But then I find with vegetarians and if you're plant-based, you actually can get the right amount that you need, and I've been managing to do that, but it does take a little bit more work to get it, to navigate it and get it into your food. But I've noticed what a difference it's made, like everything from hair fall, hair shedding. I, when I started increasing my protein, my hair was shedding less. My skin was getting better. Um, I was feeling more satiated and more full in my meals, because sometimes I realize my meals were focused so much on carbohydrates that they were being digested so fast and I was hungry. Even though I'd had such a large meal, I was still hungry. So often. And then I started introducing protein, and I could last three, four hours, five hours between my meals, and I felt satiated

    5. JS

      I feel the same way. It's changed how I feel.

    6. RD

      Right? It's made such a difference. And so, um, you know, some of the, for anybody who's plant-based or thinking about having more plant-based days and they want, want protein, I would say obviously beans and lentils are great sources of that. But then also, you know, I kinda wanna dispel the myth around tofu being bad for you, because there have been so many studies that have been done, yes, to say that when you have, you know, they talk about soya and how it affects your hormones and your estrogen levels. Those studies were done on people who are having such an excessive amount of to- of soya. It was like imagine having five or six blocks of soya every single day. And so-

    7. JS

      When you say blocks, you mean-

    8. RD

      I mean, like, blocks of tofu, let's say. So naturally, anything in excess-

    9. JS

      Not chunks, large blocks

    10. RD

      ... large blocks, yeah. Anything in excess, of course that's gonna cause negative effects on your body. Everything has that. There's a, there's anything in excess, even water in excess, you can have too much water. And so I would say that if you are health- having a healthy, um, natural amount of, of tofu or soya in your diet, it's not gonna affect your hormone levels. And I mean, I'm happy to share the studies at some point, you know, about, about that, but I've really researched it 'cause I was scared of it, too. Um, so soya is a great source of it. Another great source is from your nuts and your seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds. Like, you know, in two tablespoons I think there's nearly, like, six grams of protein. Now, you may think that's a small amount, but you add that into a few dishes every single day, um, like, throughout the day, and you can gain so much from it. Um, and then obviously you've got your, your, uh, meat alternatives, which do have that. I try to avoid that as much as possible and get it from natural means. Um, but there are so many great ways to get protein into your diet, and it, that, that for me this year has been, I've really been focusing on that-

    11. JS

      Mm

    12. RD

      ... and it's been a game changer.

    13. JS

      Yeah, it's amazing. I've felt the difference as well, for sure.

    14. RD

      Yeah.

    15. JS

      I think it's been huge. What's the biggest

  14. 44:02 – 50:13

    Change Your Relationship With Food

    1. JS

      change you've made in your health journey that has changed your relationship with food?

    2. RD

      Eating to make my body feel good, not look a certain way.

    3. JS

      Mm.

    4. RD

      Because I realized that, you know, a lot of my book is, is to do with the journey I've had to go through with food, where I remember even when we met, I was so conscious about the way that I was being perceived, um, and the way my body looked, that I would want to eat a way that I thought made me look better. And especially this last year, you know, last couple of years, I've been trying to improve my relationship with food 'cause I didn't realize how much it was impacted by the way I wanted to look versus the way I wanted to feel. You know, a lot of the recipes in this book and a lot of the things that I've shared are helping people to connect back to their body, but create a better relationship to understand that, look, food, like, you don't have to choose between food that, um, between food that makes you feel good and food that brings you joy. Food can be both, and you can learn how to do that, and the way to cook to make it d- make you feel that way. Like we normally associate if I want to look a certain way, I have to eat salads and things, just leaves, and I can't have any fun when I'm eating because anything that brings me joy is gonna be bad for me. Like, it's gonna be something that, that doesn't make me look a certain way. But actually, how you feel when you're eating and how you feel in your life is so s- feel, is so much more satisfying when you nurture that versus constantly living to figure out how you're going to change the way you live externally. Both can be true. You can want to change your external body, but at the same time thinking about, "How is my inside feeling, too?" And doing both at the same time is possible and will make you feel so much better. I was listening to something today and it was talking about self-objectification, and it was really interesting because it was talking about how we view ourselves constantly as other people view us. We live our life as other people view us. So for example, on this podcast, I may be thinking, "How am I gonna sit in a way where I'm gonna look the most flattering, and how am I gonna, like, move my body in a way where maybe they don't get the bad side of me?" And so you're constantly living through other people's perception of you, essentially objectifying yourself. And so I feel like having a better relationship with food has allowed me to care less about those things and, and live from inside out rather than outside in.

    5. JS

      Mm.

    6. RD

      Does that make sense?

    7. JS

      That's so powerful.

    8. RD

      Yeah.

    9. JS

      Yeah, so powerful, and that requires so much courage and going against the grain because society's conditioned us-

    10. RD

      Mm

    11. JS

      ... to think a certain way. Like, I remember years and years and years ago, I remember walking through a department store and the line above the kinda billboard above the makeup section said, "Get the natural look."

    12. RD

      Yeah. [laughs]

    13. JS

      And, and I just found that hilarious because I was like, you obviously already have the natural look.

    14. RD

      Mm.

    15. JS

      I'm not saying there's anything against makeup.

    16. RD

      No, yeah, yeah, yeah.

    17. JS

      I have no issues with it. I'm, I'm a, I'm good with it. It's great. It's just, it's interesting how it's being sold to us. And so we're being convinced that the natural isn't good enough-

    18. RD

      Mm

    19. JS

      ... or there's a way to be more natural.

    20. RD

      Mm.

    21. JS

      And ev- each to their own. Everyone's allowed to do whatever's right for them, but I think the more we live our life through the lens of, "Will people think I look good like this?"

    22. RD

      Mm.

    23. JS

      We'll always be disappointed because there are some people who think you look good and some people who think you don't.

    24. RD

      Yeah.

    25. JS

      Like, we talk about this a lot with fashion, like, I really enjoy fashion.

    26. RD

      Yeah.

    27. JS

      But when you see my fashion choices, you're like, "I'm not sure what you're doing, mate."

    28. RD

      [laughs]

    29. JS

      And, and then, and then everyone else will think it looks great.

    30. RD

      Yeah.

  15. 50:13 – 54:33

    The Value of Spices

    1. JS

      a big part for you with that is, is the spices-

    2. RD

      Yes

    3. JS

      ... and the herbs that you talk about. So walk us through what you're fascinated with spices.

    4. RD

      I am. [laughs]

    5. JS

      Like, our nickname for you is Spice Girl.

    6. RD

      Yeah. [laughs]

    7. JS

      And because of that, like, in the actual sense, like, what, walk us through the value of spices and why they make food flavorful and good for you.

    8. RD

      I'm so glad you asked me because it's literally my favorite topic about this book. Um, spices have, you know, been a part of our life our whole life, because I remember even when we were younger, I would be, I would be coughing and sneezing, and my mom would use spices in water to, like, boil, boil a tea with spices to help me with that. Or, you know, when you get a cut or a bruise, our parents are getting out this turmeric patty and, like, putting it onto our scabs. And, you know, we grew up with that, but I didn't realize the power of them until I started studying the medicinal potency and benefit of them. And so, yes, they make your food taste and look vibrant. Like, it's amazing. You can take, like, a humble potato, and you can mix different spices together and taste different parts of the world through just the spices you're using. So spices not only take you to different parts of the world and help you to experience different cultures and cuisines, they also allow you to buy really basic ingredients and elevate them, and make them feel so different every single day. Um, and the benefits of spices, oh my goodness, well, you know this. For the past, I don't even know how long, 10 years, I've used spices in my medicine box. Spices have been my go-to. If I have a headache, essential oils and spices. If I have a headache, what do I go to?

    9. JS

      Yeah, your essential oil.

    10. RD

      My peppermint oil.

    11. JS

      Yeah.

    12. RD

      Like, if I have a cough, what do I tell you to, I'm gonna make you? Aj- ajwain seeds in water. Like, and I have found when I've allowed my body to rely on natural means to heal itself, and what I mean by that is, like, the spices, the oils, whatever I'm using, the food that I'm eating, my body's immunity has gotten better and better. The way that my body reacts to, um, being in stressful environments has changed because I've allowed my body to heal itself through what I'm actually putting into my body. And so I actually have feel my best when, over the past few years progressively as I've done that, and it's so easy because all you have to do is there's spices you can buy ground, or whole, or in mixes of blends that you can just add in. You don't even have to think about it. You can put it into your hot water in the morning. My, one of my favorite things is CCFT, coriander, cumin, and fennel tea. Easy way, if you're no- not used to using spices at all, even if you don't cook at home, add these three spices in equal parts, a teaspoon of each, into hot water. Beautiful way to add in spices without you even having to do much. And then experiment with your food. Become, like, a play in your kitchen. I really think, you know, the book is not prescriptive. I actually want you to use the book and the recipes to Play in the kitchen and sub things out. And I've got so many things where I'm like, "If you don't have this, use this. If you don't have this, use this," because nothing about food has to be prescriptive.

    13. JS

      Mm.

    14. RD

      And so, um, spices are a really fun way to do that. So yeah, one of the huge intentions and goals in my book is for you to have a f- spice cupboard that is full and, and overfull by the time you get to the end, and I've got a chart in there to tell you what the benefits of them are, how you can use them, um, to your medicinal benefit, but also to make a food taste way better.

    15. JS

      Yeah, I think that's really important that you've got so many charts and graphs-

    16. RD

      Yeah

    17. JS

      ... and things to make it really easy in the book-

    18. RD

      Yeah

    19. JS

      ... for anyone to understand. Because a lot of people may be thinking, "God, I've never really used-

    20. RD

      Totally

    21. JS

      ... that many spices. I'm not really aware of them." But you've actually made that really simple and accessible in your book.

    22. RD

      Yeah. And then I'm like, "Pick a spice a week and play with it."

    23. JS

      Yeah.

    24. RD

      Pick a spice a week, add it into different things. Like nutmeg, add it into your milk- your, um, your milk at night. Nutmeg is a mild sedative. It helps with sleep. Um, in the morning for your digestion, you know, for centuries Indians have eaten fennel seeds after their meal. It's a tradition. You go to an Indian restaurant, you go to an Indian house, they will be passing around fennel seeds after their meal. That's because it is amazing for gas, for bloating, for digestive relief after you've eaten. And so, like, try our fennel seeds in your, you know, water in the morning. There's so... Pick one thing. You don't have to be overwhelmed with so many different practices and spices and things in the book. Pick one or two a week that you wanna incorporate, um, and see how you like it, see how

  16. 54:33 – 57:02

    What Is Your Morning Routine?

    1. RD

      your body reacts to it.

    2. JS

      Yeah, I love that. I mean, you just mentioned two things there that I wanted to speak to you about. People have always been fascinated with your morning and evening routines.

    3. RD

      Mm.

    4. JS

      I wanted to ask you, what does your morning e- routine look like now, and why have you chosen the specific things that exist in it?

    5. RD

      Mm, good question. Are you not part of my morning routine?

    6. JS

      What do you mean?

    7. RD

      You don't know what my morning routine... No, I'm joking. [laughs]

    8. JS

      No, of course I do.

    9. RD

      Um, what is my morning routine? So-

    10. JS

      Well, I don't know what happens before I wake up. [laughs]

    11. RD

      That's true. Um, so I wake up in the morning, um, and brush my teeth, and also use my tongue scraper, which by the way is an Ayurvedic ritual that if you don't do, that is a must. You do not know how clean your mouth can actually be if you haven't used a tongue scraper. It's also really important to remove toxins that have built up over the night, because that's the time your body starts to clean up and take away the toxins, and one place that they come out is on the top of your tongue. And so tongue scraping is a must. And then I make my CCFT in the morning, sit down for my meditation, and I have mantra meditation practice, as you know. Um, and that's usually for about an hour and a half, mixed in with breathwork to help me refocus, um, and keep bringing my mind back to my practice. And then, um, I usually get ready for my workout, [laughs] go for my workout, and that's a, ranges from Monday, Wednesday, Friday a weight workout. I love weight training. It really helps to build strength, and I feel confidence in my body. On the other days I'll either do running or, like, a heated yoga class, other things that help also stretch out my body, because I find weight training kind of shortens your muscles, whereas Pilates and yoga really helps to lengthen them. So kind of a mix of both. And then I'll come back, get ready, and then what else do I do? Oh, then I eat my breakfast. Yeah. [laughs]

    12. JS

      [laughs] What do you usually have for breakfast?

    13. RD

      Oh, what do I normally have for breakfast? So at the moment I'm trying to do savory breakfast after listening to Glucose Goddess, um, and really trying to incorporate more savory foods. And I prefer savory breakfast anyway. So I do everything from a sourdough toast, um, with some sort of protein on it, so either, like, having a good amount of hummus with lots of veggies. I'll put, like, tomatoes and cucumbers. Um, maybe doing... And I'll sprinkle some sort of spices on top. So whether it's, you know, toasted coriander seeds, um, or cumin powder, and then, um, a bit of hot sauce, 'cause I just love hot sauce. And then I'll have that, or I've been having these, like, protein bagels, you know, topped with the same kind of thing. And then I'll have a protein shake afterwards.

  17. 57:02 – 58:50

    How To Not Feel Lethargic After Lunch

    1. JS

      So what about your lunches when you don't wanna feel lethargic after your lunches? Because so often we struggle to know what to eat because we still have a few hours of work left.

    2. RD

      Mm-hmm.

    3. JS

      Like, what do you do for your lunches? What do you enjoy?

    4. RD

      Yeah, I try to keep it balanced in the sense of I will still have a carbohydrate at the, at lunchtime. And by the way, um, our body is so in sync with nature, and our digestion is the strongest when the sun is at its highest. And so the sun is at its highest, naturally, in the middle of the day. And so our lunch should actually be our largest meal of the day ideally, because that's when our digestion is the strongest. It's able to digest, like, the heavier things that we wanna eat. And so I will have, like, a larger portion of my carbohydrates, if possible, in the afternoon. And then I will mix in lots of different veggies. Like, eating the rainbow is no joke. You have to eat a variety of colors. And so I will make sure that when I'm doing my shop, I have a variety of vegetables with different colors, because each of those colors represent different nutrients and different vitamins and minerals. And so to make sure you're also getting enough of what you need in terms of vitamins, minerals, make sure that you have a variety of different colors on your plate. So I'll buy, like, pink radishes. I'll buy cucumbers. I'll buy different colored carrots. And, um, either I'll have them on the side or I'll just quickly saute them, have it with either some noodles or, um, throw some tofu in there, scrambled. Honestly, I just make sure... I know the basics of, like, a really good way of doing it is write down where your protein's gonna come from, what veggies you love eating, and what carbohydrates you like, and then just mix it all in.

    5. JS

      [laughs]

    6. RD

      I love doing a one-pot thing. So I'll throw in noodles, I'll throw in my veggies, I'll throw in some tofu, mix it all up. Or I'll do a scrambled, like, scrambled tofu on toast. I just know the c- the areas I need to make sure I have in my meals, and then I kind of just pick and choose between, I go between them and decide what I feel like, um, and what flavors

  18. 58:50 – 1:04:20

    Best Practices For Evening Routines

    1. RD

      I want.

    2. JS

      And then what about dinner?

    3. RD

      Dinner, um-

    4. JS

      I'm walking through the whole day.

    5. RD

      I know. Oh my gosh. Uh, dinner, I mean, you know, it can be so varied. I love, for me, a dal or a-

    6. JS

      A soup, yeah

    7. RD

      ... a soup or, like, a, a bean-y curry. I'll probably have, I won't have, like, as much, like, flatbread or rice with it, just because I try not to have too many carbs at night, uh, or something too heavy at night But I love, Indian spices are just my comfort food. And at night, especially when it's cold outside, I love having a mixed lentil, like dal, um-

    8. JS

      And all of these recipes are in the book.

    9. RD

      Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, there's a really good like red lentil dal in there. There's also my mom's, uh, three bean curry with coconut milk. And oh, it's so good. So much flavor in it. So yeah, I'll usually do that or a one pot thing, because at night you just, you just wanna throw everything in one thing and, and not spend too much time in the kitchen. And so there are so many recipes in there that are like 30 minutes, um, and then other ones where maybe you feel like spending a little bit more time in the kitchen. And so you can spend an hour creating a beautiful meal if you have time on the weekend.

    10. JS

      Yeah. I'm so lucky that I get to be the recipient of all of this.

    11. RD

      You are the guinea pig, yeah.

    12. JS

      Yeah, I'm the guinea pig.

    13. RD

      Yeah. [laughs]

    14. JS

      Yeah, all of this has been tested on me.

    15. RD

      Yeah.

    16. JS

      And what about your evening routine? How has that been constructed for you?

    17. RD

      Mm. My evening routine is usually I try to, as soon as I stop working, I usually go walk for a little bit. I find it really helps me to wind down. I won't do an intense workout, but I'll definitely walk, go on the treadmill for about like 20 minutes, half an hour, listen to something. Um, and then one thing that's really helped me is I don't like bright lights at night.

    18. JS

      Mm.

    19. RD

      I really try to avoid bright lights.

    20. JS

      Yeah.

    21. RD

      It's made such a difference to my like circadian rhythm, the rhythm of your body that helps with sleep. Artificial light really messes with that.

    22. JS

      Mm.

    23. RD

      And so whether it's using candles or really keeping the lights dim, that for me has helped me notice that, oh wow, I'm actually really tired by 8:30 or 9:00, and it's time for me to get into bed. Rather than ... And by the way, TV has the same light, and so do our phones. And so, uh, for me, the bright lights are too intense for me, and it, and it really m- you know, messes with my rhythm of sleep. So I've started using candles and stuff a lot more. And then we've been trying to read a lot more. And so I'll, if I'm by myself, I'll, I'll read, um, sometimes watch a little cheeky show of something, which might be called Love Island, not gonna lie. And then, um, [laughs]

    24. JS

      [laughs]

    25. RD

      And then, oh, eat dinner and all that before that. And then one of the, my favorite practices, which is like a self-love ritual f- for me, is, um, Abhyanga. It's a really beautiful practice of ... Abhyanga is, it's an-

    26. JS

      You talk about it in the book as well.

    27. RD

      Yeah, I talk about it in the book. And it's, it's, um, massaging your own body with oils. That's as simple as it is. But if you think about it, how m- how many times a day do we probably have a lot of negative self-talk? And how many times a day do you give yourself a hug? And like just, it's literally like giving yourself a hug, just as when someone's had a long day, a hard day, they come home and you give them a hug. Like you give them a cuddle. And in the same way, our nervous system wants us, wants to hear from us and feel from us that, "I love you, and I care about you." And one of the most amazing ways of doing that is by just giving yourself a little massage. And so whether it's just the bottom of your feet, putting the warm oils on your hands, massaging the bottom of your feet, that's where all of our nerves end. And so bottom of your feet, or even giving yourself a little scalp massage, or if you have time, have a warm shower and lather your body in those oils. Oils actually help to lubricate your nervous system. They seep into your skin. They basically act as a hug for your nervous system. They help to soothe your nerves at night. And so that's been one of my favorite rituals that I do before I sleep. Um, yeah, and I'll do that whether it's a two-minute one quickly, or if I have a, a bit longer on weekends, then I just kinda lather myself up till I'm really deep fried.

    28. JS

      [laughs]

    29. RD

      Yeah.

    30. JS

      I love it. I love it. No, and I'm glad that we went through a whole day, because I think so often we don't ... There was so much that just came out of that.

  19. 1:04:20 – 1:10:23

    Playing The Recipe Game

    1. JS

      Uh, one thing I wanted to do, I want to do something fun with your book. So I'm gonna ask you questions that I want you to link back to recipes that apply to those questions.

    2. RD

      Ooh, okay. That's fun.

    3. JS

      Or certain things. And you can look at your book if you need to to show us. But I know you know-

    4. RD

      Okay, give me an example of the question.

    5. JS

      There's no example. We're just going straight into it.

    6. RD

      Oh, go, go.

    7. JS

      So the first question I'm gonna ask is, if someone has a long day at work, they're really tired, but they do wanna make a home-cooked meal-

    8. RD

      Yeah

    9. JS

      ... what's the easiest one that they can go to?

    10. RD

      My rainbow noodle stir-fry.

    11. JS

      Okay.

    12. RD

      It's like super easy. Um, what I would say is have your veggies cut up earlier, then it's literally like a 10-minute meal

    13. JS

      Amazing. Great

    14. RD

      Yeah, it's got this really great sauce with it. Um, you get your veggies, you get everything all in one thing, and it still tastes good and it feels like takeout.

    15. JS

      Yeah.

    16. RD

      Yeah.

    17. JS

      Okay, good. How do you ex- how do you recommend people meal prep? Because that's an important-

    18. RD

      Yeah

    19. JS

      ... part of all of this.

    20. RD

      Chopping takes up so much time. My da- my meals are cut down significantly when I've chopped my peppers beforehand, when I've grated my cabbage, when I've... You know, everything that you possibly can. I wouldn't say to do it too in advance, because as soon as you cut up a vegetable, it starts to spoil. And so I'd say you can cut up peppers two, three days in advance. Um, same with, like, carrots, cabbage and stuff. Tomatoes go bad straight away. You cut them up, by, like, an hour later, they're bad.

    21. JS

      Avocados as well.

    22. RD

      Avocados as well. And so there are certain things you can chop up. Uh, and I recommend doing that-

    23. JS

      Mm

    24. RD

      ... especially if you're someone who has been wanting to eat more at home, but just don't have the time to. Cut up your stuff in the weekend, because at least that'll give you a good three, four days worth of, uh, chopped up stuff that allows you to eat at home.

    25. JS

      Mm.

    26. RD

      Um, and that's been a good change for me. I've been so busy lately, and I've still, since I've got back here, I'm actually so proud that I have not ordered out or eaten out once. And that's been a, that's crazy for me, because I've also been-

    27. JS

      Yeah, you've been working so hard

    28. RD

      ... way busier than normal.

    29. JS

      Yeah.

    30. RD

      Um, but having things chopped up and also having planned what I'm gonna eat. Usually we end up ordering out when you're like, "Oh, I have got nothing planned, and I just don't even wanna look in my fridge and figure it out." Figuring it out is half the battle. So if you already know and you already have the ingredients, it makes it so much easier.

  20. 1:10:23 – 1:12:46

    What Is Your Hope for People Reading The Book?

    1. JS

      to ask you-

    2. RD

      Hmm

    3. JS

      ... as a final question around, you know, you called the book JoyFull.

    4. RD

      Mm-hmm.

    5. JS

      You talked about cooking effortlessly, eating freely, and living radiantly.

    6. RD

      Hmm.

    7. JS

      Like, what is your hope for people? Because this isn't just about, it, it isn't just about the recipes. It's about inviting abundance-

    8. RD

      It is

    9. JS

      ... and energy into their life.

    10. RD

      It is. Three intentions. One intention is reminding people that you do not have to choose between the food that makes you feel good and food that brings you joy. It can and should be both. Um, two, that every, that life is about all those little joyful moments to accumulate to bring you more and more joy throughout the day, whether it's through your practices, your wellness rituals, or through the food that you're eating. And three, that you fill, y- you spice up your life. Like, you fill your cupboards with the spices that spice up your body, but also spice up your food, too, that really create vibrance. 'Cause spices are vibrant, and create more vibrance in your body and your life, too. Um, and actually, I'll add on a last one. Um, I feel like I am a seriously grateful student of many great teachers, and it really was a way for me to be able to share so much of what I've learned from the people that have taught me so much, from my mom to my Ayurvedic teachers to my spiritual teachers, everything. I was able to accumulate that and pour it into this book, and I'm so excited for people to feel the changes that I have felt in my life through everything that I've shared in there. So, um, yeah, that's my intention for it.

    11. JS

      The book is called JoyFull Everyone! More Than 125 Plant-Based Recipes by Radhi Devlukia. Cook effortlessly, eat freely, and live radiantly. You know what I'm gonna say. Go get it right now. I-

    12. RD

      Mm-hmm

    13. JS

      ... it would mean the world to me. I love supporting you, not just because you're my wife, but because you are so incredibly talented-

    14. RD

      Thanks

    15. JS

      ... and so smart. And I think this book is going to change so many homes, families, and-

    16. RD

      I hope so

    17. JS

      ... relationships. So it's definitely changed ours, so thank you so much.

    18. RD

      Thanks.

    19. JS

      I love you.

    20. RD

      Thanks for having me on.

    21. JS

      Congratulations.

    22. RD

      How exciting.

    23. JS

      And, uh, so excited for you.

    24. RD

      Thanks.

    25. JS

      Congrats.

    26. RD

      Thanks, everyone.

    27. JS

      If you loved this episode, you'll love my interview with Dr. Gabor Maté on understanding your trauma and how to heal emotional wounds to start moving on from the past.

    28. JS

      Everything in nature grows only where it's vulnerable. So a, a tree doesn't grow where it's hard and thick, does it? It grows where it's soft and green and vulnerable

Episode duration: 1:12:46

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