Deepika Padukone's Nutritionist Reveals the Actor's Pre-Wedding Diet Plan!
'I quickly discovered that Deepika had a 'pitta' personality and the biggest challenge was to counter the heat generated by her pitta prakruti.'
It was on October 21st, two years ago, that power couple Deepika and Ranveer confirmed the news—they were finally tying the knot! The two got hitched in an intimate yet lavish wedding ceremony in Lake Como, Italy, in the presence of family and close friends.
And, while you'd like to believe that their dreamy, fairtyale-like nuptials was nothing short of perfect, you'd be surprised to know that the Piku actress was fighting stomach butterflies! The B-town diva who represents youth, beauty and health, all rolled into one, was experiencing wedding blues like any other bride-to-be.
It was time to get a structured, exhaustive plan in place...
Deepika met Shweta Shah—owner, founder, and CEO of EatFit247—just before her marriage with Bollywood's handsome hunk, Ranveer Singh. Shweta, a hard-core believer in Ayurveda, Satvik, and a no-fad diet quickly discovered that Deepika had a 'pitta' personality—a natural fall-out of her career which demands extensive travel, long hours outdoors, and irregular meals. Pitta represents fire, one of the five elements—water, earth, ether, fire, and air—that make up the human body.
Working closely with the actor's crew and personal cook, Shweta carefully curated Deepika's daily meal plan, taking into account her concerns, preferences, schedules, and indulgences. 'The biggest challenge was to counter the heat generated by her pitta prakruti,' says Shweta. However, Deepika managed to accomplish this by kick-starting the day with a tbsp. of soaked saunf (fennel) seeds, along with sipping on cooling drinks such as oats and green detox smoothies, throughout the day.
'One basic rule for anyone with 'pitta prakruti' is to never skip breakfast or go hungry for extensive periods of time,' she adds. Accordingly, Deepika's breakfast comprised of her favourite ingredients such as coconut, nuts, oats, rice, and lentils. Keeping in mind her penchant for south Indian breakfast dishes, Shweta carefully curated recipes that were suited to the actor's palette. 'Pongal, porridge, upma, boiled and sautéed red lentils tossed in cooling herbs including mint, cilantro, and fennel, or purple cabbage along with millet seeds and a side of green salad were frequent flyers on the menu.'
Shweta also introduced us to the fact that Deepika absolutely loves Italian and Mexican food! Thereby, ingredients such as quinoa and rice were amalgamated to create delectable, health-conscious recipes at least 2-3 times a week. 'A mid-morning snack of 1 fruit—barring a few—and vegetable juice kept Deepika's acidic tendencies at bay until lunch. Lunch was usually a roti (Indian flat bread) with a bowl of cooked veggies – again carefully planned keeping in mind her preferences. Evening snacks offered a choice of beetroot tikki, zucchini kebabs, herbed humus, and a few other tasty treats. Ash gourd juice and chutney rounded off her meals and snacks,' she adds.
A disciplined artist, Deepika cooperated fully, following the prescribed diet to a tee. Well, the results of her effort were evident for the world to witness! A gorgeous, glowing bride full of energy and verve in a bright red Sabyasachi lehenga, entering into wedlock to the tune of 'Lamberghini' and dancing to 'Mast Kalandar' at the reception, both clad in shades of pristine ivory.
'The best treatment is to learn not to need any medicine,' claims celebrity nutritionist, Shweta Shah. In today’s fast paced life, we depend heavily on quick fixes and fast food, with minimal or zero heed to our health and well-being. The food we consume is peppered with preservatives, artificial flavours, sweeteners, and so on...which eventually trap us into a vicious cycle of lifestyle diseases including diabetes, cholesterol, IBS etc.
Shweta prescribes alternatives straight out of your kitchen! 'Modify your own routine and diet to lead a pill-free, healthy life,' she advocates.
EatFit247 will soon be launching their zero-contact app, which generates your daily meal plan using information you and your doctor feed in. Interested readers can contact Shweta Shah on – Shweta Shah (Eatfit247, Mumbai).