Esha Gupta, who will soon be seen alongside Bobby Deol in Ek Badnaam… Aashram Season 3, has always been known for her stunning looks and fitness. In an exclusive chat with The Free Press Journal, the actress spills the beans on her food and diet secrets. Excerpts:
First thing I have in the morning: Since it’s summer now, I drink room temperature water.
Basically: I’ve been a vegetarian since birth and vegan for the past seven years now. My favourite dish is probably rajma chawal or aloo paratha.
My breakfast is: I usually have lunch and dinner since I follow intermittent fasting.
My lunch and dinner: Mostly consist of rice/quinoa, sweet potatoes, veggies and dal. I avoid gluten unless I’m travelling, and I don’t have any other option. But when in India, I love basic food.
My favourite meal at dinner time: People will laugh, but it’s dal and rice with maybe bhindi, which I love!
My favourite dessert: I love rasmalai, but now that I have turned vegan, I desist from eating it. I also love how the Punjabis make kada prasad (halwa). My sister Neha makes excellent kada prasad.
To keep fit: Since I’ve been travelling for the last few months, I’ve been training on my own. My workout involves a peloton bike, jogging, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), tennis and yoga. I usually work out every day, but I miss a day or two when travelling. Currently, my trainer is from Madrid. His name is Rodrigo. He is amazing, and now, we are doing Zoom classes.
For health reasons, I consciously have: A lot of water.
I consciously avoid: Sugar and gluten.
I can cook really well: Almost everything in North Indian vegetarian cuisine from UP and Punjab.
My favourite restaurants in Mumbai and abroad are: In Mumbai, one of my favourite restaurants is Joshi House (global cuisines). I love the food and ambience there. Abroad, I love Tatel (Spanish) and Toto (Italian).
My comfort food is: Rajma chawal.
I feel guilty after eating: Nothing. I love and respect food. So when I eat something, it’s usually on my cheat day, or I know I’ve earned that food.
My favourite beverage: Coconut water.
My favourite cuisines: Italian and North Indian street food.
My favourite cook in the family: Nothing can replace my mom’s aloo paratha and karonda sabzi.
On a hot summer day, I enjoy having: Aam panna.
During the monsoons, I enjoy having: Ginger tea and samosa.
When it’s very cold, my favourite food is: Maggi.
One tip on the food you like to give your readers: 70 per cent of your health depends on your diet, but please don’t starve yourself. We have one life to enjoy. Always find a balance and stay the size that makes you happy, not the size that social media shows you with post-photoshop and surgery pictures. Work out and drink water.
My favourite food: My easiest go-to meal is a kale salad.
Esha’s recipe for kale salad
Representative Pic
Ingredients:
1 -2 tablespoons olive oil
10-12 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
Chilli flakes (as per taste)
Kale leaves ( 2 handfuls, washed and torn roughly)
Sea salt to taste
Juice of 1 lemon (or as per taste)
Method:
Heat the pan, and add olive oil. Once hot, add chopped garlic and chilli flakes. Sauté for a few seconds. Add kale leaves to it and cover. Within three minutes, it’s cooked enough to be enjoyed like a salad that isn’t raw. Just add sea salt and lemon juice on top, and it’s the healthiest and simplest dish.
