The nutrition-related education that Soha Ali Khan’s daughter, Inaaya, four, has been receiving is the kind that we are being introduced to for the first time. “Like the lights of a traffic signal, they are taught that foods can be classified into three categories. Red foods, like chewing gums or colas are not supposed to be eaten at their age. Orange foods, where chocolates find a place, can be eaten in moderation, and green foods can be consumed [in any quantity]. So when she sees a cucumber, she knows she doesn’t need to ask me before eating it. But when she sees a chocolate, she knows she must exercise caution,” says Khan, who is so athletically inclined that her binge-worthy Instagram feed could well double up as a fitness fanatic’s scrap-book. 

Khan admits that establishing rules can be tough for a child who is often exposed to colas at the homes of her friends, but both she and actor-husband Kunal Kemmu attempt to be role models. “I ensured that she got the best, in terms of nutrition, from a young age. I don’t want her to be like me — limited in my taste. I want her to try different things, like Kunal does. She consumes things like karela, or spinach, some of which even I may not consume. Remember that your kids will copy you.”