One meal a day: How more people in Mumbai are adopting the practice

Its noon and Arathi Sen sits down at the dining table for brunch Itrsquos dal with a carefully considered ghee tadka rice sabzi and fish or chicken the masalas are ground in a traditional stone silbatta She might have a gulab jamun later if she feels like it She eats slowly mindfullyThis is pivotal Itrsquos her only mealShersquos been up since 530 am has done twoandahalf hours of the Vinyasa flow Her family of four male humans and two female dogs is fed and walked The rest of the day till 1130 pm will be occupied by running her advertising business taking on some dog training clients keeping her fourmonthold puppy Xena good and sundry family stuff ldquoI canrsquot eat a hurried mealrdquo says the 50yearold ldquoI have to sit down and enjoy it On the days I eat mindlessly I can sense a downfall in my emotions I feel denserdquoPiciStockThis has been Senrsquos routine for nearly eight years Even through debilitating PCOS Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and fibroids that left her bleeding for 25 days a month with the onset of menopause she has bled thrice this month She may have some fruits and nuts in the evening but she does not need to lie down Nor does she take it slowThat one meal a day OMAD sustains her highenergy life as it does that of most practitioners we spoke to Itrsquos an extreme form of intermittent fasting IF which has helped devotees shave kilos manage blood sugar and pressure as well as exorcise cravings Instead of eating in an eighthour window and fasting for the rest of the day OMAD practitioners have one meal a day and supplement it if they feel like it with tea coffee a smoothie fruits or nuts And there are no restrictions on what to eat for that one mealmdashit could be soulsatisfying dahichawalpapad plate or a dozen vada paosFresh from a 10day naturopathy retreat Arti Shroff is determined to continue the soothing routine of starting her day by connecting with nature and eating only lunch PicAnurag AhireUnlike fad diets most adopters of this practice that midday spoke to arrived at the decision via a spiritual or yogic route It was a desire to nourish the body and not overload it exorcise the hold of starch and sugarrich junk food to free up brain cells for graver tasks such as meditation or deep focus and to stop diverting precious energy to neverending digestionldquoI used Swiggy like it was a video game ordering Chinese ice cream pizza dessertrdquo says Arti Shroff a psychologist who practises in Kemps Corner ldquoFood was a stressbuster I did not plan my mealsrdquo It changed when she went to a naturopathy retreat for 10 days to take hold of her poor food choices There her day would start with a glass of lemonandginger water a simple lunch of rotisabzidal was the most important meal of the day followed by coconut water at 2 pm and fruit juice at 6 pm ldquoDinner was like lunch so I started skipping it because it didnrsquot feel appetisingrdquo says the Breach Candy resident ldquoWhen I returned to the city I expected to go on a mad binge but I didnrsquot feel like eating junk food So I decided to follow the same routinerdquoAmrita Kaur Rana wellness digital content creatorAnd it has stuck For the past week she started her day with a glass of lemongingerwater by the window at 530 am Lunch is a bowl of poha or three theplas and dahi or dahiparathachilla She has coconut water or a smoothie in the evening if she feels hungry and might add a bowl of hot soup for dinner as the weather changes to the monsoons ldquoI have realised the difference between craving and desirerdquo says the 36yearold ldquoCraving has an emotional compulsion to itrdquo To keep a firm grip on it Shroff maintains a connection with nature She spends time mindfully which keeps stress under controlMukta Raut first went OMAD six years ago specifically to better her concentration as she embarked on freelance life ldquoI was juggling many projects that needed my concentrationrdquo says the instructional designer ldquoI had tried intermittent fasting and it had helped me focus better and cut cravings plus I like the concept of eating lessrdquo She eats once a day during Navratri and likes how she feels ldquoIt frees up so much mind space from not having to plan a menurdquo says the Bandra West resident ldquoI enjoy how much it helps meditationrdquoMukta Raut tried OMAD six years ago and is keen on going back to it as soon as she builds an emotional resilience through prolonged meditation so that she doesnrsquot depend on food for support PicAshish Raje Ishmeet Kaur Sethi found that eating whatever she liked as long as it was once a day did not affect her metabolism Now depending on her mood it can be a dosa or a burger For almost seven years Arathi Sen has been eating a fulfilling mindful brunch in peace without denying herself anything she wantsLike with Sen Rautrsquos one meal has to be fulfilling ldquoIf I crave a cutlet and a cutlet is not there the feeling of loss is acuterdquo says the 43yearold who chose dinner to be that one meal for several reasons ldquoI associate dinner with happy timesrdquo she says ldquoI was also working on projects on an international timeline so I would work into the nightrdquo A proud Odiya her meals must include rice dal a dry lentilsandvegetable preparation some form of potato and the presence of mustard oilShe was able to sustain this for four to five months which was the best shersquod ever felt ldquoBowel movements became like clockworkrdquo she says ldquoJust for that OMAD deserves the applauserdquo Raut also became very sensitive to eating out ldquoThe ambience became very importantrdquo she says ldquoI like to eat with my handshellip I need the sensory experience of the meal if I donrsquot I go to bed feeling cheated I also like to eat at my own pace and dining with someone who eats faster puts too much pressure on merdquo Mental acuity like Shroffrsquos became sharper ldquoA onehour job took 30 minutesrdquo she saysHowever she fell off the wagon not due to gnawing hunger but due to lack of options for emotional support She plans to go back to it again soon but would first like to strengthen her spiritual muscles ldquoI would incorporate more meditationrdquo she says ldquoI should have other arrangements in place in case of a bad feedback call or interaction reaching for food should not be the easy or only optionrdquo She also intends to sleep on time to regulate emotions betterIn Ludhiana Ishmeet Kaur Sethi found she was sleeping better and was able to overcome health issues by eating once a day She also discerned that 90 per cent of hunger pangs are thirst She had tried out 168 IF and would eat anything that came her way She found that it didnrsquot affect her metabolism and she liked having to eat only once a day So the 24yearold life coach made the switch two years ago and found that her blood sugar balanced out ldquoMy body accepted it very wellrdquo she says ldquomy blood pressure became low and the body healed well without having to waste energy by diverting it to digest foodrdquoAt first it was hard for her to gauge when to eat but she learned to listen to her body Now itrsquos fruits for breakfast and a meal between 1 pm and 3 pm As to what to eat Sethi has learnt to listen to her body ldquoIt could be a dosa it could be a burgerrdquo she says ldquoMy body will not accept a restrictive dietrdquoThe epiphany for all OMADers is how little food your body actually needs ldquoFood is so many things in our current culture itrsquos constantly in your facerdquo says digital wellness content creator Amrita Kaur Rana who preaches the ayurvedic way of life as amritaoflife on Instagram ldquoItrsquos social emotional We are not meant to eat as much as we dordquoSen echoes this ldquoAs Indians we make a hullabaloo about skipping a meal We constantly hear lsquokuch khalo kuch khaya hi nahinhelliprsquo The amount of food we think we need is rubbishrdquo As a yoga practitioner for more than 15 years she would eat her last meal before 730 pm and was wellacquainted with the importance of fasting When she went OMAD she threw up for four days and had splitting headaches ldquoI went to my yoga guru and said it wasnrsquot suiting merdquo she says ldquoHe replied lsquoBut it is Those are all the toxins being purgedrsquordquoThe trap to avoid is the loop of guilt that comes with a cycle of deprivation and reward ldquoI eat what I want in that one mealrdquo says Sethi ldquoand if I am ill I will eat more than once if my body needs it Most often I donrsquot feel hungry until I take the first bite of the mealrdquo Raut craves fat and salt and she too adjusts it into the meal she is eating What she finds tiresome is having to explain her food choices ldquoEverything is reduced to weight lossrdquo she sighs ldquoso if I have a pizza a guy is most likely to say lsquoyou are eating only once but then you are having pizza how is this healthyhelliprsquordquoSen selfconfessedly has never been apologetic about her life choices ldquoIf I am not eating at a wedding or function I say I wonrsquot eatrdquo she says but also admits the seed for selfacceptance and respect for the body was sown in yoga ldquoGuilt is the most useless and destructive emotionrdquo she says ldquoI have a terrible sweet tooth and if my body craves something I have it I have been through the phase where I have denied a craving then eaten 500 ml of ice cream in one sitting And then punished myself by working out four times a dayrdquoIn the same vein if the family is going out for a birthday or celebration shersquoll go along and then get back to OMAD the next day ldquoI am not a salad personrdquo she says ldquoand I canrsquot be on a restrictive diet We are a family of foodies I eat what I want for the one meal and itrsquos easier for me to eat or adjust what everyone else is eating I canrsquot cook separately for myselfrdquoIf Sethi canrsquot meet her friends for lunch shersquoll go with them to dinner and see how she feels ldquoIrsquoll have a bite if I feel like or I will sit with a glass of waterrdquo Shroff is surrounded by a supportive network ldquoFrankly I was known for my horrendous former diet choices so my family doesnrsquot force me Most of them are supportive My friends are also aligned with my choices so that makes it easierrdquo she says Rautrsquos poison is coffee and the ambience of a cafeacute When she goes OMAD again it wonrsquot stop her from picking the prettiest new one in Bandra to have a cuppaBut what has stopped her thus far ldquoWhen I was nonvegetarianrdquo she says ldquoI wouldnrsquot even look at the vegetarian side of the menu Then a whole world opened to me Now if I cut out extraneous meals what else is there I have to find an emotional substitute and that will have to be a spiritual ritualrdquoThat Shroff lost four kilos in 10 days at the retreat only got more people to her side She also had a chronic digestive issuemdashfor which she was even hospitalised in Februarymdashnot return At 50 Sen has not had a brush with BP or blood sugar imbalance diabetes or any other lifestyle disease so common at middle age And she has not needed hormone therapy which was the only option she was given 15 years ago for PCOS either ldquoAnd I have also accepted that my body may gain weight but as long as itrsquos healthy and strong thatrsquos okayrdquo she says ldquoits fluctuating weight thatrsquos worse for healthrdquoldquoThe problem comes if you approach it only from a weight loss perspectiverdquo says Rana ldquoAyurveda teaches us that each body is individual You canrsquot think lsquomy friend lost 10 kilos so I must toorsquo thatrsquos harmful Which is why fad diets donrsquot work someone could lose weight on keto someone could grapple with irreversible hair lossrdquoShe explains how whether OMAD will work on you depends on agni the sacred digestive fire ldquoFor someone with high pittamdashthe fire elementmdashit could be hard to get through the day on just one mealrdquo she says ldquoThere would be irritability feelings of hanger in the attempt to keep your body clean you will create a difficult situation for yourselfrdquo She recommends a patch test as one would for a new skincare product ldquoTry it once a week for a few weeks and see how you feel that day and the next daymdashphysically mentally spiritually and emotionally Resting the agni strengthens it which is why we fast Then go to three days a week if it suits you Adopt it only if you can sustain it for a lifetime fluctuation harms the body more and donrsquot play the rewarddeprivation gamerdquo