Actor and writer Soha Ali Khan tells Chahak Mittal about the little everythings of her health routine during the lockdown, how her growing up years influenced her food habits and why almonds have been timeless ingredients for nutrition in a Badam Pe Charcha
Remember how your mother would stuff your mouth and blazer pockets with soaked almonds while you were headed to school for your exam or a job interview? Yes, even when you were getting late, she would insist, “Zarur kha lena, isse buddhi chalegi.” Well, such nuskhas (homemade remedies) of an Indian mother might seem a little too much to follow at times, but they’ve certainly worked, time and again. And yes, not just mothers, but science agrees too — almonds boost memory.
Actor and writer Soha Ali Khan, who has been quite cautious about her food habits and exercise, shares her story of how she began consuming almonds and continues to find them as essential ingredients for health.
Excerpts of our ‘Badam pe Charcha’ with her:
How relevant do you think a conversation about everyday kitchen ingredients is during this time of pandemic when people are becoming really health conscious?
Of course, the lockdown and the Coronavirus pandemic have been hugely challenging and worrying in so many ways. But we have to look at the positive side of everything. The idea is to see what we can learn and how we can use this time as fruitfully as we can. We have been locked down for three to four months now and we are still unsure until when this will continue. We need to try and get some more control over certain things.
People have wanted to learn mythology, new diet patterns and what not. This is the time when you can kick start that. I would say being healthy should always be the priority for everyone. And now because you are not eating out at restaurants, you are not attending parties, you can have a control over what you eat and this is the time to be mindful. Everybody knows that Indian food is so good for health. It has got all the right spices and ingredients. If you cook it properly, it actually addresses a lot of your medicinal and nutritional concerns. Besides our nuts and grain heritage could help us develop healthy snacks. For example, almonds are superfoods because of all the incredible minerals in them like zinc, copper, healthy fats and dietary fibre. A handful of almonds everyday can really help you curb your hunger, gain energy and grow physically and mentally stronger.
How do you think nutrition tricks and parenting remain the same even as generations evolve?
There are certain things that will continue because they are timeless. Just like a good advice! As long as every generation’s experience about a certain thing is the same and proven, it is going to be handed down. For example, almonds are easy to consume, store and have a long shelf life. When the lockdown was announced, I actually stocked almonds first. And if you keep them in the right temperature in the right way, then they last for up to two years. So it’s a very good food to have in the house.
For many, consuming the same food everyday might become boring. But that’s what the lockdown has given us — the same routine everyday. How do you ensure variety?
Of course, there could be a sense of boredom at home, especially for those who travel often. Nowadays, every meal is cooked at home and you might get a little restless with that. But all of us, including (daughter) Inaaya (laughs), have tried our hands at cooking something new. Inaaya loves to bake. We have to even control it at times. We give her the ingredients and she actually mixes them in a bowl. She is trying to learn about quantities, maths and chemistry of different things. Even Kunal (Kemmu, actor and husband) has learnt to make some new dishes. He recently tried his hand at making dum aaloo for the first time. It’s a Kashmiri dish that his mother specialised in. Well, now, it’s empowering for him that he can cook it for himself too.
When everyone at home cooks something in their own style, it changes the monotony a little bit. And now, due to social media and YouTube, everyone has found a little chef in themselves. They are coming up with new recipes. Adaptive learning is a wonderful part about human nature.
Before the pandemic, there used to be various kind of routines and diet mantras that people followed. But now that we are indoors, 24x7, what do you think is going to be the new normal for fitness?
Yes, outdoor activities are going to be shut for some time now. And gyms and parks will be closed. However, like I said, finding a positive side to things are important. So, anyway it’s monsoon time. In cities like Mumbai, it gets difficult to be outside at this time. Hence, for workout, I have adapted to yoga because for it, you don’t need to be in a gym or need equipment or be outdoors. All you require is a mat or even a towel. It’s the best form of exercise, which can be done at any age. The best part about exercising at home — you don’t even have to pay for them. There are also a lot of other online workouts. There are stairs, too. Just walking up and down the stairs is quite an amazing form of exercise.
In your book, The Perils of Being Moderately Famous, you have talked about how certain rules and regulations come with being born in a royal family. So how have your growing up years influenced your health habits?
Yes, upbringing always shapes you. Especially when you become a parent, you tend to adopt the same style of parenting that your parents had around you. And coming back to physical exercise, we were quite a sporty family. My father loved and played sports. We, as kids, were always playing badminton or cricket or tennis. We used to be constantly active, running around, going for campaigns. We were very physically active as a family. Even in Delhi, playing pithu and all outdoor games were our hobbies. It was all about group sports. These days though it is about individual regimen.
Also, I have learnt about getting the right nutrition from my parents. Even the whole almonds theory came from my mother. She used to soak them overnight and give them to us in the morning before we went to school. This is how I have seen the benefits of almonds from a young age. Hence, I have also habituated my child to it and make sure she doesn’t miss it a single day.
A ‘royal family’ is just a tag or a name! It’s just an usual family growing up which has traditions and routines of their own just like every other family has.
How difficult is it to write a book about yourself, laying your life bare in front of people that you didn’t even know or those who knew you?
Well, while writing the book, I felt that I needed to be honest because otherwise, it isn’t fair to the readers who pay for a book and don’t even find its content worth it. Why then write a book at all? I would say I have the ability to laugh at myself and not take myself very seriously, which is why I am happy to share a lot of things that have happened in my life. I’ve always felt that somewhere somebody relates to you.
Also, it was to debunk myths people have about you coming from the royal family of Pataudis, being an actor, or living a life that they can’t imagine. Ultimately, when you write these things down, it strikes a chord within lot of people — young women, students, travellers, people who enjoy cricket and other things associated — and they build a connection. It’s about just that at the end of the day.
What would you say is your fitness mantra?
I personally love yoga. It’s the best for one’s mental, physical and emotional well-being. For others, I would say doing anything that gets your heart rate elevated for at least half an hour or an hour per day, whether it’s through dance, Zumba or Pilates.
