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'People are emotionally connected to their food'

Ayurveda cooking expert Kaushani Desai on what drives current unhealthy lifestyles - and how they're inspiring her to innovate everyday meals with culinary wisdom that's thousands of years old

Did you know that the food industry is so overrun by unhealthy options that they could be contributing to several lifestyle diseases plaguing us today? It's probably a testament of the times that a question like that no longer makes us bat an eyelid. Not Kaushani Desai. A chef and author whose expertise lies in Ayurvedic cooking techniques, the 35-year-old has spent the last 11 years hosting workshops in over 30 countries in a bid to share her knowledge with the world. Her inspiration? The very manufacturers flooding the industry with heavily processed and unwholesome foods today. "The amount of artificial products available these days is on the rise like never before," says Kaushani. "And when you see worse things enter the market, they inspire you to create good alternatives: something similar, but using healthy products. That's innovation."
The India-based practitioner's own relationship with Ayurveda goes back a couple of generations - her grandmother and great grandfather were strong advocates of the many benefits of this ancient discipline - but Kaushani only began to take Ayurveda seriously after her own experience with a spate of health and wellness issues. "Back when I was in college, pursuing a degree in food and nutrition in Mumbai, I struggled with everything from bad skin and hair to rapid weight gain and poor liver, kidney and digestive functions," she says. "I loved cooking, but my only motive for doing so at the time was just because I enjoyed feeding people delicious food - irrespective of how it was cooked."
All that changed when, during an internship at a hospital, Kaushani realised her knowledge - though based entirely on science - was insufficient to make a real difference in the lives of her patients: they needed more than calorie plans. Her father suggested she explore Ayurvedic cooking to see if she could find the answers she was looking for there. "You know, when you grow up with something all your life, you never think of it as more than routine," she reflects. "You certainly don't consider it could be the answer to health concerns everyone is facing." But when Kaushani switched to Ayurvedic cooking in 2005 and experienced the veritable U-turn for the better that her health took, she was sold. "Food should nourish you - and we need to be eating the kind that's right for both body and mind."
In Ayurveda, that means eating mindfully. What you eat, how ingredients are combined, how you cook them, even how you consume them - all of it matters with the promise that a host of health problems can be avoided as a result. But one wonders how that's any different from regular nutritionists advising balanced meals. Kaushani says, "I studied nutrition, so I can relate to that question only too well. In nutrition, you're given tables with nutritive values - but there's no understanding of what you should choose according to your specific body type. The same, however, is very precise in Ayurvedic cooking. If you're of a certain body type, what grain, nut, fruit or vegetable is best suited to you is clearly listed out."
Contrary to popular belief, Ayurveda is not limited to Indian food, but believes in the 'regional and seasonal'. "If I were to observe India from top to bottom, each state has a different type of soil, water, weather, even culture," explains Kaushani. "We have snow in the Himalayas, desert in Rajasthan, high temperatures in Chennai and Hyderabad... That's why it's so easy for me to adapt recipes for other countries so easily, using the ingredients local to their regions and seasons." So, whether you're fond of momos or pizzas or pastas, Kaushani assures it's perfectly possible to cook them all, Ayurveda-style.
Making food tasty is an integral part of her work too, as she believes no one should have to force themselves to eat something - even if it's healthy. "People are very emotionally connected to their food, so you can't ask someone to cut out what they love - non-veg food, for example - immediately. You need to find creative ways to make the same food the Ayurvedic way." Is it even possible to make veg food in a non-veg way? "You've obviously never tried raw jackfruit, palm tree fruit or elephant yam," laughs Kaushani. "The texture in your mouth is exactly like meat, so when you cook it with the same spices used in non-veg food, you almost can't tell the difference. And that's feedback from non-vegetarians themselves!"
Kaushani confesses herself amazed by restaurants that loudly tout their 'Ayurveda' tag, when they are anything but. "Many places are working for purely commercial interests, using the term to attract an audience that arrives without proper knowledge of what Ayurvedic cooking means. It's a pity, but very few places actually walk the talk."
You've heard of prevention being better than cure. "When you understand your body's needs and eat accordingly, there's no better cure. Try it for a month. See how you feel," she says.
karen@khaleejtimes.com