​When people in a third-world country start eating like they are in a famine, you realise that maybe we are no longer a developing country. What am I referring to? The new fad, promoted by celebrities and “healthy” people, of starving themselves for 18 hours a day, and then eating three almonds, 1 teaspoon of ghee, and lots of quinoa. I am not exaggerating. Never have I seen people consume as much protein powder as they do in today’s urban India. I can only shudder at the thought of their bowel movements. Given that a war is raging and there is a fear of running out of LPG, this might well be a good diet to follow.. DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.. I shouldn’t wrinkle my nose too much, since—much like Malaika Arora, who is the same age as me but 15 kg lighter—I also begin my day with what she has evocatively termed “water therapy”. I have a glass of warm water in which either fenugreek seeds, fennel or coriander seeds have been soaked overnight and then heated and strained. This is followed by a glass of Green Juice, which is made by blitzing half an apple, half an orange, a stick of celery, an inch of lauki or bottle gourd, half a cucumber, an inch of ginger, mint, and an amla. Sometimes I have a glass of Red Juice instead, made by blitzing half an apple, half an orange, beetroot, ginger, and a carrot. It’s only after this that I have a cup of ginger tea. Which I can just see the celebrities shaking their head at, because I should be drinking ghee instead!. The usual diet I see promoted by various celebrities is to have a spoonful of ghee every morning. Then chew on a tablespoon of flaxseed. Then throw away that lovely white rice, and only eat brown rice. Don’t eat any meat cooked with yoghurt. Don’t eat for 18 hours. Drink only almond milk, which is not milk but almonds pureed with water. Eat only dates, no sugar. Eat cakes with no butter, no sugar, and no flour. Substitute coconut milk for dairy milk, which has a totally different taste profile.. Now I’m all for a healthy diet, and have to admit that having the juices and the warm water (I even have a witch’s brew at night made by boiling a cup of water with bay leaf, cinnamon, fennel, coriander seeds, and other masalas), which does make your skin glow.. But is there truly a science behind shunning all things delicious and eating like a very rich, famine survivor? As Rani Mukherji said in an interview with Faye D’souza, she can’t diet because she’s Bengali and needs her rice and fried fish. I hear you, Rani.. Are we overdoing healthy food? (Photo: AI Generated). According to Delhi nutritionist Shweta Ahuja Arora, there is a method to the madness. Green juice in the morning is actually a way of filling your body with vitamins like A, D, E, and K and folate. It helps in deep hydration during summers for better skin and gut hea  

 ​Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas make an adorable couple with scintillating chemistry. The comfort they share comes through every time they speak about each other, and it was no different recently when Priyanka detailed her roka or engagement ceremony and Nick’s adorable words to her. “At our roka, even I didn’t know it was going to be such a thing. But my mom…daughter’s getting married…don’t have dad…really wanted to make it special. So we had four pandits sitting and chanting. I walked down…and my mom had changed the hall downstairs. All the couches were moved, and there was low seating. There was a havan kund in the middle, and there were these pandits just chanting, and the whole feeling was as if I was walking into a new life…it didn’t hit me when he put the ring on my finger…but when we walked hand in hand …I was like…oh, things are shifting…this is different…I’m choosing my family…gravity of that was not lost on either of us…” Priyanka told the Mythical Kitchen podcast on YouTube.. The Don 2 actor continued, “After the ceremony was over, which Nick did perfectly…much to the joy of all my aunties…he saying swaha, swaha, swaha…they loved him…oh wow, he can play the dholak…it was great…and so we went back upstairs to just change, take a minute and come down for lunch…he held my hand and he said, I feel like we are on our third or fourth lifetime, because in Indian weddings, when you walk around the fire seven times, you are making a promise for seven lifetimes…we believe in reincarnation…we believe that you find your person again and again and again…when he said that to me…I thought about it for a second…and I said…why do you say that…he said, because it’s so familiar…it feels like home but at the same time, I want to experience so much of it together…I mean…how are you not gonna marry that man!”. Sometimes, a single sentence captures the depth of a relationship more powerfully than elaborate declarations ever could. When someone says a partner feels so familiar that it feels like they have known them for a lifetime, it is not merely poetic language.. Psychotherapist and life coach Delnna Rrajesh said that it reflects a profound psychological experience that many people struggle to explain. “The sense that this connection is not entirely new. The feeling that the person standing in front of you somehow fits naturally into your emotional world,” said Delnna.. This kind of familiarity is different from the intensity many people associate with romantic attraction. “Popular culture often teaches us that love should feel dramatic, overwhelming or unpredictable. Yet the relationships that endure for decades are often the ones that feel stable and grounding rather than chaotic,” said Delnna.. When someone feels at home, the relationship becomes a space where individuals can exist as their authentic selves. There is less fear of judgment and more room for vulnerabil  

 ​Can seed oils, refined grains, and processed foods really trigger heart attacks? (Source: AI Generated). Heart disease has become increasingly common in India. According to a 2020 study published in the National Library of Medicine, “Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) strike Indians a decade earlier than the Western population.2 For us Indians, particular causes of concern in CVD are early age of onset, rapid progression and high mortality rate. Indians are known to have the highest coronary artery disease (CAD) rates, and the conventional risk factors fail to explain this increased risk.”. The roots are planted years earlier, often through daily dietary habits. Small, repeated food choices can gradually influence inflammation, insulin resistance, visceral fat accumulation, and arterial health, sometimes without obvious warning signs. As such, Dr Brijmohan Arora, a diabetologist from New Delhi, recently highlighted five major dietary mistakes that may silently increase the risk of heart attacks. In an Instagram video, he stated, “If you want to never have a sudden heart attack, you must remove these five mistakes from your diet. These five mistakes silently damage your heart from within, and symptoms often appear only at the time of a heart attack.”. In the caption accompanying his post, he wrote:. “Most heart attacks don’t start in the heart.. They start in your kitchen.. ❌ Seed oils. ❌ Ultra-processed / packet food. ❌ Sugary drinks. ❌ Refined grains (bread, pasta, white flour). ❌ Processed meats. These silently drive insulin resistance, inflammation, visceral fat and arterial damage.. If you fix metabolism, you reduce risk.”. While the message is direct and urgent, it also raises important questions about nutritional nuance, portion size, overall dietary patterns, and individual risk factors.. So, how strong is the scientific evidence linking the listed foods directly to heart attack risk?. Dr Jagadish Hiremath, a public health intellectual, tells indianexpress.com, “The scientific evidence linking diet to cardiovascular disease is strong, but it is important to understand that risk comes from overall dietary patterns rather than single foods in isolation. Large population studies and meta-analyses consistently show that high intake of processed meats and refined carbohydrates is associated with increased risk of heart disease due to higher levels of saturated fats, sodium, preservatives, and rapid blood sugar spikes that promote metabolic dysfunction.”. View this post on Instagram. When it comes to seed oils, he notes that the evidence is more nuanced. “Most clinical data suggest that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats, including those found in commonly used vegetable oils, can actually reduce LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular risk when consumed in moderation. Problems arise when these oils are repeatedly reheated or consumed primarily through ultra-processed foods.”. Quantity, cooking method, and overa  

 ​Savji Dholakia, the founder of Hari Krishna Exports and widely regarded as India’s diamond king, recently opened the doors of his sprawling 50-acre family estate in Surat for a home tour, giving the world a rare glimpse of a residence that is as rooted in values as in grandeur.. “This is not a house. This is a temple,” he said as he welcomed the host at the entrance. The man who arrived in Surat at age 12 with just ₹12 in his pocket, enough for a half-ticket on his mother’s insistence, now lives in one of India’s most extraordinary family homes. And yet, for all its scale, the estate feels less like a trophy and more like a testament to what Dholakia has always believed, that people matter more than possessions.. The main living area is designed to feel as connected to the outdoors as possible. (Source: YouTube/Curly Tales). A dream home built for 64. Located on the outskirts of Surat, the estate is home to all 64 members of the Dholakia family, spanning multiple generations. What makes it remarkable is not just its size, but its philosophy. The property was conceived as a space where the entire family, including four brothers, their children, and their parents, could live, work, and grow together without ever feeling the need to divide.. What makes it remarkable is not just its size, but its philosophy. (Source: YouTube/Curly Tales). The estate features separate villas for each family unit, but the architecture deliberately draws everyone back together. Central meeting spaces, a large clubhouse-style living area, and communal dining ensure that togetherness is built into the home’s very structure.. “We built this empire all our lives,” Dholakia told Curly Tales. “Brothers first. 200 crores later.”. A living area open to nature. The main living area is designed to feel as connected to the outdoors as possible. Open on all four sides, it functions as a welcoming space for visitors and a gathering point for the family. The structure is intentionally airy, with greenery visible from every angle, blurring the line between the indoors and the sprawling natural landscape that surrounds it.. Dholakia has planted 1.5 lakh trees across the property. (Source: YouTube/Curly Tales). 1.5 lakh trees and an Ayurvedic garden. If there is one element that defines the estate above all others, it is the extraordinary greenery. Dholakia has planted 1.5 lakh trees across the property. “Dholakia means forest,” he explained. “Forest means jungle. That is why this house is inside the jungle.”. Story continues below this ad. The estate includes a dedicated Ayurvedic garden where plants used in the family’s daily meals, salads, and herbal preparations are grown on-site. Among the trees, a handful were imported from China in 11 containers, 15,000 trees, because they simply weren’t available in India. But, he was emphatic, everything else is Indian seed.. From 7 am to 11 am every morning, Dholakia can be found on the grounds, walking with l  

 ​Solo travel has become increasingly popular among women worldwide, but safety remains a major concern when choosing a destination. The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index 2025–26, published by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security in partnership with the Peace Research Institute Oslo, offers one of the most comprehensive assessments of how safe and supportive countries are for women.. The index ranks 181 countries based on 13 indicators across three key dimensions: women’s inclusion, justice, and security—including safety, legal protections, economic participation, and education. According to the 2025–26 WPS Index, Nordic and Western European countries dominate the rankings, reflecting strong gender equality policies, high levels of social trust, and low rates of violence against women.. Ranked 131, India misses the top 100. Here are the 10 safest countries for female solo travellers, according to the latest rankings.. 1. Denmark. Denmark tops the global ranking as the safest country for women. The country scores highly for community safety, women’s economic participation, and political representation. High trust in institutions and strong social policies make it one of the most secure environments for women travelling alone. 2. Norway. Norway consistently ranks among the best countries for gender equality and safety. Comprehensive welfare systems, strong anti-discrimination policies, and a high perception of public safety contribute to its high ranking in the WPS Index.. 3. Iceland. Iceland is widely recognised for its progressive gender policies and high female labour participation. The country’s low crime rates and strong legal protections make it a comfortable destination for women exploring independently.. 4. Sweden. Sweden’s emphasis on gender equality and survivor-focused justice systems helps it maintain a strong position in the index. The country also offers well-developed public infrastructure and a culture that prioritises safety and inclusion.. 5. Finland. Story continues below this ad. Finland performs strongly across education, social equality, and safety indicators. High literacy rates, political participation by women, and strong legal protections contribute to its reputation as a secure and welcoming place for female travellers.. Top 10 countries for female solo travellers in 2026 (Photo: Freepik). 6. Luxembourg. Luxembourg stands out for women’s financial inclusion and access to justice. With low crime rates and strong social protection systems, it ranks among the safest destinations for women living, working, or travelling alone.. 7. Belgium. Belgium scores highly on access to education, labour participation, and legal protections for women. Its strong institutional frameworks and safe urban environments contribute to its place among the top countries for women’s wellbeing.. Story continues below this ad. ALSO READ | More Indian women opting for luxury solo travel, says survey. 8. Netherland