‘I can consume 200 grams of vegetables in various forms’: Bhumi Pednekar on her diet, sustainable lifestyle

Bhumi Pednekar has created a niche for herself not just as an actor, but also as an advocate of healthy living and clean eating. The Badhaai Do star, who is a vegetarian, has been a climate activ as well as a social campaigner who believes it is necessary to raise a voice to create awareness about causes one feels passionate about.
In an exclusive interaction with , the 32-year-old talked about one such cause, busted some common diet and fitness myths, shared her favourite travel destination, and more.

You are extremely dedicated to fitness. What does your routine include?
I laugh; I laugh a lot. I love the training. I walk as often as possible. There are times when I just go for a run, or at the job where I’m sitting for like 45 minutes. So, I don’t really have a regimented rule. One thing that I stick to is reaching the gym at least five times. As opposed to a lot of people thinking that women should not lift weights, I have seen the difference with my weight training regimen. My posture has improved while my aches and pains, and injuries have subsided.
What about your diet?
I try to be as close to my character physically as well. I think it’s just about being in the right balance of a good healthy state of mind and a good healthy body. Regularly working out is about mental health too. I’m vegetarian, so most of my diet is plant-based. I lead a sustainable lifestyle. So my diet automatically kind of contributes to it. Just loving my body is the mantra. When you know what’s right for the body, then you feel good inside out.
Two myths that you would like to bust from your experience?
I eat rice regularly as opposed to people thinking that rice is not good for weight loss. That’s not true at all. Rice has a lot of amino acids. It is very easy on your gut. I don’t eat refined sugar. I stay away from dairy as much as possible. Especially because my body does not take milk in its purest form. I do like a lot of vegetables. I can consume 200 grams of vegetables in various forms. I eat fresh fruits. It is high on carbs and sugar. But the body needs a certain amount of heavy sugar and carbs too.

How important is it to raise one’s voice for causes that matter?
What the campaign stands for and how effective the plan of the campaign is matters a lot to me. When Whisper’s #KeepGirlsInSchool campaign came up, I was extremely moved, because like any other girl, I’ve had my own period journey. I have been involved with period health and sanitisation. I realise that what they’re trying to do is truly impossible. But trying to educate girls that don’t necessarily have access to the right information, trying to remove the taboo around seizures, trying to get as much knowledge and awareness not just to the girls, but their families as well…it is an important task. It’s a fact that so many girls in rural dricts drop out of school when they start menstruating. We need to de-stigmatise all the cons, all the negative conversation around a girl’s periods.
We need to normalise it such that it is as normal as breathing. Because this is how women are. That does not make them impure. It does not mean that we have to rob them of their rights and their opportunities. I feel very fortunate that my voice along with the intent that we have with this campaign has reached out to so many families, about 5.5 crore people. It has helped more than 90 lakh girls. I really feel like we have achieved something.

What does a typical lazy day look like?
Honestly, it is about watching TV, and eating aloo ki sabzi (potato curry), or sitting with my family at home watching a film. That includes my mom, my ser, and my dog.
What does travel mean to you?

I feel like the world is going towards normalcy. I love travelling. I travel a lot with my family and my friends. I actually travel as and when I get a chance to. Only with a break, I reset my life, detox my life and kind of get back onto track. I am constantly jumping characters and people. Also, I feel new travel just kind of gives you a new perspective towards life. Travel is very important for me and now that we can do it, let’s do it.

Any destinations you would like to travel to soon?
So many I know. I want to go to Japan. I want to travel to any of the South American countries because that’s something that’s still not done so far.
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