Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar Gives Health Advice To Women Of All Ages

A healthy lifestyle, replete with regular exercise and proper diet is crucial to leading a happy, fulfilling life. For women, especially, being healthy is of utmost importance. No matter what her age, every woman must make it a point to prioritise her fitness. But we often correlate proper diet to counting calories and cutting out carbs. Are we on the right track, or have we completely misunderstood the concept of healthy eating? Besides, how different is the definition of healthy eating for every age group? Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar talks to SheThePeople.TV to answer these questions and many more. Watch the video or read below! 

Who Is Rujuta Diwekar?

Rujuta Diwekar is India’s leading nutrition and exercises science expert. She is not only the best-selling author of two books but also the country’s leading speaker on wellness and nutrition. Apart from this, she is the receiver of the ‘Nutrition Award’ from the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology. Rujuta has also been a nutritionist to celebrities like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Anil Ambani and Shahid Kapoor.

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Rujuta’s Advice To Teenagers

There is a trend among young girls to go on fad diets in order to lose weight. This is caused by normalisation of the idea that being skinny is important. Rujuta Diwekar believes that this is not okay. “I’ve seen girls as young as 13 wanting to be on a diet.” According to her, “This is extremely dangerous”. Rujuta believes that often young girls think they must be skinny, but this is not true. “The last message any of us wants to give young girls as older women is that if you’re skinnier or thinner, the world will be a better place.”

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To Women In Their 20s

It does not matter how skinny you are on the day of your wedding. What’s more important is how reasonable you are, how confident you are, and most importantly, are you kind enough to yourself to eat on time and take the time to exercise

Rujuta Diwekar stresses on the importance of eating healthy. “A lot of young women will eat a chocolate, thinking that it’s dark. They’ll drink coffee, thinking that it’s black, or cola, thinking that it’s zero in calories. That does not work.” Especially if women have PCOD, it is important to completely avoid chocolate, coffee, and cola. Another thing that she feels is that women often think their wedding is the most important day of their life. “Spoiler alert! It’s not. It does not matter how skinny you are on the day of your wedding. What’s more important is how reasonable you are, how confident you are, and most importantly, are you kind enough to yourself to eat on time and take the time to exercise.”

To Women In Their 30s

The most common myth among women is that after 30, you start gaining weight. “This is not true. What happens after 30 is that we begin to peak on our bone mineral density. This is a wonderful thing so please allow that to happen. If you are going through a healthy lifecycle, what will happen is that post 30, you will gain about two or three kgs.” According to Rujuta Diwekar, this is the time women should be skiing and going on treks because their body is physiologically geared for it. "So don’t go on a weight loss diet to lose those two or three kgs. Celebrate and enjoy them!”

To Women In Their 40s

“Women in their 40s often feel like they have to look 20.” Rujuta Diwekar advises women to celebrate their own age and not strive to be something they aren’t. “Trying to be something we aren’t because of our age is ageism. Let’s stand united against ageism.” Women are beautiful at every age, including 40.

To Women In Their 50s

We can be beautiful and attractive at any age. Women who exercise and lead meaningful, purposeful lives are the most attractive women in any room.

Once women hit menopause, they often feel like they have lost their beauty. They think they can never be as attractive as they used to be. However, Rujuta says, “We can be beautiful and attractive at any age. Women who exercise and lead meaningful, purposeful lives are the most attractive women in any room. And they come in all shapes sizes and ages. So please celebrate that about yourself.”

To Women In Their 60s

“At 60, we often feel that now we’re just good enough to be grandmothers. However, a grandmother is just one of the many roles we play. Continue being committed towards yourself as a person.” Rujuta advises women in their 60s to do the things that they’ve always wanted to do but never got around to doing.

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To Women In Their 70s

Rujuta talks about how she once met a 70-year-old who wanted to go trekking and take pictures of the moonrise. “When she was 74, she did this trek and fulfilled her dream. This has always been one of my inspirations. I hope we all reach 70 and can go out into the wilderness and do whatever our heart desires.”

To Women In Their 80s and 90s

Rujuta Diwekar’s only advice to women in their 80s and 90s would be to remember that they are not a burden. “It is important that we remember that our time is still going on. We don’t have to wait for other people to listen to us or respect us, as long as we respect ourselves. There is nothing like an 80 or 90-year-old willing to share her pearls of wisdom.”

Prapti is an intern at SheThePeople.TV