After graduating in dietetics and interning at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, Devgan chose to focus on prevention rather than just treatment. She helps people build habits that keep disease at bay—a philosophy that guides her work. To her, nutrition means understanding how daily choices shape long-term health, not strict diets or deprivation.
Writing became a natural extension of her mission. In the early 2000s, few explained nutrition science to everyday readers. Devgan filled that gap. Her articles now appear in India’s leading publications and reach a wide audience. “As a dietitian, you help one person at a time,” she explains. “When you write, ideas reach thousands.” Besides her columns, she has authored six books demystifying nutrition with practical habits, not rigid rules. Today, Devgan’s work spans writing, consulting, speaking, and brand partnerships around whole foods and sustainable eating. Her core mission is unchanged: fight misinformation and empower people with evidence-based knowledge. Amid trend-driven advice, her voice remains calm, balanced, and rooted in traditional wisdom.
In this conversation with MOSAIC Magazine, she discusses sustainable eating, the gut-brain connection, modern diet myths, and why lasting health comes from long-term habits rather than quick fixes.
MOSAIC: Your book “The Ultimate Grandmother Hacks: 50 Kick-Ass Traditional Habits” revisits time-tested food and lifestyle wisdom. From a sustainability perspective, how do traditional Indian food habits support conscious living today?
KAVITA: I’m very glad you started with this question, because traditional Indian diets actually embody many of the principles we now associate with sustainable eating.
A diet must meet three key criteria to be sustainable. First, it must provide enough nutrition and promote good health for current and future generations. Second, it should create a low environmental impact, so it does not heavily burden the climate, water resources, soil, or biodiversity. Third, communities that produce and consume the food should regard it as culturally acceptable, economical, and accessible.
Traditional Indian eating practices align remarkably well with these principles. Historically, Indian diets were largely plant-based—not entirely vegetarian, but predominantly so. That naturally meant lower emissions compared to meat-heavy diets.
People relied on local and seasonal foods, minimised waste, and used clever preservation techniques like pickling and fermentation. Even the way we cooked demonstrated sustainability; every part of an ingredient was used—the stems of vegetables, the peels, the leftovers. Diet diversity was another hallmark of Indian food culture: countless varieties of dals, grains, millets, vegetables, and spices.
The Ultimate Grandmother Hacks is essentially an ode to these habits. Although the book wasn’t consciously planned as a sustainability guide at first, I later realised that the wisdom passed down by earlier generations was inherently sustainable. Simple practices—like eating together as a family, cooking at home, or using peels and leftovers creatively—are not only good for health but also for the planet.
MOSAIC: Having written bestselling books and spoken across platforms for decades, what do you think is the biggest obstacle preventing people from adopting healthy habits today?
KAVITA: The biggest challenge is our tendency to chase quick fixes. Human beings naturally want the easiest, fastest solution to every problem, including health and weight loss. Quick fixes simply don’t work. They never did, and they never will. People set themselves up for failure when they approach health with a mindset focused on finding the fastest shortcut—whether it’s a miracle diet, a magic supplement, or a trendy eating plan. Misinformation poses the second major problem. Social media rapidly spreads incorrect advice. When someone repeats a message often enough, people start to believe it. That is why all my books focus on habit change rather than diets. Health is a marathon, not a sprint. If a person changes even one habit today, and then another next month, they gradually move toward better health. But people often lose interest the moment they hear that it will take time. There is no sustainable alternative to building healthier habits step by step.
MOSAIC: In your book Don’t Diet: 50 Habits of Thin People, you move away from restrictive dieting. What are some everyday habits naturally thin people follow that anyone can adopt?
KAVITA: When I wrote this book, I observed that people who remain naturally thin often share certain habits. These habits are so ingrained that they don’t feel like effort. The first is focusing on nutrition rather than calories. I know this may sound controversial, but calories are a very vague science when viewed in isolation. Instead of obsessing over numbers, focus on eating nutritious, beneficial foods for your body. Second, prioritise home-cooked meals. This one change can solve a huge number of problems: ingredient quality, portion control, and overall nutritional balance. If someone eats out several times a week, simply cutting back on those meals can make a dramatic difference. Third, make fitness enjoyable. I personally believe strongly in what I call non-structured exercise. Ofcourse, going to the gym or attending a fitness class is helpful. But everyday movements—walking to the market, taking the stairs instead of the lift, choosing to walk rather than drive—are equally powerful.
Another important principle is not demonising food. No food is inherently “bad.” The idea is simply to eat more of the foods that nourish your body and less of those that don’t. And finally, work on your mindset. People who maintain a healthy weight rarely use food as a form of emotional comfort. They enjoy food, but they don’t expect it to solve their problems.
MOSAIC: There is growing research on the gut–brain connection. In your experience, how does food influence mood, focus, and productivity?
KAVITA: Interestingly, Ayurveda recognised the gut–brain connection centuries ago, long before modern science began studying it. Today, we know that much of the serotonin responsible for regulating mood is actually produced in the gut. That means maintaining gut health is essential for emotional well-being. Eating a balanced, anti-inflammatory diet helps maintain a healthy gut microbiome. And that microbiome influences everything from mood to energy levels. Some foods are particularly beneficial. For example, small amounts of cinnamon can support metabolic health. Foods rich in choline- such as egg yolks, mushrooms, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli- support mental clarity. Corporate professionals should also pay attention to their lunch. A well-balanced midday meal, ideally including yoghurt, can stabilise energy levels and even improve dopamine production. Hydration as well is extremely important. Often when we feel tired or distracted, we are simply dehydrated.
MOSAIC: Do you believe nutrition education should begin early in schools?
KAVITA: Absolutely. If we want real change in society, we must start with children. Today, many children cannot even distinguish between real food and packaged food. That is alarming. Teaching nutrition at an early age helps children develop healthy habits that can last a lifetime. When I speak to brands, I often encourage them to invest in educational initiatives rather than purely marketing campaigns. Reaching children between the ages of six and eight can be far more impactful than trying to change the habits of adults in their late twenties. I have done some school outreach programs in the past, and they were incredibly rewarding. Children are naturally curious and eager to learn.
MOSAIC: With social media promoting global food trends, do you think Indian cuisine is losing relevance?
KAVITA: Not at all. In fact, the traditional Indian diet may hold answers to some of the world’s biggest environmental challenges. Reports such as the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Living Planet Report have highlighted that plant-based diets, like India’s, are among the most
environmentally sustainable. The Indian thali, for instance, offers remarkable nutritional balance- grains, pulses, vegetables, fermented foods, and dairy all
in one meal. The issue is not with Indian cuisine itself, but rather with how we have modified it over time. Today, many meals revolve around large portions of refined carbohydrates with very little diversity. Traditionally, however, meals included multiple elements that balanced nutrition. If we return to those traditional patterns, Indian food remains one of the healthiest and most sustainable cuisines in the world.
MOSAIC: Wheat is often criticised in modern diet culture. Do you think gluten-free trends are justified?
KAVITA: My stance is very clear: wheat is not the villain. Unless someone has celiac disease or gluten intolerance, there is no need to eliminate wheat completely. The real issue is overconsumption. Many people eat wheat three times a day- bread for breakfast, rotis for lunch, and rotis again for dinner. The better approach is grain rotation. Include millets like bajra or ragi along with rice and wheat. This not only improves nutrition but also supports digestive health. Food should never be feared. Balance and variety are the real keys.
MOSAIC: With the rise of veganism, many people rely on packaged vegan products. Can vegan diets be sustainable through traditional foods instead?
KAVITA: Any diet- vegan, vegetarian, or non-vegetarian- should rely primarily on minimally processed food. Ideally, processed foods should make up no more than 5–10% of a person’s diet. Beyond that, the focus should be on home-cooked meals. Vegan diets can absolutely work, but they require careful planning to ensure adequate protein and micronutrients. For example, if someone avoids eggs, they must obtain nutrients like choline from other sources, such as mushrooms or cauliflower. With awareness and planning, any dietary pattern can support good health.
MOSAIC: Finally, what message would you like to share with young readers of MOSAIC Magazine?
KAVITA: I would like to leave them with two thoughts. First, you only get one body. Do not treat it like a laboratory experiment. Whenever you read about a new diet or trend, do not blindly follow it without understanding its impact. And second, always eat for the next decade. The food choices you make today shape the health you will experience ten years from now. If you are in your twenties, eat in a way that protects your thirties. If you are in your thirties, eat in a way that prepares you for your forties.
When you start thinking about food in terms of the future, healthier decisions become much easier to make.