Jay Shetty & Radhi Devlukia ON #1 Reason You Are Tired After Lunch

In this On Purpose episode, Jay Shetty welcomed his wife, Radhi, a clinical dietician and nutritionist.

Upon releasing her book JoyFull: Cook Effortlessly, Eat Freely, Live Radiantly, she shares her insights on nourishing the body, making sustainable changes in the diet, and embracing the principles of Ayurveda for balance and wellbeing. 

She explains to Jay Shetty how to change your mindset about food, savor each moment, and cultivate a deeper connection with your body and soul. 

Family Inspiration

Radhi explains to Jay Shetty that growing up in an Indian family, food was central to all celebrations and daily routines. Despite having a full-time job, her mother always prepared a homemade meal with love. This memory influenced Radhi's connection to cooking.

Family recipes have been passed down from mother to daughter for generations in her family. Yet another cherished memory that made it into Radhi's cookbook was her father making mac and cheese when her mother was away. So, to her, this book is more than a simple collection of recipes; rather, it is a reflection of family memories of love and joy.

Studying Ayurveda

Although Radhi started as a nutritionist and dietitian, she found a passion for Ayurveda (the science of life), which altered the course of her career. Ayurveda focuses on understanding your body and tuning into its signals. She told Jay Shetty that she felt more attracted to preventative care and individualized treatment than modern Western medicine. Discovering Ayurveda allowed her to embrace a holistic, food-forward approach that felt like home.

Jay Shetty highlights Radhi's impact on his life - through gentle guidance, she helped him overcome sugar addiction, adjust his sleep schedule, and develop healthier habits. He praises her ability to help him and others become active participants in their health.

Radhi's cookbook JoyFull includes 125 recipes. However, it goes beyond food, as it offers day-to-day guides on habits, rituals, and routines to improve overall well-being. Sustainable change comes from a place of love and knowledge, not fear. So, Radhi's goal is to create micro habits that lead to significant health benefits by integrating practices like breathwork to manage anxiety and improve mental clarity.

The Three Modes

Radhi's book encompasses three modes of food and lifestyle from Ayurveda: goodness, passion, and ignorance. These modes, or "gunas," represent different energies that affect everything, including food and personal well-being. 

She explained to Jay Shetty that foods in the goodness mode are nourishing for the body and rich in "prana," or life force. These include fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans, ideally organic and minimally processed. Consuming such foods promotes long-term health and vitality. 

The mode of passion includes foods that provide immediate gratification, such as sour, salty, and spicy items, which are enjoyable in moderation but should not dominate the diet. Lastly, the mode of ignorance includes foods that detract from health, such as deep-fried items, leftovers, and meat, which can make the body feel sluggish and negatively impact digestion.

Lifestyle activities also align with these modes. Activities in the mode of goodness, such as regular exercise and mindfulness practices, contribute to long-term well-being. In contrast, activities in the mode of passion, like intense workouts, provide short-term benefits but can be overstimulating if not balanced. Lastly, activities in the mode of ignorance, like excessive screen time or poor sleep habits, detract from overall health.

Radhi shared with Jay Shetty the importance of being an active participant in your health. You need to understand how different foods and activities affect the body and mind. Therefore, she suggests keeping a food diary to identify how specific foods influence your digestion and overall well-being. This practice can help you become more attuned to your body's signals and make better dietary choices.

Conscious Eating

Radhi explained to Jay Shetty that one important principle is to eat until satisfied, not full. According to Ayurveda, eating until three-quarters full is ideal. Overeating can overwhelm the digestive system, leading to discomfort, bloating, and the production of toxins due to undigested food fermenting in the stomach. You can prevent this from happening by recognizing your body's cues in time and stopping before feeling overly full.

Mindful eating practices are equally important, Radhi explained. For example, you can prepare the body for digestion by appreciating the food, and expressing gratitude before eating can enhance digestive efficiency. This practice activates digestive enzymes and prepares the body to break down food more effectively.

Thoroughly chewing food is another vital practice. Growing up, Radhi's father would tell her to chew each bite 32 times. Proper chewing begins the digestive process in the mouth, which makes it easier for the stomach to handle the food. This practice is essential for fibrous foods like beans and salads, which require more effort to break down.

Moreover, eating and cooking with hands is common in Indian and other Eastern traditions. Radhi shared with Jay Shetty that touching food is part of the digestive process, enhancing the sensory connection with the food. It is how the body receives the signal that it is time to eat. The tactile experience helps the body prepare for digestion and promotes a deeper connection to the food.

Warm Drinks Only

During digestion, the body generates heat, similar to a furnace. Therefore, Radhi shares with Jay Shetty that avoiding cold drinks and beverages during meals is essential. Cold drinks extinguish this digestive fire, slowing effective digestion.

Additionally, too much liquid during meals dilutes digestive juices, further impairing digestion. Instead, Radhi tells Jay Shetty that he suggests sipping half a cup of warm water or tea with spices during meals and limiting other beverages to half an hour before or after eating. Although serving a cold beverage with food is common nowadays, these practices are not always the best for our health.

Your Body Knows Itself Best

Each body reacts differently to food. This is why listening to your body's cues is vital before jumping on a dietary trend. Radhi told Jay Shetty that knowing your body type and needs is crucial in nourishing it properly. While some people thrive on intermittent fasting, others need regular meals to maintain energy and digestion.

Radhi notes to Jay Shetty that skipping meals can lead to overeating at dinner, which can in turn overwhelm the digestive system. So, if you feel hungry upon waking, it's a sign the body is ready for food. Yet, if you can go hours without hunger, you may benefit from fasting. However, personal experimentation is crucial to determine what works best for your body type.

Today's fast-paced life can also impact well-being. To improve it, Radhi recommends simple breathwork. She emphasizes taking three deep breaths before meals or stressful situations to reconnect with the body and slow down the mind. Breath is linked to emotions and can be used to regulate feelings. Intentionally changing breath patterns can profoundly affect your emotional state. This practice offers a natural tool for setting a healthier pace in life.

Higher Protein Intake

Recently, Radhi changed her mind about the proteins in her diet. Having grown up vegetarian with a diet rich in lentils and beans, she initially underestimated her protein needs. While many people overconsume protein, vegetarians and plant-based eaters often need to be more intentional about their protein intake.

After increasing her protein consumption, Radhi noticed improved hair, skin, and satiety. She points out to Jay Shetty that her meals used to be carbohydrate-heavy, leaving her hungry soon after eating. By incorporating more protein, she felt fuller for longer periods. She recommends beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and occasionally meat alternatives as plant-based protein sources.

Pleasurable Eating Experience

Radhi discusses with Jay Shetty a significant change in her relationship with food; she now focuses on eating to make her body feel good rather than to achieve a certain look. She acknowledged that she was once very conscious about how her body was perceived, which influenced her eating habits. She told Jay, "I've been trying to improve my relationship with food because I didn't realize how much it was impacted by how I wanted to look versus how I wanted to feel." 

To Radhi, finding a balance between food that brings joy and food that promotes health is important. She challenges the notion that healthy eating must be joyless — instead, she argues that food can be both nutritious and enjoyable. Living through others' perceptions can lead to self-objectification and a lack of presence in your experiences.

The Benefits of Spices

Spices play a crucial role in Radhi's cooling philosophy. They make the food flavorful and nutritious. Radhi shares with Jay Shetty childhood memories of using spices for medicinal purposes. Her passion for using spices is vital to her health regimen, as they can boost immunity and aid digestion.

Radhi encourages the listeners to experiment with spices. Her book offers practical tips for incorporating them into daily routines, such as adding them to hot water for a soothing beverage or using them in cooking. She aims to empower readers to explore the diverse world of spices at their own pace. Moreover, Radhi emphasizes the versatility of condiments and provides guidance on how to gradually incorporate them into meals.

Radhi's Routine

Radhi shared her daily routine with Jay Shetty; it incorporates mindful eating practices and self-care rituals throughout the day. She begins the day with oral hygiene and tongue scraping, followed by a meditation session incorporating mantra practice and breathwork. Her workout routine alternates between weight training, running, and heated yoga to promote strength and flexibility. For breakfast, Radhi opts for savory options like hummus toast or protein bagels.

During lunchtime, she prioritizes carbohydrates and incorporates a variety of colorful vegetables to ensure a diverse nutrient intake. Radhi suggests planning meals around essential components like protein, veggies, and carbohydrates. For dinner, she enjoys comforting dishes like lentil curry or soup, avoiding heavy meals for better sleep quality.

In the evening, Radhi engages in a calming routine that includes dim lighting, gentle exercise like walking, and self-massage with warm oils to soothe the nervous system. To optimize sleep quality, it is important to avoid bright lights and heavy meals before bedtime. If you can also finish eating by 5 pm, it would help the body rest and fdigest properly during sleep.

Recipes for All Occasions

Jay Shetty wanted to know how Radhi's recipes can suit different occasions. They played a quiz in which Radhi suggested one of her recipes for each scenario.

For someone tired, wanting a quick home-cooked meal, she suggests the Rainbow Noodle Stir Fry for its simplicity and flavor. 

When entertaining a date, she recommends the Jalapeno Cheesy Dough Balls for their fun, shareable nature. 

For a girls' night, Radhi suggests the Roasted Red Pepper Tagliatelle paired with light sides and a decadent dessert like the Triple Chocolate Brownie Black Forest Celebration Cake. 

Similarly, for a guys' night, she opts for hearty Bean Burgers with sides like Mac and Cheese and Golden Caramelized Fennel. 

Finally, for a date night, Radhi proposes the Mexican Lasagna or Sweet Potatoes with Cavolo Nero Pesto.

Radhi's book JoyFull contains 125 recipies, suited for all tastes and based on Ayurvedic principles. She admitted to Jay Shetty that its intention is to show that food can be both nourishing and joyful, to celebrate the small moments of joy in life, and to infuse vibrancy into both body and lifestyle through spices. 

More From Jay Shetty

Listen to the entire On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast episode on “Radhi Devlukia ON #1 Reason You Are Tired After Lunch & The Simple Change You Can Make to Avoid the 3 PM Slump” now in the iTunes store or on Spotify. For more inspirational stories and messages like this, check out Jay’s website at jayshetty.me.

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