Health and fitness have taken over social media lately. There are thousands of reels and posts telling you what healthy foods you should eat. One of these online “experts” might tell you eggs are healthy, and the very next reel warns you not to eat them. It’s confusing and bizarre because this content isn’t tailor-made for your lifestyle, metabolism, or even your culture. So, how are you supposed to know what is actually healthy for you? Well, we have an answer. Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar shares a simple test to know if a widely claimed healthy food is actually healthy for you.

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Rujuta Diwekar is a celebrated nutritionist who has been working with stars like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Varun Dhawan. While her approach towards food, health and fitness is quite different from most people, her successful career proves she’s right. In a recent interview with actor Ahsaas Channa, Rujuta shared the best ways to know if a viral or trendy food is genuinely healthy for you.

The language test

She revealed that the best way is to put the food through a language test. This test is quite simple: if the food in question doesn’t have a name in your local language or regional language, say no to it. Rujuta said, “We are living in a time of climate crisis, and we need to understand that our food is ecologically sensitive. Basically, we need to eat within our ecological means. So if a food has a name only in English, it is not good for you.”

The grandmom test

This is my personal favourite. Ask yourself: Would my grandmother recognise this food? If she’d squint at your plate and ask, “Yeh kya hai?”, it’s probably not something your gut bacteria is ready for either. Rujuta explains that eating foods that our ancestors ate also keeps our gut bacteria in place. “Eat food that’s familiar to your grandmom because then it fits the inheritance of your gut bacteria also,” she said.

The BBB test

This one’s a little quirky and requires a quick Google search. It’s called the Bangkok, Boston, Bangalore test. If a food item is known by the same name and for the same benefit in all three cities, it’s a red flag. Health isn’t one-size-fits-all, and a food that works for someone in Boston might not suit your body in Bangalore. So, when someone sitting in Boston tells you a list of healthy foods to eat, you know you have to scroll past that reel.

The whole point is to eat mindfully and focus on what our ancestors have been eating. This not only keeps you healthy but also supports local farmers and reduces our carbon footprint. So, the next time you see a food item going viral for its health benefits, just ask yourself – what would my nani say?

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