Rujuta Diwekar Diet: Eat Local, Seasonal & Traditional (Food List)
Sources: NIN Hyderabad, ICMR, USDA FoodData Central
Rujuta Diwekar is a Mumbai-based nutritionist and author known for one simple idea: eat local, eat seasonal, eat traditional, the way your grandmother did. This page explains that approach in plain words and lists the everyday Indian foods it favours.
Orggu is not connected with Rujuta Diwekar. This is our summary of her published views, linked in Sources below; for her own advice, read her books or follow her official channels.
The approach in short
- Eat local, seasonal and traditional food, not food out of packets.
- Keep it simple: what you need is already in your kitchen and your local market.
- Don't fear fats like ghee, or carbs like rice; don't follow fad diets.
- Eat slowly, without distraction, and as much as your gut says you need.
- Follow your own region's food traditions.
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Foods from her book Indian Superfoods
The serving ideas in the second column are Orggu's own notes, not hers.
| Food | In a typical Indian kitchen (our note) |
|---|---|
| Ghee | A spoon on rice, dal or roti |
| Rice | With dal and ghee, as a daily meal |
| Cashews (kaju) | A handful as a snack |
| Coconut | Fresh, in chutneys and curries, and as cooking oil |
| Banana | Fruit or nuts soon after waking |
| Kokum | As kokum sherbet or in curries |
Millets are not on that list; we mention them because they are a traditional staple grain in many Indian regions.
A sample day (Orggu's example)
Built on the habits described in the Al Jazeera article (fruit or nuts soon after waking, a home-cooked breakfast, smaller meals through the day, rice and dal with ghee). The dishes are our suggestions.
| Time | What to eat |
|---|---|
| On waking | A banana, or a handful of soaked nuts |
| Breakfast | Home-made poha, upma or idli |
| Mid-morning | Seasonal fruit, or a glass of buttermilk |
| Lunch | Rice, dal and a vegetable with a spoon of ghee, and curd |
| Evening | Roasted peanuts or a few cashews, with tea |
| Dinner | Millet roti or khichdi with ghee and a vegetable |
Change the dishes to the ones your region and family cook; that is the point of eating local.
More on traditional Indian foods: shop our traditional food range, or see the sattvic food list and the Khadar Vali millet diet.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the Rujuta Diwekar diet?
Her published approach is about eating local, seasonal, traditional food, without counting nutrients or portions and without fad diets.
Does Rujuta Diwekar recommend ghee and rice?
In published interviews she has spoken in favour of eating ghee with rice and dal as part of a traditional Indian meal.
Is Orggu connected with Rujuta Diwekar?
No. Orggu is not affiliated with her. This page summarises her published views; the products shown are Orggu's own.
Sources & References
- Al Jazeera, “India’s weight-loss guru Rujuta Diwekar on why grandma knows best” (23 Jul 2021): https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/7/23/indias-weight-loss-guru-rujuta-diwekar-on-why-grandma-knows-best
- Abbott India, “Indian Super Foods: A Healthy Indian Diet and Healthy Alternatives”: https://www.abbott.in/corpnewsroom/nutrition-health-and-wellness/healthy-indian-diet-and-healthy-alternatives-for-a-great-living.html
- Orggu, Traditional Indian food online
