Health and happiness go hand in hand: Anushka Sharma

Actress Anushka Sharma is known to be particular about nutrition, lifestyle and the impact of products on the environment. The actress and entrepreneur has now invested in and become the brand ambassador of Slurrp Farm, a brand that is reviving the use of super grains, driven by a strong vision of providing healthy snacks and mealtime options for young children and adults.

Through its innovative portfolio of millet, ragi and oats-based packaged food products (devoid of preservatives, artificial flavours and colours), it is successfully contributing towards inculcating healthy eating habits among children and adults alike. The actress and new mommy will be making her rap debut in the campaign with three films, each of which depicts a family situation involving children with funky lyrics and groovy mood.

What does a healthy lifestyle mean to you?

For me, a healthy lifestyle is one where you are prioritising both physical and mental health. It's also about being consistent -- we all have those days where we don't want to work out or feel like indulging in a sweet treat but it's important to do it in a way that still allows us to be consistent with the lifestyle goals we've set out for ourselves -- for example, switch out the gym for a refreshing swim or have the sweet treat you want but make it using a natural sweetener like jaggery powder instead of using refined sugar. At the end of the day, the most important part of a healthy lifestyle is doing things that make you feel happy. I strongly believe that health and happiness go hand in hand.

Your body plays a big part in determining your mental health and happiness. Do you agree and why?

Absolutely. In fact, the reverse is also true -- mental health and physical health cannot exist in isolation. And we've seen the proof of this in the last two years more than any other time. A healthy body enables you to feel good and a healthy, active mind pushes you to be physically healthy as well.

When you choose to eat healthy what do you choose and why?

For me, eating healthy is a way of life. So even if I want to indulge myself on a 'cheat day', I will always make sure I pick a healthier version of the food. One of the things I have always consciously included in my diet are millets like ragi and jowar. These millets truly are supergrains -- they are easy to make, taste incredibly yummy and do not need a complete overhaul of your existing recipes. And they are literally power packed with proteins, carbohydrates and fibres. Millets are my go-to grains -- I tend to use millet flour for my chapatis, substitute rice with ragi when we're eating idlis and even use ragi in the porridge my daughter eats. In fact, millets are at the centre of Slurrp Farm's mission to change the way children eat and that was one of the key factors for me to come on board as a strategic partner, investor and brand ambassador at the company. Through the partnership and the new 'Yes Ka Time Aa Gaya' campaign, I hope to help nurture India's rich heritage of millets, and enable today's generation to leave behind a healthier lifestyle and planet for those to come.

Please tell us about the 'Yes Ka Time Aa Gaya' campaign with Slurrp Farm?

I'm happy about Slurrp Farm's 'Yes Ka Time Aa Gaya' campaign. It's based on the powerful insight that mothers have to constantly fight a battle with the world to feed their children right. Mothers deal with a flood of opinions and options on giving their children the right kind of nutrition. Yet, they are compelled to constantly say 'No' so that their children can have an early start to eating healthy. And honestly, it's never easy to say no -- more so when it's to people who have your best interests at heart. 'Yes Ka Time Aa Gaya' brings this exact predicament to life and offers a wholesome, and convenient solution. As a mother, I identify strongly with this message and I am so thrilled to take it to homes across India in this fun manner. I am confident that the campaign will inspire not just mothers, but families, to dig a little deeper and pay attention to the food their kids are eating.

Many celebrities are self-confessed food snobs, are you one too and what is your favourite food?

I wouldn't call myself a food snob but I do get genuine joy from eating good food. And for me, good food doesn't mean fancy dishes or eating out. Wholesome, home-cooked food made using local ingredients will always be my go-to.

To date my favourite foods are those that I grew up eating -- 'khichdi and palleyo', which is this yummy dish made with millets that we would have whenever we went to my nani's home in Uttarakhand, are my top picks.

It's often said that Indian meals are extremely well balanced and nutritious because of the diversity of items we have on the plate. Do you agree and what do you think is lacking?

The Indian meal plate definitely ranks high when it comes to nutrition. But I do think that we have forgotten some of the ancient superfoods that are true to our roots. Like millets!

Our parents grew up eating these incredible grains and so did most of us -- bajre ki roti, raggi mudde, jowar bhakri -- we were familiar with these dishes but somewhere along the way, we slipped into eating only wheat and rice and forgot the incredible benefits of these grains. It's heartening to see that millets are slowly coming back into the spotlight and people are rediscovering their benefits -- I do think that we need to bring these supergrains back to the centre of our plates to have truly well-balanced and nutritious meals.