Social health entrepreneur and nutritional therapist Rachna Chhachhi specialises in the reversal of chronic lifestyle diseases without medication and is WHO-certified in preventing malnutrition in infants and children. At the launch of her new book, Alive!, she shares some food for thought in a conversation with Christy Varghese

What led you to conceptualise the book?

I hail from the corporate sector and I was in a senior management position when I experienced my health breakdown and emerged triumphant in a battle against rheumatoid arthritis. Truth be told, I could have sworn I was living a healthy life. It is hard to explain what one experiences while dealing with a chronic disease or when you are bedridden and told that there would be no end to the pain, fatigue and brain fog. Then suddenly that same person experiences life again. Such miracles are what led me to write Alive! Lifestyle Changes to Age-Proof Your Mind and Body — to help others improve their quality of life. The book highlights what worked for me and thousands of my patients, across 27 countries, in a clinically evidenced manner.

People out there who think they are living a healthy life are most likely missing out on a few critical steps. I am certain my book lists out the steps people tend to overlook. My recommendation, no, my prescription is based on the experience of healing others, clinically backed via their blood work results and other health reports. This book is a result of my emotional journey of healing while scientifically proving why it works.

Can the methods highlighted in your book work for everyone? The general consensus on self care is that one should explore and discover what works best for them on an individual level.

When you read the book, you will see that I have interviewed people across varying age groups who have benefited from the lifestyle highlighted in the book. From millennials to people who have clocked the 80-year mark, I believe, I interviewed over 50 people across the globe and I have quoted most of them in my book. The only common factor among them all was how they were following a set of practices and all of them happened to be disease-free. While some of them were suffering from serious health concerns and recovered after adopting such a lifestyle, others possessed a natural disposition to follow this path and, hence, seemed wise. The book further provides clinical evidence as to why the practises are helping people across age groups and borders. I have summarised their habits and given a scientific explanation as to why their methods worked and then formulated the practises highlighted in the book.

During WFH, people exert themselves throughout the day and thus, feel drained towards the end. Devoting time and energy to self-care might seem hard. Is there a way around such limitations?

It has to be noted that in a typical Indian household odds are that we don’t get physical space, let alone emotional. There are two things one could do in these times. The first and most important one would be to move. The moment we start moving, blood circulation increases. And that is when something wonderful happens. Nutrients start travelling to the parts of the body where they are required. Mobility and circulation also result in thirst. When you start quenching your thirst, the digestive system is activated and in due time the liver releases toxins. The simple exercise of walking indoors for a couple of minutes after every half an hour can go a long way.

The other important thing is to create a space for self-nurturing. By spending just 20 minutes in the day, taking a break from life, you can also increase your productivity. All you need to do is put on your headphones and listen to any playlist that you like, or you could also make use of the numerous guided meditation tracks and self-affirmation audio files found on YouTube or Spotify etc. Whatever works for you. Scientific evidence will back my statement that after spending 20 minutes daily, in the manner highlighted above, for three weeks you can repair your DNA. The practise and the explanation behind this methodology have been expanded upon in the book.

For those who are experiencing the ‘Work From Home’ lifestyle, I would insist you do this after lunch, right in the middle of your working hours because that is when stress levels are highest. Additionally, lunch is usually your heaviest meal. Ayurveda and the Japanese encourage the practice of taking afternoon naps. This also has multiple scientific evidence such as reducing high BP and stress levels while strengthening the heart. The bottom line is, 20 minutes of mindful self-care in a day is all you need to observe some surprising health benefits.

The cosmetic industry has created a market for age-defying quick-fix solutions etc. However, ageing is a natural process, so do you think the everlasting urge to reverse the effects of ageing can be somewhat toxic?

Ageing might be natural but accelerated ageing is not, and that is what causes diseases. People who exhibit accelerated ageing have high levels of inflammation which is also the root cause for many lifestyle diseases such as high cholesterol, hypertension and most heart diseases, kidney diseases and even some forms of cancer. If you need to slow down your ageing process, there is a plan highlighted in this book that activates a gene called SIRT1, an anti-ageing gene.

Now when I say ‘slow down the ageing process’, I don’t mean your wrinkles will disappear right away. However, yes, I do mean that you will decrease the risk of contracting diseases by reducing your levels of inflammation and your skin will reflect the same with a healthy glow. We meet so many people who may be 45 years of age and notice how some of them look a fresh 45 while others look a bedraggled and tired 45.

The book talks about being happy all the time. While that sounds good, would it be healthy to ignore other thoughts/feelings/emotions such as anger, jealousy, et al?

Never ignore emotions. You have to acknowledge and release them. And we have made it a habit to not acknowledge our thoughts and feelings. There is this widespread concept of ‘hi, I am fine, we are fine and we are a happy family’, and beneath that tagline of a happy family, relationships are crumbling. There is resentment that is building up. So the first step is to acknowledge that you have resentment and/or anger and/or fear. Such emotions also suppress the immune system, I have highlighted this in a chapter called Fear And Your Mind.

There are multiple ways to release such pent up energy. If you think that the person you resent can hear you out, you should initiate a conversation with them. If you feel they lack the ability to hear you out, then you should write your thoughts down or record them. The moment you release your resentment and anxiety, it is replaced by relief. The release of such energy makes space for some pleasant feelings and thoughts.

It is said that there is no shortcut to achieving your goals. But in these fast-paced times, if someone wanted a shortcut to improve their quality of life, what would you tell them?

I would tell them to focus on what they eat. Of your meals, 50 per cent should be vegetables. It is the simplest way to reduce anger, fear and frustration while increasing the chances of being in a good mood as well as having a well-functioning digestive system, which reduces inflammation. It also strengthens the heart while helping you lose weight.

All you need to do is visually consider your plate. If half of your plate is filled with vegetables, it would be safe to assume that half of what you are eating is equal parts of carbohydrates and proteins. Do this for every meal over 10 consecutive days and you will see a noticeable difference.

What would you say is the most essential element of self-care?

I feel ‘making time for self’ is the key element. You need to go ahead and give yourself a break. I have observed people sitting idle and just mindlessly scrolling through their smartphones. Nobody pauses to calm the fluctuations of their mind. They are always busy diverting that energy because they know that if they sit with their thoughts, they will not like them. Most of us are in denial because the only alternative is to acknowledge the root of the problem; our immediate choices. So make time for yourself. Like your own company. Solitude is the soul’s holiday. It is an opportunity to stop doing for others and to surprise and delight ourselves instead. In the end, people who really want to help themselves will find a way to do so.

You mentioned that, ‘it’s not about the years you live, it’s about how much life you put in each year’. However, this seems contrary to your book, which focusses more on the aspect — how can we lead longer, healthier and happier lives?

Well, many might feel that the idea is somewhere striking a contrast. However, I think that both are important and closely related. If you take the effort to live on your own terms and be present every day while being mindful, you are alive. And when you experience this quality of life on a daily basis, you slowly but surely increase your lifespan.

(The book has been published by HarperCollins Publishers India.)