If you're not enjoying food, it's not healthy: Sanjeev Kapoor on healthy eating

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor wants us to rethink what “healthy food” means. In a conversation with India Today Television, he spoke about changing eating habits, the pressure that has pushed home cooking to the back burner, restaurant hygiene, frozen food and one ingredient he believes we need to cut down: stress.

For Kapoor, the biggest food problem today is not simply what is on the plate. It is how we think about food. “Food is in your face,” he said, pointing to the constant stream of dishes, brands and food trends online. As people are exposed to global cuisines and food delivery, home-cooked meals can start feeling like a luxury.

Kapoor said longer working hours, rising expectations and both partners in many families needing to earn have made cooking less of a priority. People who have someone cooking at home often want a break.

He believes there is a large market for genuinely home-style food, but says “home-style” is not always the same as food cooked at home.

One of Kapoor’s strongest messages was about frozen food. “Frozen by its nature is not bad,” he said, explaining that freezing can preserve food without adding preservatives or additives.

But how food is thawed matters. If cooked food is frozen, Kapoor recommends dividing it into small batches. When needed, move it from the freezer to the refrigerator and let it thaw



there.

“Not outside. Not underwater,” he said, warning against sudden temperature changes. Once something has been thawed, he said, it should not be put back into the freezer.

Kapoor also spoke about repeatedly heating cooking oil. He explained that food particles left in oil can burn and form carbon when the oil is repeatedly reheated. Filtering the oil and avoiding repeated heating, he said, are important.

He urged consumers to look beyond marketing claims on packaged foods. Labels such as “zero cholesterol” can sound impressive while offering little useful information.

Kapoor backed calls to reduce sugar, salt and oil, linking moderation to India’s growing burden of diabetes, obesity and other lifestyle-related problems.

Yet his approach is not about banning favourite foods. Asked about cheat meals, he said, “Every day is a cheat meal,” adding that he eats everything and believes in moderation.

His most striking advice was perhaps about the mind. When asked which ingredient people should cut down on, his answer was: "Stress." He also highlighted the mind-gut connection and said food should be enjoyable.

“Healthy food is indulgent,” Kapoor said. “If you are not enjoying food, it’s not healthy.”

For him, food comes down to one word: “Life.”