Does your body need biryani?’ Milind Soman on cravings, doing 16-hour fasting routine and mindful eating | World Pulse summit

In the world of fitness, Milind Soman is an icon.At the World Pulse summit on Wednesday (Mar 18), the 60-year-old actor-supermodel was part of a health panel where he spoke about exercise, eating habits, and the choices people make despite being aware of the consequences.

Interestingly, he also said he does not believe in the concept of cheat meals. When asked whether he fights cravings, he explained that he is mindful enough to choose what he believes is right.

Speaking about this, Milind said the whole idea of mindfulness is to consciously know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and where it is leading you.

''You're mindful because you want to move in a certain direction. You're not mindlessly mindful, right? You know exactly what you're thinking, exactly what you're doing. You know why you're doing it, right? So eventually it becomes an automatic thing,'' he said.

For instance, craving something like biryani isn’t always about hunger, it’s often an emotional response rather than a actual need.

He explained that poor choices often arise when there is a disconnect between the mind and the body.

''There are no cravings. You, your mind and your body start working together. It's only when you're disconnected, when your mind and body are disconnected, you take the wrong decisions. You make the wrong choices always. You are saying that, oh, I must have biryani today. Why? Does your body need biryani? No, it doesn't','' Soman said.

''You're just craving it out of some emotional need. You're not even probably hungry.I'll tell you, a lot of people at our level in society have never felt hunger.''

Milind Soman on Intermittent fasting

Sharing his personal routine, he revealed that he has been following intermittent fasting for over a year. He typically fasts for 16 hours and eats within an 8-hour window.

''I started this intermittent fasting. I've been doing it for more than a year now and I find it amazing, the way it's affected the way I live. My energy is increased, my focus, the way my mind works, and by eating less. I would say eating less at a certain time. So I don't eat for about 16 hours. That's the 16-hour intermittent fasting. And I eat in that eight-hour window. And I eat then whatever I want,'' he shared.
‘’But I know what I should eat and how much. I know it. I don't even have to think about it. For example, if there was a samosa on the table and a gulab jamun, then what do I choose? I choose the samosa because I want to minimize sugar.''

He noted that many health issues people face in their 40s and 50s stem from years of neglect and the eating habits.

Milind on parents feeding children soft drinks, pizzas, burgers

Reflecting on his upbringing, he shared that he was raised with strong discipline around food. He avoided soft drinks until the age of 23, guided by his family’s understanding of healthy habits. And this early conditioning, he said, helped shape lifelong habits.

''You know, I see parents feeding their children soft drinks, sugar drinks, pizzas, burgers. I never had a soft drink till the age of 23. I never ate outside of the house till the age of 23 because my parents thought it wasn't healthy. My father was a nuclear scientist. My mother's a biochemist. All four of my grandparents were doctors. So they knew. And they did not encourage certain things. Because what happens as a child, if you are exposed to this, it becomes a habit.''

Ending the conversation on a positive note, Milind said that India has the fastest-growing running population in the world. ''This shows that people are waking up. India doesn’t have a strong tradition of sports, or fitness, or exercise, but people are waking up.''