Kareena Kapoor’s advice to women who conceived during the pandemic

New Delhi: Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is five-month pregnant with her second child, says every expecting mother should try and keep their thoughts clean and stay away from negativity.

She adds: “It is important to listen to your body’s needs and have a balanced diet and exercise to stay fit.”

In an interview with IANSlife, the diva reveals her food and fitness regime. She also dishes out advice to women who have conceived during the pandemic.

Are you being extra conscious of what you are consuming after you have conceived?

Kareena: I think there is the concept that you’re eating for two, but you’re actually eating for yourself. There is no hard and fast rule that you have to eat double of everything. I’m always making sure I keep having small meals in regular intervals and spread it out because your digestion slows down during pregnancy. I eat a lot of curd, especially in the morning and lunch time because it really helps my gut health and digestion. So that is something I always, always do. In fact, I’m quite conscious of where my product is coming from.

What is your fitness regime during pregnancy?

Kareena: I try to keep it very simple, not overdoing anything. It is important to listen to your body’s needs and have balanced diet and exercise to stay fit. In fact even the doctors today advice 40 minutes of movement and exercise every single day even to expecting mothers. Pregnant women can actually do weight training, walking, a lot of pregnant even run upto 6-7 kms, its absolutely okay to pick any regime and follow it under the guidance of your doctor. It’s important to rest when you’re tired but not that you should stay immobile. I try to do at least one hour of Yoga every day. It really helps me stay flexible and makes me feel refreshed. I have always been a Yoga person.

Has the pandemic brought any change in the food habits of yours and your family?

Kareena: Firstly, I think healthy eating is very very important, irrespective of a pandemic. I have always been a healthy eater and I think my son has also imbibed it. I’ve had dahi in all my meals as it really helps me with gut health and digestion. I’ve had a spoonful of ghee all my life in my khana (meal), whether it is paratha’s or daal. I have always been a fan of dairy, not only because of my indulgence, but also because it’s a simple nutritious addition to my diet.

What advice would you give to other women who have conceived during this pandemic?

Kareena: I think every expecting mother should try and keep their thoughts clean and stay away from negativity. Please eat what your hearts want, but also don’t over indulge. Keep your food and fitness regime, and build your immunities as much as possible with the necessary foods. Do intake adequate amount of milk, ghee, curd along with freshly home cooked food, as this is something that I’m personally following. We are in difficult times right now, so please do take all necessary precautions. But do try to go on with your lives as carefully and normally as possible. I think the more normal you try to be with your lives, the more normal you will feel and the happier and positive you’ll be.

You recently collaborated with the brand Pride of Cow. How would you stress on the importance of consuming dairy products when veganism has become the talk of the hour?

Kareena: I have been waking up every morning to a glass of milk all my life. It has been an integral part of my day and I always make sure I include the right amount of dairy nutrition in my meals through the day. My doctors and nutritionists have always stressed that dairy products really do help in keeping your immunity high and giving you the necessary nutrients, so at this point in time also, I ensure I have a mix of all of these. Ghee also helps build your bone health and makes you stronger from inside, so I would suggest that everyone should include dairy products like ghee, milk and curd in appropriate quantities in their daily diet

What does your daily diet look like?

Kareena: I wake up to a glass of milk every day. For lunch, I always make sure my paratha or my daal-chaawal always has ghee added to it because it has so much nourishment. I always accompany my meals with dahi, as it is the best for digestion. And the days I’m in mood for some indulgence, I eat home cooked aate ka halwa.