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Chef Vikas Khanna shares how focusing on his diet helped him heal physical and mental fatigue: ‘Diet became my anchor’
The chef shared that his unrelenting schedule and constant traveling left his body drained and mind exhausted. He adopted a nutrition-based approach to heal.
Chef Vikas Khanna took to Instagram on February 16 to open up about the physical and mental toll of his relentless schedule - late-night services, early-morning shoots and constant travel that left his body drained and his mind equally fatigued. Caught in the cycle of exhaustion, he began to reassess his relationship with food. What had always been his profession slowly transformed into his anchor, as he embraced a nutrition-led approach to restore both physical and mental health. In the process, food became more than craft or career - it became balance, healing and self-care.
He wrote in his caption, “Living between time zones, intense projects, flights, late services, early shoots, and long creative nights, the body slowly forgets where morning begins and where night ends. Fatigue first appears in the body, but it quietly enters the mind. You lose clarity, patience, and even gratitude. I realised I wasn’t tired because of work - I was tired because my rhythm was broken.”
“Diet became my anchor”
Highlighting that nutrition became his anchor, the chef reflected on how he began to view food not as indulgence, but as alignment - reshaping his daily habits around his circadian rhythm and consciously adopting cleaner, more wholesome choices that supported both energy and equilibrium.
He wrote, “Diet became my anchor. I began to treat food not as indulgence, but as alignment. Warm water before sunrise, simple meals, less gluten, less sugar, less excess, more seasonal produce, early dinners whenever possible. When I eat according to the sun rather than the clock, my mind becomes calmer. My thoughts are clearer. My reactions gentler.”
A gut-focused approach
Vikas emphasised that the root of nearly every bodily function - and many ailments, whether physical or mental - can be traced back to the gut. For him, calming a restless body and an overworked mind began with restoring gut health, recognising it as the foundation of overall balance and wellbeing.
The chef reflected, “We often separate physical and mental health, but they are the same conversation. The gut carries memory, mood, and energy. A restless stomach creates a restless mind. A nourished body creates emotional stability.”
Constant flights taught the chef that jet lag wasn’t merely a sleep disturbance, but deeply connected to gut rhythm and internal timing. By retraining his body to recognise time cues through mindful eating, natural sunlight exposure and a consistent daily routine, he gradually restored not just his energy levels, but also a sense of mental calm and clarity.
Chef Khanna wrote, “Traveling between continents taught me something profound - jet lag is not only about sleep, it is about digestion. When I help my body recognise time through food, light, and routine, I help my mind find stillness again.”
Through this renewed approach, he realised that discipline in diet wasn’t about deprivation, but about self-respect. By honouring his body’s natural rhythms, listening to its needs and nourishing it intentionally, he was able to restore physical vitality and reclaim a sharper, calmer mental clarity.
The chef concluded, “I am still learning. I still fail many days. But now I understand that discipline in diet is not restriction - it is self-respect. Food doesn’t just sustain my work anymore. It sustains my peace.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
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