Happy birthday Sonali Bendre: At 51, she swears by this easy but efficient health hack for a fit body

Sonali Bendre finishes her dinner early in the evening, which is known to have various health benefits including keeping BP and blood sugar in check.

Actor Sonali Bendre celebrates her 51st birthday today, but you can never guess that by looking at her ever-so-gorgeous self. The Sarfarosh star fought a major health battle back in 2018, when she was diagnosed with stage four metastatic cancer and underwent treatment in New York. She made a complete recovery in 2021 and has since been raising awareness about the disease.

Sonali Bendre chooses to have her dinner early in the evening and finds it exhausting to sit at the dinner table later.

A vocal advocate for regular health check-ups, Sonali shared one key habit that has likely supported her journey back to health, at her home with Farah Khan earlier in 2025. The director visited the Behl household with her cooks, Dilip and Laksman, to prepare and have lunch with Sonali and her mother-in-law, Madhu Ramesh Behl (Sonali has been married to filmmaker Goldie Behl since 2002).

Sonali Bendre’s preferred dinner time

As the three women sat and chatted in the living room, Sonali and her mother-in-law playfully complained that Farah did not visit their home enough, to which the latter replied that it is difficult for her to travel anywhere past eight in the evening.

“You know what, I love it,” shared Sonali. “Even I don’t like being that late… First, I have dinner by 6:30 or 7 pm. And then when people are eating, I have to sit with them. I find that very exhausting.”

The conversation then shifted to the different eating habits between the two households to which the actor belongs. Growing up in a middle-class Maharastrian family, when Sonali got married in a Punjabi household, she felt the everyday meals to be akin to wedding feasts. However, she has now comfortably settled in while not compromising on health and fitness.

Benefits of having an early dinner

According to a study published in the July 2021 edition of the Nutrients journal, eating late dinner increases the risk of metabolic dysfunctions, including glucose metabolism.

However, having the last meal of the day early offers multiple benefits. It lengthens the amount of time that elapses before the next meal, and has “a positive effect on blood glucose, insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and triglycerides, especially in overweight or obese people.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

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