A Conversation on Feelings, Food and More

Simple Ayurvedic wisdom to nourish both body and mind.

I met Geetika at a Write • Build • Scale’s coaching session. The first time we spoke, she was very kind and supportive. And it makes sense, supporting others is at the heart of Geetika’s mission and work.

Geetika is a classically trained chef turned Ayurvedic Health Counselor and the writer of Ayurveda in Modern Life.

She helps women reconnect with their inner wisdom through food and daily rhythms that support both body and mind.

When I invited her to share her story here, it felt like such a natural fit for 1% Wiser. We both care about the same thing: helping people feel a little more at home in themselves.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.

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Photo from Calum Lewis on Unsplash

Welcome Geetika! I’m so glad we’re doing this and can’t wait to hear more about your story.

You started out as a classically trained chef and later became an Ayurvedic Health Counselor. I’d love to start there. Can you take us back to the moment you realized you wanted to make that shift? What was life like for you then?

There wasn’t one single aha moment—it was a series of smaller ones that added up. A couple stand out, though.

The first was being diagnosed with IBS—irritable bowel syndrome, which is really an umbrella term for digestive distress. It was a blow to my system, not only because I was a chef but because I’d always been someone who could eat anything, anytime, with zero consequences.

It threw me into an existential crisis of sorts. After countless tests, doctors could diagnose it but not fix it. So I did what I usually do when something puzzles me—I researched. I wanted to learn how to manage my often-debilitating symptoms through diet and lifestyle.

I was told to follow the low FODMAP diet. FODMAPs is an acronym for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, which are types of short-chain carbohydrates that are difficult for some people to digest. They can cause symptoms like bloating, gas, and abdominal pain by drawing water into the intestines and fermenting in the gut. It’s a very tedious and restrictive plan—I won’t bore you with the details—but I’ll just say that onions, garlic, bananas, and apples were suddenly off the menu. For a chef, that’s major.

So I started creating new recipes. Then came COVID, which shut down my entire cooking business—teaching, catering, private cheffing—overnight. I had to figure out how to make a living again.
There was nothing happening in the food world, so I made a huge pivot.
It wasn’t my first one; I’d done this before in my late 20s when I went from being a behavioral therapist to a chef.

During COVID, like most people, I cooked at home constantly. At the same time, I was still experimenting with foods that wouldn’t upset my digestion. I started making meals for my family and for a few older friends of my moms who lived nearby and couldn’t safely go out.
Toward the end of that period, I found work as a companion for the elderly, which led to starting a small service creating meals tailored to their health goals. I’d consult with their doctors, nutritionists, or family members to design nourishing menus.

So, no—it wasn’t one moment. It was a gradual rediscovery. Somewhere along the way, I re-stumbled upon Ayurveda, felt an immediate resonance, and decided to study it formally.
Eventually, I became an Ayurvedic Health Counselor.

That’s such an inspiring story. I’m in awe of people who are able to pivot and reinvent their professional identity. Bravo!
For someone who’s new to Ayurveda and maybe feeling curious but overwhelmed, what’s one small daily ritual you’d suggest that brings more calm or clarity?

Create rhythm. Try to wake up, eat, and sleep at roughly the same time every day.

And breathe. Really pay attention to your breath—not in a yogi, incense-burning way, but in a real-life, “I’m stressed and running late” kind of way.
When you feel anxious, simply notice your breath. Slow it down, make it even, and you’ll feel more grounded almost immediately.

I love that idea of rhythm. I’ve been experimenting with breath work this year and it’s been fascinating. I wish it were taught in school.
You often talk about helping women reconnect with their inner wisdom. Was there a time when you struggled to listen to your own body’s signals? And what did that experience teach you?

I’m embarrassed to admit that I ignored my body’s signals for most of my life. Even though I was instinctual about protecting my peace and setting boundaries, I never realized my body was speaking to me.

Being a chef didn’t help—my hours were the opposite of normal, I worked late nights and weekends, ate standing up, and usually too fast. In the 90s, I even smoked because that’s what all the “cool” people did.

It wasn’t until my late 40s that I realized how hard our bodies work to keep us well—and that they’re talking to us all the time.
I’m tired—slow down.
I’m hungry—feed me something real.
I’m thirsty, cold, warm.
Once I started listening, everything shifted.

To be honest, I’ve only started becoming remotely aware of my body’s signals this year, at thirty-four. And I’m afraid you and I are the rule, Geetika, not the exception. These are insights most people simply aren’t exposed to, so thank you for bringing them up.
Speaking of signals from the body, I know there’s a fine line between comfort and coping. How can someone tell when food is meeting an emotional need in a healthy way, and when it’s masking something deeper?

That’s such a complex subject—I could write a book on it.

Food has always been my substance of choice. I ate when I was happy, I ate when I was sad. I ate out of curiosity.
Food was how I learned about people and cultures.

Ideally, though, food should meet both emotional and physical needs. Most of us now live in a world where food is abundant and movement is minimal. We evolved to eat when we could and eat a lot, because food wasn’t always available.
That’s no longer true, but our instincts haven’t quite caught up.

I constantly remind myself that food isn’t entertainment.
Look at nature—plants and animals eat until they’re nourished, then stop. (Well, maybe not dogs, but that’s usually because humans keep training or pampering them with treats.)

If you finish a meal feeling light, clear, and energized, you’ve likely eaten in balance.
If you feel heavy or guilty, you’re probably feeding something other than hunger.

Ayurveda doesn’t label food as good or bad—it asks: how much, when, and can you digest it?
We often hear that we are what we eat. Ayurveda says: we are what we can digest.

You mentioned in one of your posts that Ayurveda sees food as medicine, but not in the way we usually think about medicine. I’d love for you to expand on that.
How does this idea apply to emotional health too?

At first, I struggled with this concept.
“Medicine” sounded like something you take only when you’re unwell. But Ayurveda doesn’t see it that way. When you eat foods that nourish you, that give you energy and clarity, you naturally feel emotionally stronger.

Heavy, dull food creates heaviness and dullness in the mind.
Nourishing food feeds vitality and calm.
It’s less about restriction and more about supporting the body so the mind can follow.

That makes so much sense, the way food affects how we feel emotionally.
What about when we’re craving something else entirely? What are some subtle signals our bodies give us when what we need isn’t food, but connection or rest?

Speaking personally—when I catch myself reaching for food that isn’t fresh, or mindlessly eating chips or cookies in front of the TV, that’s a red flag.
If I feel guilt, shame, or emptiness afterward, I know I wasn’t hungry for food at all—I was hungry for connection, rest, or meaning.

I know many readers will relate to that. And for those thinking, “I hear you, Geetika, but I barely have time to cook,” what are three meals or ingredients you turn to when you want to feel calm but time is short?

Ayurveda was written more than 5,000 years ago—long before processed or packaged foods existed.

I tell my clients: eat as close to its original nature as you can.
If you do cook, think one-pot meals—soups, stews, dishes with a mix of grains and seasonal vegetables.
Ayurveda is not a fan of refrigeration, but I think a bowl of homemade soup is far better than a can full of unpronounceable ingredients.

And please—don’t make this another source of stress. You don’t have to cook daily to be “healthy.” Changing habits slowly makes the biggest difference.

When I need calm or comfort, I turn to khichari, a simple dish of rice and lentils that cooks quickly and feels like a reset button.

I also keep miso paste and tofu on hand for quick soups—add scallions, a drizzle of sesame oil, maybe an egg, and it’s a hug in a bowl.

Or I’ll roast zucchini, carrots, and onions in a splash of olive oil, then toss them in a tahini-lemon dressing. It’s simple, warm, and satisfying.

Hmm.. yum! Reading this just made me crave a warm, cozy bowl of veggie soup.
I didn’t know Ayurveda was written so many millennia ago. That’s incredible.
Let’s clear up a common misconception: What do people usually get wrong about Ayurveda?
That it’s complicated.
People assume Ayurveda means giving up coffee, becoming vegetarian, or chanting at sunrise. Not true. Ayurveda meets you where you are. It doesn’t ask you to stop being yourself—it helps you understand yourself better.

Geetika, I know you help women heal through food and lifestyle. What surprised you most about this work?

What surprises me again and again is how healing often starts with remembering, not reinventing.
Most women already know what makes them feel good—they’ve just been conditioned to override it.
Once we begin listening again, everything changes.
It’s rarely about adding new rules; it’s about removing the noise so we can finally hear themselves.

This is such a deep observation. It’s rarely about adding, and more about removing and listening. I think it links nicely to the idea that intentionality is everything. When we’re living on autopilot, it’s easy to lose touch with our needs.
If you could share one thing you wish every woman knew about her body or mind, what would that be?

That the mind doesn’t live only in the skull.
It’s in the gut, the breath, the skin—everywhere. We are wise and intuitive by design.

The answers we look for outside are often already within us. There is no harm seeking guidance but trust your instincts and what your body is telling you.

Beautiful! And what about when we’re anxious or emotionally overwhelmed? What foods or simple rituals do you recommend to bring calm?

Every culture has comfort foods for the very young, the sick, and the elderly—chicken soup, congee, broths, khichari. These are gentle, easy-to-digest foods that don’t make the body work too hard.

Sit down when you eat. Look at your food, appreciate it, and imagine it fueling you rather than weighing you down. Try to eat at roughly the same time every day. Rhythm itself is calming.

I’m a big fan of comforting routines, so I love this advice.
To wrap up, if you could leave women (and really, readers of any age and gender) with one tip to get 1% closer to a calmer life through Ayurveda, what would it be?

Follow the rhythms of nature. The sun rises and sets, the moon waxes and wanes, the tides come and go—and we’re part of that same rhythm.

When we live in sync with it, even slightly, life feels steadier and calmer.

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I simply loved this conversation.

Geetika’s perspective is a lovely reminder that healing doesn’t come from doing more, but from doing with intention and rhythm.

Through the food we eat, the way we breathe, or the pace we move at, our bodies are always inviting us back to balance.

So, I hope this chat inspires you to tune in a little more to your own rhythms and inner wisdom.

Thank you, Geetika, for sharing your story and your knowledge so generously.

Which part of Geetika’s story spoke to you most? I’d love to hear in the comments.