While society knows him as a role model for peaceful protest, Mahatma Gandhi also spent his 78 years

studying
one personal passion: Nutrition
Gandhi’s diet and healthcare concerns harmonies very well with the industry in the 21st century. Going by the
text in Gandhi’s Key to Health and Diet and Diet Reforms, Gandhi limited his diet to:
 Raw Vegetables
 Curd
 Fruits
 Fresh Organically Grown Food
 Unpolished Rice and Coarse Grains
 Millets
 Leafy Vegetables
 Soya Beans
 Neem Seeds
 Jaggery
 Guava Seeds
 Tamarind
 Groundnut Cake
 Boiled Vegetables with A Hint of Salt

Gandhi often used empirical methods to experiment with his diet and not only did he limit the role of
experimenting to himself, but also included others to help him gather and document his trials.

From the Book "Key to Health"

 “I have always been in favor of pure vegetarian diet. But experience has taught me that in order to be
perfect fit, a vegetarian diet must include milk and milk-products such as curd, butter, ghee, etc. “

 “For vegetarians, milk being the only source of animal proteins, is a very important article of diet. The
proteins in raw eggs are considered to be the most easily digestible of all proteins.”

 “The body requires other things besides milk, whole or skimmed. I give the second place to cereals-wheat,
rice, jowar, bajra etc.”

 “Among fresh vegetables, a fair amount of leafy vegetables must be taken every day. I do not include
potatoes, sweet potatoes, saran etc., which supply starch mainly, among vegetables”.

 “As for fruits, our daily diet should include available fruits of the season, e.g. mangoes, grapes etc. should
all be used in this season. The best time for taking fruits is early in the morning.”

 “A certain amount of fat is also necessary. This can be had in the form of ghee or oil. If ghee can be had, oil
becomes unnecessary. It is difficult to digest and is not so nourishing as pure ghee”.

 “Among oils, sweet oil, cocoa-nut oil, and ground nut oil should be given preference. Oil must be fresh. If
available, it is better to use hand-pressed oil.”
 “As in the case of fats, a certain amount of sugar is also necessary. Although sweet fruits supply plenty of
sugar, there is no harm in taking one to one and a half ounces of sugar, brown or white in a day.”

 “Be that as it may, goat's milk was produced immediately and I drank it. It seemed to bring me new life. I
picked up rapidly and was soon able to leave the bed.”
 Gandhiji preferred the boiled brinjal, boiled beetroot, some boiled mix in one curry, dry bread without
butter, without ghee
 Gandhiji preferred Vegetarian diet besides grains, pulses, edible roots, tubers and leaves, includes fruits,
both fresh and dry. Dry fruits include nuts like almonds, pistachio, walnut, etc.
 Gandhi Ji writes “Garlic and onion in a raw state are strongly recommended in the West. I take raw garlic
regularly for blood pressure.
 Mahatma Gandhi India’s first nutritionist and diet guru.

 Bapu favoured a snack of plantains with groundnut.

 Brown Rice was his preferred staple with DAL and local vegetables. He drank goat's Milk. Mahatma Gandhi
was a great believer of the fact that one should consume seasonal produce and eat Raw fruits and
vegetables to maximize their nutritional benefits. As a sweetener, he preferred jaggery over refined sugar.

 Gandhi ate mostly citrus fruits, peanut butter, and even rarely goat's milk.