Celebrities are just like us.
They also shop at the same stores we do and care about their health just like
us, or maybe even more.
These were just some of the
thoughts running through my mind as I saw Twinkle Khanna showcase a big wad of
bills she had accrued via shopping at Godrej Nature’s Basket in September
alone! Occasion was the launch and overview meet for Healthy Alternatives
category of products by Godrej Nature’s Basket on a sunny Mumbai morning at the
classic Godrej One campus in Vikhroli, amongst a motley group of press and
bloggers.
Godrej Nature’s Basket is already
a premium world food store, at least that’s how my family looks at it :) We
visit them to get the best in terms of meal options from all over the world, be
it fresh fruits and vegetables or a variety of vegan alternatives to milk,
exclusive range of jams or sauces, dips and other condiments and much more.
Healthy Alternatives marks an even stronger step they have taken in terms of
providing a comprehensive range of products that help us make the right choices
in life.
Since our modern lifestyles are
unbelievably hectic, we often pick up ‘ready to eat meal’ packets or reach for
that delectable packet of chips when we need to snack or how about gulping down
that last piece of dense chocolate brownie, and later on comes the inevitable
guilt trip as well as fears related to what is going to happen to our overall
health in the long run. Whether it be snacking on over-processed, artificially
sweetened or preserved food items or heat-and-eat our meals, these are not
habits that can be sustained over long run without seriously damaging our
health as more often than not, they provide empty calories but no nutrients.
And it is not just that we do not have time to cook but rather, it is difficult
to find the right ingredients in all the noise in the market. Add to that, the
increasing lifestyle problems such as gluten and dairy allergies (which did not
exist till about a century ago!) and we need targeted products to ensure that
our families get tasty yet healthy food on a regular basis whether it be a
complete meal or just a snack on the go.
Healthy Alternatives thus is a
carefully curated wellness range with products ranging from organic grocery, natural fruit chips, roasted high
protein snacks, gluten free pastas, black & red rice, forest elephant rice,
floral honey, tea blends, olive oil, free range eggs and much more! All of
these are geared towards ensuring that we make the right choice every time our
hands reach out to pick something off the shelf. Nobody should be forced to
have boring tasteless food in the name of ‘health’ (everybody’s favourite
complaint) and all of us present at the venue were subject to a healthy,
nutritious and tasty lunch curated using the very same products. With dishes
such as Quinoa salad with pumpkin seeds, forest elephant rice, organic spinach
tadka and makhana chaat, honestly this was a memorable lunch that definitely
tasted different, but in a good way. It was lighter, did not make me feel
sleepy and kept me energized. This is, in a nutshell, what Healthy Alternatives
is all about. Most of these products are barely available in Indian market and
here Godrej is making us proud by bringing the latest & greatest in terms
of health & nutrition right to our doorstep.
The afternoon saw
a lively discussion of all these concepts of health, nutrition and more with
Twinkle Khanna, Tanya Dubash (Executive Director & Chief Brand Officer of
Godrej Group) and Avani Davda (M.D.-Godrej Nature’s Basket) It opened up a new
world of looking at our daily life, of which food is a huge part, in a new way,
all for the better. Get ready to shop for the same at all Godrej Nature’sBasket outlets (they have already started running out of stock in many of
them!) as well as on their website or via mobile apps. Here is looking forward
to a healthier future, where health would be not an alternative, rather occupy
the mainstream position that it deserves :)
