Vikas Khanna recently opened up about the physical and emotional strain caused by his relentless routine of late-night services, early-morning shoots, and constant international travel. In an Instagram post on February 16, the Michelin-starred chef reflected on how years of living between time zones slowly drained his body and clouded his mind, pushing him to completely rethink his relationship with food.
Describing the intensity of his schedule, Khanna wrote that when days and nights blur into one another, the body eventually loses its natural rhythm. Fatigue, he explained, first shows up physically but quietly seeps into the mind. Clarity fades, patience shortens, and even gratitude becomes harder to access.
“I realised I wasn’t tired because of work — I was tired because my rhythm was broken,” he shared, underscoring how exhaustion stemmed less from ambition and more from imbalance.
Diet Became His Anchor
In the midst of burnout, Khanna began reshaping his daily habits around nutrition and natural timing. What had always been his profession transformed into a deeply personal anchor. Food was no longer just craft or creativity — it became balance, alignment, and healing.
“Diet became my anchor,” he wrote. “I began to treat food not as indulgence, but as alignment.”
He adopted simple but intentional changes: warm water before sunrise, lighter and uncomplicated meals, reduced gluten and sugar, fewer excesses, and a greater focus on seasonal produce. Whenever possible, he chose early dinners and aligned his eating habits with daylight rather than a ticking clock.
According to Khanna, eating in sync with the sun rather than convenience brought a noticeable shift. His mind felt calmer, his thoughts clearer, and his responses more measured. By restoring rhythm to his plate, he began restoring rhythm to his life.
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A Gut-Focused Reset
Central to this transformation was a renewed focus on gut health. Khanna emphasised that physical and mental health are deeply interconnected, often beginning in the digestive system.
“We often separate physical and mental health, but they are the same conversation,” he reflected. “The gut carries memory, mood, and energy. A restless stomach creates a restless mind. A nourished body creates emotional stability.”
Years of flying between continents taught him that jet lag was not merely about disrupted sleep. It was also about digestion and the body’s internal clock. The irregularity of meals across time zones disturbed his gut rhythm, intensifying fatigue and mental fog.
To counter this, he retrained his body using consistent cues — mindful eating, exposure to natural sunlight, and structured daily routines. By helping his body recognise time through food and light, he gradually restored energy, clarity, and emotional steadiness.
“Traveling between continents taught me something profound — jet lag is not only about sleep, it is about digestion,” he wrote. “When I help my body recognise time through food, light, and routine, I help my mind find stillness again.”
Discipline as Self-Respect
Through this journey, Khanna reframed discipline. For him, mindful eating is not about restriction or denial, but about respect for the body’s needs. Honouring natural rhythms, listening to internal signals, and making conscious nutritional choices allowed him to reclaim both vitality and peace.
He admitted that the process is ongoing and imperfect. “I am still learning. I still fail many days,” he shared candidly. “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.”
In rediscovering balance through nutrition, the celebrated chef found that the true power of food lies not only in flavour or fame, but in its ability to heal from within.
