This took me 15 years to realize: eating healthy is more important than almost anything else in this world. Because if you lose your health, you lose everything.
Many of us think it’s okay to eat junk food all the time, but the reality is different. Your body needs good fuel—food that nourishes
it, gives it energy, and helps it function at its best.
You can compare this to the E20 fuel that was recently introduced in India. Many vehicles were affected because they were not
E20-compliant. If a machine that runs on fuel can be affected by using the wrong fuel, imagine what can happen to your body when you keep feeding it unhealthy food.
Think about that for a while.
The back story
In 2024, I was addicted to fast food and oily meals. I wasn’t working out, and over time, laziness and the habit of eating outside every day caught up with me. I gained weight until I reached 95 kg. Deep down, I knew I was getting overweight, but simply realizing it wasn’t enough to change my habits.
I was eating namkeens almost every day, along with fried snacks like paneer pakoras and plenty of other outside food. One morning, while I was getting ready for the day and sitting on the toilet, I struggled to sit comfortably because my stomach was getting in the way.
It may sound like a small moment, but for me, it was a wake-up call. I realized that if I didn’t change my lifestyle now, it would only get worse.
That was the day I decided to take on the 75 Hard Challenge. I committed myself to working out twice a day and eating healthy.
Those 75 days didn’t just help me lose weight—they completely changed the way I looked at food, discipline, and my health.
The journey of eating healthy Breakfast ideas
Most of us eat what our tongue craves, not what our body actually needs. People rarely stop and think about this before eating.
For example, I’m from Agra, where a majority of people eat bedai, jalebi, and kachori for breakfast. While they taste amazing, they are neither healthy nor rich in protein. I can clearly see the side effects around me. Very few people are truly healthy, and many are out of shape.
The same thing happened to me.
When I started the 75 Hard Challenge, my mornings completely changed. I began my day on an empty stomach and rotated different healthy morning drinks throughout the week.
- Monday: Lemon tea
- Tuesday: Nimbu Pani (Lemon Water)
- Wednesday: Green tea
- Thursday: Black coffee
- Friday: Ginger lemon tea
- Saturday: Bananas on an empty stomach
- Sunday: Homemade thandai (a mixture of milk, almonds, and other dry fruits)
This became the first healthy thing I consumed every morning.
One more thing I realized during my 75 Hard Challenge was that you shouldn’t eat just because the clock says it’s breakfast time.
Eat when your stomach is genuinely asking for food. If you’re not hungry yet, don’t force yourself to eat.
For me, that usually meant having breakfast around 9:00 AM. By then, I was actually hungry, and I could enjoy a filling, nutritious breakfast that kept me satisfied for hours.
After finishing my workout and getting ready for the day, the first thing I did was prepare a healthy breakfast. I stopped eating the regular North Indian breakfast I was used to.
Instead of chapati and other regular meals, I started eating besan chilla, salads, sprouts, fruits, paneer, eggs (if you eat them), oats, and other high-protein foods. These meals kept me full for longer, gave me steady energy throughout the day, and helped me stay consistent with my fitness goals.
Looking back, I realized that changing my breakfast wasn’t just about losing weight. It was about changing the way I treated my body. Once I started giving it better fuel, everything else—from my energy levels to my workouts—started improving naturally.
Everything I Ate as Healthy Breakfast Ideas During This Challenge
Everything was planned. I planned my entire week—what I had to eat in the morning, what I had to eat in the evening, and so on.
It was like this:
- Monday — Chilla with milk
- Tuesday — Fast. No food the entire day.
- Wednesday — Chickpea salad with curd
- Thursday — Idlis made with moong dal and other beans
- Friday — Normal paratha and milk
- Saturday — Salad with dal and rice dosa
- Sunday — Some paneer recipe, depending on my mood
This was my weekly routine. Having everything planned in advance made it much easier to stay disciplined. I never had to think about what I should eat because my meals were already decided, and that helped me stay consistent throughout the 75 Hard Challenge.
For me, the biggest challenge was completing my daily protein intake because, being a vegetarian, it seems a bit difficult. The thing is, I can’t switch to a non-vegetarian diet because I have chosen to stick to vegetarian food.
But at some point, I realized that if you’re an average person, you can manage your protein needs with a well-planned vegetarian diet. You don’t always need to be a non-vegetarian. However, if you’re an athlete or someone with very high fitness goals, things might be different.
You have to find the diet that works best for you and look for healthy alternatives. Eating healthy is one of the most important things in life. If you’re not eating healthy, it will eventually affect both your body and your overall quality of life.
I think that’s enough for today.
If you enjoyed reading my work, you can subscribe to the blog by email to receive future updates. You can also support my work by buying me a coffee. Your support helps me continue creating helpful content and keeps it freely available for everyone.
