'Healthy meals can reinvent your life'

For Deanne Pandey, food must be a melange of the right nutrients and stylish presentation
She’s a svelte socialite, fitness instructor and health freak, and Deanne Pandey, wife of actor Chunky Pandey’s brother Chikki (Alok), tells you of the three she’d rather be health conscious than anything else.
“The other aspects of life fall into place after that,” she explains. A mother of two, Deanne opines that looking one’s best is not that hard a task. “Well, I’m lucky to be married into a family of health-conscious people with my mother-in-law being a nutritionist and my father-in-law, a heart surgeon,” she explains.
Fascinated by their way of living, Deanne also decided to pursue an education in fitness and training. “During my first pregnancy I remember I put on about nine kilos. I used to start my day with a cup of milk with haldi and honey as well as almonds.”
That practice has continued with her having included whole wheat toast and a ‘one teaspoon oil cooking’ regime into her day.
Her food philosophy has spilled over into her lifestyle too. That would explain why Deanne insisted that her recently renovated Bandra home had a kitchen the way she liked it. “You won’t find any rich stuff here,” she smiles.
“There’s always wholewheat bread and my cook makes amazing rotis - with a mix of nachni, ragi, wheat and bajra, but no chocolates or aerated drinks. “My kids,” she says, referring to daughter Alannah (13 ½) and son Ahaan (10), “are used to snacking on prunes, nuts and fresh juice.”
With the discipline having come from Deanne’s own exercise regime, she finds the task of eating healthy that much easier she says. “But I have to say it was hard to get Chikki to change his rich butter chicken and biryani diet. Finally when he did, he worked hard enough to lose 28 kilos in nine months, so I can’t say anything more to him,” she laughs.
The other times Deanne turns a blind eye is when they entertain guests at their home and Chikki takes up the ladles. “He’s a really good cook and makes great kheema curry with aloo,” she reveals.
“I guess eating heavy food once in a while is alright, especially when it’s made as well he makes it.” She also swears by two of her signature drinks that she says can keep you well-hydrated. “It’s a cold tobasco tomato juice with a pinch of salt and fresh pudina leaves. I’m a nimbu-paani fan too,” she smiles.