Eating well from abroad: a plan that travels

Moving countries changes your food before it changes anything else. The staples are unfamiliar, the timings shift, and the routine that worked at home quietly falls apart.

Rebuild the plate, not the cuisine

You do not need to abandon Indian food to eat well abroad. You need equivalents.

• Dal and rajma travel everywhere; tinned pulses are a genuinely good substitute on weeknights
• Frozen vegetables are nutritionally solid and remove the "it went off before I cooked it" problem
• Greek yoghurt, paneer, eggs, tofu and chicken cover protein in nearly every country

Fix the timing first

Late dinners after a long commute, skipped breakfasts and weekend catch-up eating do more damage than the ingredients. Anchor breakfast and lunch, and let dinner be the flexible meal.

Cooking for one, without cooking every day

1. Cook two bases a week — one dal, one vegetable curry.
2. Portion and freeze in single servings.
3. Keep three assemble-only meals for the worst days.

A plan you can execute tired is worth more than a perfect plan you follow twice.

Working across time zones

Our consultations run across time zones, so reviews can sit in your evening or your lunch break. If you are managing a condition, keep your doctor at home in the loop and share your plan with them.