Hardik Pandya, one of India’s most successful cricketers, recently took to social media to share what he eats in a day. “People keep asking me, What do you eat? Since I’ve got so many DMs about this, here’s what I eat in a day,” the athlete starts off the video, complying with public request.
“I wake up in the morning and have 500 ml of water to hydrate myself, toh main uske baad gym jaa saku,” said the cricketer.
Dr Manjusha Agarwal, senior consultant, internal medicine, Gleneagles Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, told indianexpress.com that after 6–8 hours of sleep, your body tends to get dehydrated. “Giving it water first thing in the morning helps to ‘wake up’ your organs, flush out toxins, and kickstart the system to be able to function better every day,” she said, adding that one of the most significant benefits is improved digestion.
Water helps your stomach and intestines work more smoothly. “It also prevents constipation and bloating. Many people who start their day with water find that their digestion improves, and they feel lighter throughout the day, with visible results on their skin as well,” she said.
According to her, your skin will feel fresh, smooth, and hydrated. “Water removes toxins from the bodywhich can help reduce pimples and dryness, giving your skin a healthy glow,” explained Dr Agarwal.
Breakfast
After a crushing workout at the gym, Pandya has a breakfast smoothie, which roughly comes to 650 calories and 30g protein.
“For my breakfast smoothie, I like to have sunflower seeds, oats, a banana and avocado, almonds and almond milk, and that’s a perfect breakfast for me,” said the cricketer.
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Holistic health coach Isha Lall listed out that almond milk lends a dose of vitamin E. bananas and sunflower seeds are rich in antioxidants and make you feel energised. Avocado offers healthy fats while oats are complex carbohydrates that slow down digestion and rapid glucose spikes. “Balancing the sugar in bananas with nuts, which pack healthy fats, protein, and fiber, can slow glucose absorption and, hopefully, help moderate blood sugar levels,” she added.
Hardik Pandya counts his calories (Source: Instagram/@hardikpandya93)
Lunch
30 minutes before taking lunch, Pandya takes a apple cider vinegar supplement mixed in water, to manage his weight and control his hunger cravings. “Ye appetite aur cravings control karta hai. As an athlete, main humesha apni calories count karta hoon,” he said.
Akshita Reddy, senior nutritionist at Athreya Hospital, verified that, “Vinegar, especially apple cider vinegar, contains acetic acid, which has been shown to increase the production of digestive enzymes and stomach acid. This can help break down food more effectively.” Drinking vinegar before meals may also help boost metabolism and promote weight loss.
“For me, I love my Indian food. Jeera rice, palak and daal, to have a balanced meal,” Pandya detailed his lunch spread, which comes to 550 calories and 24g protein.
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Dinner
“Evening mein after practice, I like my oatmeal (600 calories and 28g protein). Dinner ke 30 minutes pehleI have my ACV. For dinner, I have an Asian green bowl with tofu and rice. It’s a balanced meal again,” he said, adding that it totals around 530 calories and 24g protein. The complete nutritional breakdown of his meals come down to 2330 calories and 106g protein.
Lall also pointed out that pairing protein sources with carbohydrates and fibre can indeed lead to a fulfilling balanced meal that can meet one’s nutritional needs.
“Raat ko I read, spend some time with my family, and chalo, good night,” concluded Pandya.