Health and fitness is a huge movement now in Mumbai - the city has never seen such an upsurge in gyms, fitness clubs, sports shops and health food. And with it, the average Indian kitchen has also started counting its calories.

“Health and food are two sides of the same coin,” asserts food columnist Rashmi Uday Singh, who points out that with barely time to cook healthy meals, busy Mumbaikars have found an alternative in the renowned dabba service. “The huge interest in health and nutrition has translated into the tiffin service as well,” says Rashmi.

With more people seeking guidance about what to eat, the customised dabba was just waiting to happen.

Actor Mona Singh says that during her ‘Jassi…’ days, the unit food was very unhealthy - full of soda and oil - and was the chief culprit behind her packing in those pounds.
Which is when she discovered a dabba service that she now credits for her svelte figure. “I like home-made food, and this lady provided very healthy options like soya chapattis, brown rice, sprouts and salads. Eat healthy to stay healthy has been my mantra ever since,” says Mona. Other actors on the sets like Rakshanda Khan, Apoorva Agnihotri and Parmeet Sethi soon followed suit.

Recognising the potential of this service, several companies like Calorie Care, Vijaya Venkat’s Positive Health Tiffin and Vital Foods have sprung up to cater to the demand for healthy tiffin services in Mumbai. Cyrus Driver, who runs Calorie Care, says he’s hired some of the best nutritionist he could find. “We have a team of trained nutritionists under Lisa Sara John, who is consultant to the National Cricket Academy and the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy. They draw up customised meal plans depending on the specific health and taste requirements of the member.” 

Roohi Jaikishen of RR Oomerbhoy, who also orders a customised dabba, says it is more about convenience for people who do not have the option or time to cook meals high in nutrition. Even actor Archana Puran Singh agrees it’s a good option to have - but not on a permanent basis.

“A healthy tiffin service is a sensible option for us when we are busy shooting. But it is good only for a few weeks. One cannot hang on to it for a long time,” says Archana, who believes in the goodness of homemade food and even grows vegetables organically in her garden. “I have trained my staff to cook with very little oil and we get that delivered to our shoots. When we go abroad I look for service apartments where I can cook our own meals.” Whether you outsource your dabba or try a home production, at least no one’s complaining about losing some weight.