One of the turning points came when I was in sixth grade. My mother asked me to come with her to buy groceries. Like any child, I bargained: if I came, she must buy me an Amar Chitra Katha storybook. She agreed, and I read many stories while she carried the groceries home.
One day a stall was selling snacks. I said, "Today I don't want the book. I want the laddu." My mother said, "Home-cooked food is the best. Don't take this." But I was adamant. The next day, when I came back from school, she had already made laddu at home.
We were living in Coimbatore, where my father ran a car business. She had never even eaten a laddu in her own childhood, but she asked around, learned how to make it, and made it with pure ingredients. I did not understand it then. Now I understand how health-conscious she was.
In eighth grade I wanted cake. A Christian family, so close to us they were like family, had brought Christmas cake, and I wanted more. Again my mother learned how to make it. We had no oven, so she baked it in a pressure cooker with an absorbent layer to stop it burning. It was an intelligent solution.
Freedom, with gentle control
She discouraged hotel and outside food, yet she never restricted us completely. Every day there were home-made snacks, but always in measured portions. If we asked for more, she said, "No. You should know how to control yourself."
Because of this, when we visited other homes we were never greedy. People said, "Your children are so satisfied." My mother would reply that when children are satisfied at home, they don't chase food elsewhere.
We got a TV only when I was in tenth grade, and even then we slept early and watched for a limited time. Movies were allowed, always in a controlled way. It was a parenting lifestyle combined with food, and it is part of the story behind everything we do.
A personal story shared for inspiration. It is not medical advice; please consult your doctor before changing your diet, cleansing or exercise routine.