Unveil how Granny’s health practices inspired the creation of Kal & Kai

Journey and discovery of natural and organic solutions

The striving to live a healthier, fuller, a more wholesome life is inherent in us all, yet, there is no one way of going about it. Everyday we have a new fad diet or a new supplement in our coffee or a lifestyle practice that will supposedly “change your life”; we are more confused than ever before about whether or not we are doing the right thing, about who to trust on this information, or about where to turn for advice. Hence, we set out on a journey of research and discovery of natural and organic solutions to problems or challenges that we struggle with every day.

I spent a fair share of my adult life in the US with access to the best available health and wellness products and services in the world. I had been bitten by that health fad bug too – trying a new diet every now and then in a desperate attempt for weight loss, making resolutions about exercising and quitting, using quick fixes for skin and hair. Some time ago, I was reading about the Blue Zones of the world – pockets of the world with centenarians living longer, happier, fuller lives, and that’s when I came across this one holistic natural healing concept that encourages people to

develop a lifestyle of being “mindlessly healthy”

On the one hand, it sounded so counterintuitive to me, but when I read further, I understood that if every healthy choice has to be a mindful conscious choice, then it builds a lot of pressure on a person to be healthy and is therefore not sustainable. On the other hand, if a person has been raised with certain practices that are so integrated into his/her lifestyle, then it is easier to sustain those practices thereby ensuring a “mindlessly” healthy life.

Blue Zones of the world and the people that are raised in the eastern parts of the world

Ok now, this made me ask myself an interesting question – what do we have in common between the people that make up the Blue Zones of the world and the people that are raised in the eastern parts of the world? There are certain lifestyle habits and holistic healing remedies that are practiced by the centenarians in the blue zones that so closely were a part of eastern traditions like community living, a home-cooked plant-based diet, stress-free life and a life out of purpose/intention, like the Ikigai way in Okinawa, Japan for instance.

A sustainable lifestyle as close to nature as possible is the one common strand of idea across all the healthy people in the world.

That being said, I want to take a moment here to talk about the richness of some of the eastern traditions that have integrated a healthy lifestyle into the upbringing of children and families. My home country India, a relatively older country, has a very evolved rich culture based on a family system.

I have always been a huge admirer of our ancient Indian health practices, its culture and their ability to turn even the most mundane everyday activities like nourishment of the bodies and procreation into such celebrational experiences by putting so much thought, aesthetic and nuance into it all. Let us just take food for the moment.

“The veritable buffet of recipes”

that have been formulated with just rice and cereals, spices and lentils and some of these have even been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as wholesome healthy meals for us humans.

Story of Kal & Kai

The concept of  Unave Marundhu (உணவே மருந்து)
In my native language (Tamil), there is a common phrase that says “unave marundhu” (உணவே மருந்து) which means that food itself is medicine which nourishes as well as heals keeping our body in good health and equilibrium. The natural healing of good food and the culinary wisdom behind the curation of such recipes amazes me to no end, and makes me

grow in respect for the richness of the culture I come from.

From what we saw about the centenarians in the blue zones, we understand that the cultures across the world also believe in natural living with your tribe (family/community). We can contemporize this idea by living with the wisdom of our community, if not with the actual people.

So now, this is my question – why we are trying to reinvent the wheel while we had the sure-fire way to stay healthy all along in our roots? Passing down holistic health remedies, lifestyle choices and a way of life has been a tradition well-known in Indian families. Our ancestors had the time-tested way of living a “mindlessly” healthy life. Understanding the nuanced wisdom that went into the family traditions, I feel compelled to do my part in celebrating and perpetuating this wisdom to the current and future generations and get the family passed down wisdom its due on a global level.

Thus, Kal & Kai was born!!!

We founded Kal & Kai in the appreciation of the wisdom of our grandmothers that were always a trip-to-the-kitchen away from offering a fix to every ailment there is.

They used simple ingredients from their gardens and kitchens, pulverized them in grinding stones by hand and concocted potent recipes for universal application from head to toe. They lived in harmony with nature consuming plants, herbs, tree barks and spices in their most natural form available. They taught us by example, by living so close to nature and by passing down these precious traditions as part of our upbringing.

In the wake of modernity and fast-paced living, we are moving towards quick fixes and easy solutions without paying close attention to what we put into our bodies will have a long-term effect on us and our future generations. But, I am not being naive to the demands we place on ourselves these days, I understand the demands on an individual in today’s corporate world and the effort it takes to raise families while balancing a career. Not many people have the time to research or make elaborate home remedies to take care of themselves or their family’s needs. But, it is also not lost on them that our grandmothers had the best  organic solutions when it comes to the health of the family.

That’s where we come in!

Yes, we care about the health of our future generations.

So, we have taken the trouble of curating the best recipes from our grandmother and great-grandmother, and found a way to integrate them into the everyday life of people.

We pick the choicest formulae for skincare, haircare, gut health, postnatal care, etc., and give it a modern touch and make it available for consumption in a form that is closest to nature. You can easily choose to be “mindlessly” healthy by integrating our ancient Indian health practices seamlessly into your lifestyle. We believe in radiant health the inside out way.

Our grandmothers hold a special place in our hearts, and their wisdom and guidance continue to influence our lives. Their love and teachings are timeless, and their legacy lives on through our actions and decisions. Whenever we are unsure of what to do, we often turn to the memory of our grandmothers and WWPD our problems away

WWPD – “What would (our) Paati do?”