Ridhi Dogra likes to enjoy her ice cream, but guilt free! To mark National Ice Cream Day today, the actor poses for us exclusively and shares the love she has for the dessert but in a healthy way. “Having ice cream is not something you do everyday because of the sugar, but it’s nice to indulge sometimes. If I have to be completely honest, I actually don’t have much sugar because I am health conscious,” she says, adding that there are several alternatives available now. “I am glad that we now live in a world where there are so many options like gluten-free, whey protein, sugar-free, and so many other healthy options. I am a boss in finding all these healthy ice creams. Every alternative that is healthy, you will find in my house.”
“My freezer is always full of ice cream, but mostly the healthy ones. I don’t eat sugar, but I still enjoy my ice cream. Many people think that it can’t be enjoyed without sugar, but there are many homegrown brands in our country that use clean ingredients. I can tell a replacement for every unhealthy and full of sugar ice cream,” the 39-year-old further adds.
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The actor, who was last seen in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Jawan, tells us that she even makes ice creams at home. “I use banana, vanilla essence, dates, jaggery and cocoa to make my ice creams. I genuinely do this, I am not just saying to sound healthy and proper,” she laughs.
She emphasises on indulging in the cravings but in a mindful way. “Because of my profession, my doctor showed me how bad sugar is for us. I have a sweet tooth, I love chocolates, ice creams, and cakes, I can’t think straight in front of these things,” reveals Dogra, adding, “I started watching myself after my doctor said that these ingredients are not good for the body. I want to make sweets without having processed sugar. You can take sugar out of my life, but not ice creams! Enjoy your ice cream guilt free.”
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Dogra associates ice cream flavours with her childhood memories and rightfully so. “Chocolate flavour is my all time favourite. I also love caramel, hazelnut, and cookie and cream. I associate flavours with my childhood and family members. For example, whenever I see or eat black forest, I remember my father as it was his favourite,” the actor, who will next be seen in The Sabarmati Report, continues, “On the other hand, butterscotch was my mom’s favourite, we used to have it only because she wanted to have it. During my childhood in the late 90s, I still remember that there was a certain imported brand whose cookie and cream ice cream I really liked but it wasn’t available easily. My dad used to drive all the way one hour away to get it for me. So, whenever I eat that flavour now, it reminds me of that beautiful time.”
On National Ice Cream Day, she elaborates how she maintains a healthy balance between eating sweets and working out. “My love for ice cream is blind. This is the first time I am eating ice cream on an ice cream day, so thanks to HT City for that! It’s difficult to see at weight gain and other factors when there’s ice cream in front of me. But yes, you can’t starve yourself, I am a Punjabi. I will workout for an extra three hours, but I’ll eat what I want to. My nephew comes to my house and always opens the freezer because he knows that there will always be ice creams there.”
Commenting on the trending Dosa and Fanta ice creams these days, Dogra says, “You can experiment as much as you want, but just don’t spoil it. Vanilla ice cream and coke tak theek tha, jo hum bachpan mai karte the. There are so many different flavours now, it’s good to try new things, but don’t mix and match weird things. More than anything, you will end up wasting stuff.”
