For someone who is smart at his job, Saurabh Dattaray showed a shocking sense of recklessness as far as his food habits went. The 41-year-old engineer and IIM-B graduate is resident director of an Australian company and draws a salary most people can just dream about. Yet, he has a secret he wants to hide - but can't.

Dattaray is a food freak and his 44-inch girth is testimony to this. He can eat virtually anything and at anytime. From pizzas and burgers to butter chicken and dal makhani . Or, as he jokes, "I am perpetually on a `see food' diet. I eat what I see."

But, over the past few weeks, he's often been getting up in the middle of the night. "It is as if the food is going to flow back in my mouth," he told the doctor. After a few simple tests, his fears were confirmed - Saurabh's poor eating habits were giving him digestive problems and the doctor warned that he was a potential case for peptic ulcers. Instead of going the allopathic way with tried and tested pills, Saurabh did something unconventional. He went to an Ayurvedic practitioner who put him on Satvik ahaar .

Dattaray is not alone. A number of upmarket Indians are going back to nature - quite literally. Satvik ahaar is an organically grown, balanced Indian diet based on the principles of Ayurveda that rids the body of toxins and fat.

Ayurveda talks about the satvik diet, essentially a vegetarian diet comprising fresh fruits, green vegetables, cereals and grains grown organically and good for body and mind. Food, according to Ayurveda, directly affects the mind by causing an increase or decrease in the quality of brainpower. This diet is believed to quell lethargy, restlessness and irritability largely caused due to intake of spicy and oily food. Coming to food that harms the system, it's not only the fitness enthusiasts who are worried. Dieticians and nutritionists are giving their patients that extra shove in the clean-food direction. According to Dr Ishi Khosla, former chief nutritionist of Delhi's Escort Heart Institute and now proprietor of Whole Foods, "Going satvik , is in a sense, going back in time. A time when the vegetables and fruits you ate came from soil replenished with healthy manure and mulch."

Awareness on healthy food habits is growing in urban India. Dr Khosla's clients are not those who are sick or ailing, but the ones concerned with staying fit and living healthy.

Dr Khosla's store is not a stand-alone option. A number of organic stores are springing up in major Indian cities as the shift to healthy living catches on. Whether it is Ahumcaara - the health and well-being stores in Chennai -, Cloy Foods in Mumbai, Bapoorou Parupudi's Farm in Hyderabad, Ostara Shop in Bangalore or the Dubden Healthy Living Store in Delhi, the trend is all too visible.

In fact, a visit to the Dubden Healthy Living Store in Delhi reaffirms your belief that soul food is indeed the latest health fad. "People fall ill when chemicals interfere with the natural growth of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Organic food, on the other hand, enhances the quality of life, enabling the individual to reach an optimum stage of physical and mental well-being," says Jayashree Eashwar who, along with her husband Ganesh, quit a high-salaried job to run the store.

Most health food products in specialty stores are not as pricey as one would expect. A loaf of bread made of ragi is usually priced at around Rs 35, puffed bajra Rs 25 for a 200 gm packet. For diabetics, 400 ml of jamun fruit juice is priced at Rs 70, 250 mg of oil-free pickle at Rs 40 and 100 gm of fig and nut bars come to you at Rs 45.

Hotels and restaurants too are fast catching a whiff of nourishing food and are jumping on the bandwagon to provide their customers with food that is tasty, yet light and nutritious.

The Taj Group has launched a one-of-its-kind concept - Grand Chefs on Tour. The idea has celebrity chefs from all over the world bringing with them food that is organic, fresh, healthy, as well as full of flavour. Needless to say the response is phenomenal. A number of other restaurants too are offering organic satvik ahaar cooked according to Ayurveda.

Café Sattva in Mumbai and the Institute of Naturopathy in Pune and Saccha Khana in Delhi are just a few places that serve health foods. Other cities too have their share of organic food eateries and stores.

Says Dr Khosla, "People are fast analysing the role of food in their daily lives and whether what they eat is healthy or not. They are realising that it is important to feed the body right. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, chockfull of antioxidants and nutrients does more than just keep your heart healthy, it protects your brain cells too."

Health enthusiasts feel that it is high time someone broke the impression of Satvik Ahaar being bland and uninteresting. A shift towards healthful cuisines should be seen as an attempt to give to the body food that is wholesome while pleasing to the senses.

Jayashree says nutritious foods offer a whole variety to choose from and you don't have to make too many changes in your eating habits. When you use oil in your cooking, dieticians recommend olive or sesame oil. Similarly, instead of the usual tea that we are accustomed to, one should switch to green tea. Green chillies, bishop seeds, cumin and turmeric are extremely good for the body as they provide a defence mechanism against diabetes and heart-related diseases.

"The utility of health foods cannot be disputed. They are extremely beneficial for people of all ages. And unlike earlier times when you just got their tasteless raw versions, they are now well-cooked and highly edible," says Dr Khosla.

However, most nutritionists and doctors warn that these health foods are not medicines and are not curative by themselves. But taken regularly they account for good health and prevent and fight the onslaught of diseases.

As he puts it, "Health foods cannot change a family history of diseases related to diabetes, heart and liver. They do not guarantee a disease-free life, but can definitely help combat diseases. As the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates said, `Let healthy food be your medicine rather than medicine be your food!' That's what healthy eating is all about."