DEEPIKA PATEL
“My 3 children probably haven’t heard of Ayurveda, as I don’t think I speak about it, but many of the elements are incorporated into their lives. My daughters always ask for the turmeric in orange juice and whenever they have coughs and colds they ask for the “special drink,” a tonic I make in boiled water, with freshly grated ginger, ajwain (a lot), cloves, cassia bark, cardamom, a touch of tea leaves and honey from our allotment (my husband is the beekeeper!).”
Deepika Patel is a businesswoman, entrepreneur, creative producer working between the worlds of beauty and fashion.
Born and brought up in the UK, Deepika grew up surrounded by medicine, with her mother being a GP, and living above the practice. Whilst orthodox medicine was around her, the influence of her mother’s natural approach was a large part of her upbringing. Cooking Indian food from scratch and understanding the ingredients and the spices used and their health benefits was part of everyday life. Those influences were carried through to her working career as a producer in the fashion industry.
Deepika’s career started while interning for the brand Alexander McQueen, whom she later continued to work for, alongside producing shows for Stella McCartney and Christopher Kane, and working with iconic photographers Nick Knight, Sam Taylor-Wood and many others. Working in such a high-pressured industry, Deepika always returned to her inherited knowledge in keeping her balanced and grounded.
After having her third child and taking a break from the fashion world, Deepika began developing the idea for the ilody brand, a marriage of Eastern philosophies with the Western take on modernity in both the quality and delivery of the products as well the packaging. Ilody’s ethos is in harnessing the strength in plant-based ingredients that are efficacious and producing clean beauty staples that work for modern women.
Ilody launched in 2020 with 2 serums, both already award-winning.
Follow Deepika:
Website: http://www.ilodyskincare.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ilodyskincare
“I think kids should be practising yoga at school”
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
Ayurveda means a “wholistic” approach to my life, understanding the nuances of the relationship between mind and body, and bringing in elements to continually rebalance. It’s something that becomes intrinsic as opposed to looking at quick fixes.
When did you discover it? How long have you been practising it?
My earliest memory of the word Ayurveda and Doshas came from a Deepak Chopra book, Perfect Health, which I discovered when I was about 16. I think the book may have belonged to my mum; she was always interested in mind and body even though she was a GP in the UK. It was the first time I read more about what Ayurveda was about and discovered my Dosha, Vata, but what I hadn’t realised at the time was that elements of Ayurveda have always been part of my life and upbringing. In Indian cultures it’s built into our way of life.
What drew you to Ayurveda?
I’ve always been drawn to a more natural approach, even though I was brought up living above a GP’s surgery and even worked there for a time. Even as a teenager I used natural ingredients in DIY beauty products, cooking with fresh ingredients and spices and gained an understanding about their importance. I always looked to heal in the most natural way possible, wherever if felt relevant, for common colds and minor injuries, trying to avoid unnecessary medication, which actually came from my mother’s philosophy. So Ayurveda was just an extension of my philosophies.
Is Ayurveda part of your everyday life or just for your medicine cabinet or fall-back routine?
For me Ayurveda is part of everyday life, from tongue scraping (something that was used regularly by my family), to using spices for digestion, eating foods that are comforting and calming like “kitchari cudhi,” to tonics made for alleviating colds and coughs.
What are your top 3 Ayurvedic tips that have worked for you?
Include more turmeric into your diet — I have it in freshly squeezed orange juice along with some black pepper as it helps to absorb the curcumins into the blood stream.
Spices always — eat more of them!
Fresh ginger and freshly ground cardamom in my chai daily!! This is made with tea leaves (no bags, which is great for the environment) and a splash of milk.
Take a hot water bottle (not necessarily Ayurvedic!). I recently took one with me while travelling to Paris and Milan while producing fashions shows!
Did you integrate it gradually or overnight for any particular reason?
I think I just grew up with it, it was inherited knowledge.
Do your children/family eat an Ayurvedic diet? And if they do, do they know it’s Ayurveda or do they just think of it as home cooking?
My 3 children probably haven’t heard of Ayurveda, as I don’t think I speak about it, but many of the elements are incorporated into their lives. My daughters always ask for the turmeric in orange juice and whenever they have coughs and colds they ask for the “special drink,” a tonic I make in boiled water, with freshly grated ginger, ajwain (a lot), cloves, cassia bark, cardamom, a touch of tea leaves and honey from our allotment (my husband is the beekeeper!). Kitchari is a favourite of theirs!
What is your favourite Ayurvedic recipe or go-to ingredient?
Simple Gujarati food of vegetables sautéed lightly with a few spices, basmati rice and cudhi.
What do you wish was easier in our society to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible?
I think the principles of Ayurveda that people need to adopt are a better understanding of how our health is often a symptom of other things going on, perhaps a more holistic approach to medicine in general, certainly more education in foods and their benefits and also just to understand that we can adopt elements that work for each individual into their normal lives. I think kids should be practising yoga at school as life skill.
Do people around you/in your circle of friends know about Ayurveda?
Many friends know about it or have heard of it, but I think generally people think you need to adopt the entire approach, whereas for me it’s more about taking the things that work for you.
What’s the one thing you would encourage everyone to try or you think would benefit the majority of people’s health for the better?
Cooking with more fresh and seasonal produce and incorporating herbs and spices.