At these getaways, it's the food that heals

As wellness tourism reshapes the culinary landscape, travellers are trading indulgence for meals that nourish the body and heal the soul

- Tanisha Saxena

For decades, food in travel was synonymous with indulgence—rich buffets, indulgent desserts, and an unspoken permission slip to abandon dietary caution. Today, the rise of wellness tourism has brought a new narrative to the table, one where meals are purposeful, rooted in tradition, and designed to heal.

Tanya Khanna, nutritionist and yoga trainer at Alyve Health, says, "This change shows that people are becoming more aware of how food choices affect their overall well-being. People no longer see meals as just fuel. Instead, they now eat with purpose, paying attention to high-quality ingredients and where they come from." Doing this helps them eat better, which boosts both their physical and mental health during their trips, she notes.

When Aditi Srivastava, a frazzled financial analyst from Delhi, arrived at Santani Wellness Resort in Sri Lanka, she expected yoga sessions and herbal teas to help untangle years of stress. What she didn't anticipate was the transformative power of a single meal. On the first evening at the retreat, she recalls being served a dish unlike any she had ever tasted—a bowl of turmeric-infused lentils, paired with moringa and gotu kola salad. The flavors were strikingly balanced: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent and Srivastava felt a shift—in her body and her spirit. In the days that followed, meals became medicine. Crafted under the guidance of corporate executive chef Indika Bandara, Santani's menus wove ancient Ayurvedic principles with modern wellness trends, personalized to Srivastava's health goals. Slowly, her chronic fatigue faded, her digestion improved, and her mind—once clouded with endless deadlines—grew remarkably clear.