In today’s lifestyle, with all the hustle and bustle around us, we all know that a desk job keeps us sitting for longer hours. Even while traveling to work, whether by bus, train, or metro, we prefer not to stand and instead rush to grab a seat. But what we don’t talk about enough is how these habits correlate with our slowly changing behavior around food.
Tavishi Dogra is a Deputy Chief Content Producer, Health & Wellness, at Hindustan Times. She joined Hindustan Times to simplify wellness subjects by cutting through jargon. She has over 9 years of experience writing about fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, translating medical research and expert insights into practical advice readers can trust. Career journey and experience Tavishi began her health journalism journey in 2017, and has since reported for RSTV, Financial Express, Jagran, HT Media Labs and Zee.
Education and professional background Tavishi holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and began her career reporting on public affairs for broadcast. Editorial Philosophy I write with one single goal: To simplify health in a world full of noise by finding what’s actually doable, safe, and evidence-based for my readers. I test claims against research and user experiences. And when I ask about their daily lifestyle, the story is almost the same,” Chief Dietician Vidhisha Parekh at Lilavati Hospital and Research Center, Mumbai, tells Health Shots . Breakfast is usually a hurried cup of tea or coffee; lunch is often whatever arrives faster, whether through food delivery apps, the office mess, or the canteen. Dinner is usually late and heavy, often eaten while scrolling social media or watching a movie or series on a device. When you sit for eight to nine hours at a stretch, your digestion actually slows down. We often say that sitting for long hours is the new smoking. Even if you are not actively smoking, sitting continuously does similar damage to your metabolism. It stays high, and elevated cortisol makes your brain crave quick-energy foods like sugar, biscuits, namkeen, and chips. Over time, you forget to listen to your own body. “Also, another thing I notice is mindless eating. Patients often eat while replying to emails or watching something on their device. you tend to finish a whole packet of chips or cheese balls, and you don’t even remember eating it While you are completely engrossed in the task. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.)
When all else fails, I speak to the expert who sees 50 patients a day, not the one with the most followers. “I see this every day in my Outpatient Department (OPD): a young professional around 29, 32, or 35 years old walks in and complains about weight gain or a growing belly pouch. By 4 pm, there’s an intense craving for something fried or sweet. Hence, you don’t crave healthy food like makhana at 4 pm; instead, you crave samosas, vada, chaat, all fast food.
Because of this, you don’t feel hungry at the right time, so you skip meals, which affects your cortisol levels, your stress hormone. As a result, your brain never gets the signal that you are full, which leads to overeating,” says the doctor. Because of it. ( Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, we don’t need a perfect diet; we need a few non-negotiable rules: Remember, your desk job isn’t going anywhere, but you can decide your health won’t sit still.
A desk job also blurs your hunger cues; as a result, you eat because the clock says so, “it’s lunchtime,” or because your “colleague ordered food for you,” and it’s NOT BECAUSE YOU ARE HUNGRY. Those early years in policy and TV shaped how she writes today: fast, factual, and human-first.
Subject expertise With 9+ years tracking India’s health conversations, Tavishi knows the gap between clinical advice and daily life. She knows fads from fundamentals and curates science-backed, expert-recommended solutions. In fitness, she breaks down bodyweight training, recovery, and posture fixes for desk-bound readers. In nutrition, she translates guidelines into affordable, desi meal tweaks. In mental well-being, she focuses on stigma-free, actionable tools — all backed by research, expert input, and lived context.
From decoding health trends and interviewing doctors to testing fitness routines herself, Tavishi always approaches content with one filter: “Will this help someone make a better decision today?
