VIJAYAWADA: A quiet yet significant lifestyle shift is unfolding across Vijayawada, with citizens increasingly embracing healthy, plant-based food habits, especially during breakfast hours. From early morning onwards, public parks, busy junctions, footpaths near hospitals, educational institutions, and residential localities are witnessing long queues at small stalls serving vegetable juices, millet-based dishes, and traditional healthy drinks.
A striking example can be seen in and around the IGMC area, as well as near popular morning-walk parks, where commuters, morning walkers, visitors, fitness enthusiasts, and office-goers line up at makeshift counters offering fresh bottle gourd, ash gourd, cucumber, carrot, and wheatgrass (godhuma gaddi) juices along with millet-based tiffins. The demand is so high that vendors sell out their stock within a few hours.
Preference for Natural & Preventive Nutrition
Health awareness, particularly regarding heart-related ailments, diabetes, obesity, and digestive issues, appears to be the key driver behind this trend. Many residents believe that replacing oil-rich, processed breakfasts with fresh vegetables and millets helps prevent lifestyle diseases and maintain long-term wellness.
Millet-based items such as jowar, ragi, and bajra preparations, once considered rural staples, are now finding renewed acceptance among urban consumers.
Freshly extracted vegetable juices, sold at affordable prices, are seen as a convenient and natural alternative to packaged health drinks.
Interestingly, athletes, sportspersons, morning walkers, and fitness enthusiasts form a noticeable share of the early-morning customers. Visitors and regular commuters are seen stopping to taste these drinks, reflecting an acceptance of healthy food.
Unlike fast-food stalls, these counters highlight ‘purely vegetarian, natural, and chemical-free’ preparations, which reassures customers about hygiene and nutritional value. Sayyed Basha, a resident of Labbipet, said that he has been consuming wheatgrass juice and ragi malt as part of his morning routine.
“I have been taking wheatgrass juice three times a week and ragi malt twice a week for the past year. I have seen good results. I usually pay Rs 15 for ragi malt and Rs 25 for wheatgrass juice. At times, I prefer to take parcels for my family,” he said.
Healthy food stalls boost urban livelihoods
Beyond health benefits, the growing preference for millet-based foods and vegetable juices has opened up a steady livelihood for many small vendors in Vijayawada.
For several families, these makeshift stalls have become a dependable source of income, requiring minimal investment while catering to strong daily demand. As a result, such ventures are emerging as sustainable micro-enterprises within the urban informal economy.
K Hema Latha, a vendor from Giripuram, said, “On an average day, we sell juices and malts worth Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000. After meeting expenses, we earn around Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per day.”