#TheRealHealthTalk: Meet Vasundhara Agrawal, India’s leading nutritionist & food consultant!

Excited to share second interview post for series, “The Real health Talk”. The series is an exclusive interview series with some renowned and leading health bloggers/nutritionist/ youtubers of the digital health and wellness industry.   

Read Dr. Amrita Basu’s interview for the series here 

In today’s post, I am excited to welcome India’s leading nutritionist Dr. Vasundhara Agrawal to my blog.  

Vasundhara Agrawal is a Bangalore-based diet & active lifestyle expert and an independent food consultant who strives to take the confusion out of healthy eating. Having closely worked as a dietitian / nutritionist with top hospitals like Fortis and Max healthcare, she believes in a philosophy that diets, just like clothes, should be tailor-made because every individual is different and there is no one-size-fits-all here. 
 As a life member of Indian Dietetic Association, a UGC-NET qualified lecturer, a freelance corporate trainer and an active contributor to various publications, Vasundhara’s mission is to inculcate healthy lifestyle habits among people to enable them be the best version of themselves. She works with diverse groups and individuals around the World, catering to their special needs, goals or health conditions and helping them lead a healthy life free of worry and illness. With her there is always something for everyone. Therefore, it doesn’t matter who you are, where you live, or what you do, she can pave way for a healthier and happier you. 

Personally, I am following Vasudhara’s blog last one year and she always impressed me with her write-up. She offers excellent heath tips; nutrition advice and recipes are excellent. She explains complex topics in easy-to-understand language and inspire you to eating right and living healthy.  

I am so thrilled to have her on my blog. Read the post to know more about this “The Real health talk” conversation.   

Interview with Vasundhara Agrawal (India’s Leading nutritionist and food consultant )  

Q. 1 Nowadays, there are many fancy diets (like keto, paleo etc.) in demand in the health and wellness industry which can be very confusing for normal people. What is your take on these fancy diets? What is your recommendation and suggestions regarding following these diets?   

A.1 Fad diets are very common to fall for these days as they give quick results and due to their fancy names and strategies. But these results fade away in the long run. They are not sustainable. Most people just read about them on a few platforms and blindly follow with a lack of complete information. Paleo, keto, low-carb diets, low-fat diets, HCG diets, intermittent fasting, etc. lack either one of the important macronutrients or will have severe restrictions on calories which is not good for overall health.  

Though these diets lead to weight loss, it is not a healthy way of losing weight. There comes a point where following these diets might become difficult as they are not practical or doable for the whole life.  

It is best to always go for balanced meals that contain carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals as each one of these nutrients is equally important for different biological processes within the body. If sustaining healthy eating is the main motto, then these fancy diets would not provide any help. Rather start with a gradual change in the dietary habits and lifestyle by including whole foods, legumes, vegetables, fruits, limited portion of lean meat, eggs, and balance every meal of the day. It not only helps in giving the required nutrients but also is very filling. I believe balancing meals and portion size are the two important components for weight loss, being healthy and active. 
 
Q. 2 Personally, I am a big fan of your healthy and tasty recipes and follow your recipe blog religiously. Can you share some tips with my readers to make a quick healthy meals with a busy lifestyle? Also, please tell us some secrets to do “Healthy makeover” of routine dishes that will help us in making routine meals healthier and nutritious.  

A.2 Due to the current lifestyle, where people don’t get time to sit and think about their food and health, convenience foods have taken over largely. It is just being mindful of the ingredients that we put in any recipe, limiting the amount of oil, salt and sugar will make your recipe come a little closer to the “healthy” tag. Next, it is about how the ingredients are substituted for healthier ones for a healthy makeover. For example, we all love brownies, to fetch that healthy brownie point to the recipe you can substitute it with oats flour instead of refined flour. Understanding the nature of each ingredient we use is important. It is practically not possible for everyone to sit and read about each ingredient completely. It is best to avoid any food that contains high sugar, salt, oil, refined, and processed ingredients. Eat as fresh and whole foods as possible on a daily basis. 
 
Q. 3 This is the beginning of the new year and everyone is committed to making “new fitness and wellness goals” for the new year. What is one strong piece of advice you will offer as a nutrition expert that will help my readers to stay on track and achieve their “health and fitness goals” in the year 2022?   

A.3 One piece of advice to all of you is “To be consistent and diligent with your diet and lifestyle” It is not just by being on a diet and physical activity that you can improve your health and fitness, but by following and maintaining it regularly. And “Do not be a procrastinator when it comes to your health and fitness goals” I believe that if not today, then when? 
 
Q.4 Nowadays our life is highly influenced by social media and digital technology. By following the trend, people admire and follow their “online wellness gurus” religiously and take their advice seriously.  As a trained dietician, what are your thoughts on it? How do you feel this trend (following wellness gurus online) affecting or improving wellbeing of normal people? 

A.4 It is true that social media and digital technology have taken over all of us and impacts are seen on all age groups. It is good to know that people are aware of so many things nowadays as it was not the same just a decade ago.  

Having said that, I would recommend anyone to follow a certified nutrition and wellness guru on social media for general information and to keep themselves updated with current trends in the field of nutrition and health. But I believe dietary habits are something that has to be tailor-made for every individual and planned meticulously as none of our metabolic statuses is the same. So blindly following social media and trying to implement the same without proper knowledge of what changes it brings is not recommended. 

I had a great learning experience with this interview. Thank you so much to Vasundhara Agrawal for taking out time and being a part of this initiative. 

Visit Vasundhara.me to know more about her work, individual diet plans and healthy recipes. 

What are your thoughts? Please share with me!  

If you are a health/wellness blogger/Youtuber/ Nutritionists /health book author/ digital content creator in health and wellness industry with some inspiring works to share on, then I would love to feature you in this series.   

Drop a mail at ritu,prapanna@gmail.com with your details (blog/book/YouTube channel link with recognized work details)