5 Health Secrets Revealed By Top Nutritionists In India

When it comes to diet, health, and fitness, navigating the sea of contradictory advice can be overwhelming. Are carbs bad or not? Is protein always good? What about fats? The truth is, health isn’t about demonizing foods but understanding their role in a balanced diet. For instance, pairing iron-rich foods with citrus enhances iron absorption, and eating whole eggs is more nutritious than sticking to just egg whites.

In India, fitness is often equated with exercise, which contributes only about 20% to overall health. Nutrition plays a far more significant role, proving the adage, “You are what you eat.” However, misinformation and extreme fad diets often derail efforts to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

In the wake of heightened stress and health challenges post-pandemic, India’s top nutritionists share five game-changing tips to help you reclaim your health, make smarter choices, and achieve sustainable fitness and wellness. 

List of Top 5 Nutritionists In India

Explore the expertise of India's top 5 nutritionists who are transforming lives with personalized health and wellness guidance. Check it out! 

1) Ryan Fernando
2) Rujuta Diwekar
3) Shikha Sharma
4) Pooja Makhija
5) Luke Coutinho

1. Ryan Fernando: Mastering Personalized Nutrition

Ryan Fernando, India’s leading celebrity nutritionist, is a pioneering force in the field of nutrition, with over two decades of expertise dedicated to transforming the way people eat for health and performance. He has worked with elite athletes, film stars, and professionals, providing tailored strategies to optimize their nutrition and achieve their goals.

Ryan Fernando emphasizes that having a customized nutrition plan is crucial, as our health will ultimately determine our success in life. Despite living in an era of advanced tools, abundant information, and technological innovations, today’s generation faces a growing health crisis.

As an expert in sports and clinical nutrition, Ryan has a proven track record of guiding athletes, celebrities, and fitness enthusiasts. He is the founder of Qua Nutrition Clinics, where he pioneers DNA-based and customized nutrition plans designed to meet individual needs. His approach includes expert insights on protein timing, meal composition, and supplementation, all aimed at enhancing health and performance.

“Nutrition isn’t a one-size-fits-all; it’s about understanding your unique needs.”

Ryan empowers individuals with the knowledge of food science to make choices that heal and optimize their bodies. By leveraging advanced techniques like allergy testing and food behaviour management, he ensures precise and practical nutrition guidance. 

A relentless innovator and thought leader, Ryan Fernando continues to inspire people to embrace food and nutrition as a powerful tool for transformation, longevity, and happiness.

Instagram:@ryan_nutrition_coach

Bonus Tip
Practice portion control and adapt your diet to match your activity levels for sustainable weight loss.

2. Rujuta Diwekar, Advocate of Traditional Wisdom

Rujuta Diwekar is India’s leading public health advocate and one of the most followed nutritionists globally. Her clear and straightforward philosophy of eating local, seasonal, and traditional foods has shifted the focus away from fleeting diet trends to a more sustainable approach. 

Rujuta stresses the importance of starting the day with a home-cooked breakfast like idli, dosa, poha, or eggs, paired with fresh fruits and nuts such as soaked almonds, walnuts, or bananas.

She also recommends including a hyperlocal fruit specific to your region as a mid-meal snack, such as jamun, bel, shahtoot, Ice apple, or ramphal, as these fruits are rich in nutrients, prebiotics, and bioactive compounds.

For lunch, a wholesome Indian thali with dal, roti, rice, green veggies, curd, or pickle is ideal, ensuring the inclusion of essential vitamins, minerals, and protein for balanced nutrition.

Rujuta advises taking a short afternoon nap of 20–30 minutes post-lunch to improve sleep quality, boost growth hormones, and aid fat loss, particularly beneficial for those with health conditions like PCOD, diabetes, or digestive issues.

She emphasizes wrapping up the day with an early, light, and nutritious dinner, including roti, rice, and ghee, to promote optimal health and nutrition, while prioritizing good sleep for complete recovery.

“Women should never, 'ever' standardize’ their meal size. We are hormonally vibrant, and it’s perfectly normal to feel like eating more on some days and less on other days. The key is to stop at the right time.”

Instagram: @Rujuta.diwekar

Bonus Tip
Never remove roti, rice, and ghee from your diet in order to have a perfect body.

3. Shikha Sharma: The Ayurveda Advantage

Shikha Sharma, the founder of Dr. Shikha’s NutriHealth, has transformed healthcare by merging technology with Vedic nutrition. Her venture provides personalized health and diet management programs designed to address lifestyle-related disorders.

During her time as a junior cardiologist, Shikha observed that many ICU patients were unaware of the underlying causes of their heart issues and often reverted to unhealthy dietary habits after treatment. This realization motivated her to offer nutrition counseling, which she initially promoted as weight-loss consultations to gain traction.
She emphasizes that food is the foundation of our body, playing a pivotal role in maintaining proper bodily functions. When the food we consume is not wholesome, it disrupts the balance and efficiency of our system.

She challenges the common misconception that weight loss is simply about eating less, stating that true weight management is not about calorie restriction but about resetting and nurturing your metabolism.

Many people end up starving themselves on calorie-controlled diets, overlooking the critical role metabolism plays in overall health. She underscores the immense power of food, reminding us that food is not just sustenance—it is medicine for the body.

Instagram: @nutrihealthsystems

Bonus Tip
Water is truly your body’s best ally. It fuels your energy, promotes healthy, glowing skin, and ensures that all your body’s systems run smoothly.

4. Pooja Makhija: Fueling with the Right Foods

Pooja Makhija highlights the critical connection between healthy food habits and overall health, urging us to align our meals with the body’s natural circadian rhythm.

She explains that our DNA governs how the body responds to light and darkness, which directly affects sleep, mood, metabolism, and gut health.

Makhija stresses the importance of the sequence in which we eat different food groups. Consuming proteins and fats before carbohydrates can significantly reduce glucose spikes by 30–40%.

Pairing carbs with fiber, vegetables, proteins, and fats further helps maintain sugar balance and prevents energy dips.

Eating, according to her, should be a mindful and ritualistic process, factoring in when, where, and with whom we eat. She dismisses the myth of prioritizing one nutrient over another, emphasizing that all nutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals—are equally essential.

Learning the art of eating right, she says, is the ultimate form of self-care and self-love, ensuring a disease-free, happy, and healthy life. While looking good might be a bonus, true health is about feeling great and living free from dependence on medicines.

"I realized that the answer to the supposedly incredibly complicated question of what we should eat wasn't so complicated after all, and in fact could be boiled down to just seven words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Instagram: @poojamakhija

Bonus Tip
Vegetable juice is a powerful source of essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. It provides a concentrated dose of nutrients found in vegetables, allowing you to consume a wide range of beneficial compounds and antioxidants in a single glass.

5. Luke Coutinho: Holistic Health and Healing

Luke Coutinho, an award-winning life coach and expert in integrative lifestyle medicine, believes small, consistent changes can lead to significant health and nutrition improvements. During his recent visit to Dubai, he emphasized the importance of four key wellness pillars: deep cellular nutrition, adequate exercise, quality sleep, and emotional detox.

Luke stresses the interconnectedness of the body, particularly the gut’s role in overall health. An inflamed gut can disrupt other organs like the heart and brain, leading to chronic conditions. He advises limiting processed foods and sugar, opting for healthier alternatives like jaggery or raw honey.

Quality sleep is essential for hormone balance, gut health, and mental clarity. Luke recommends maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, avoiding screens before bed, and engaging in relaxing activities like reading or meditation. Even a 3–4 day reset can help restore your sleep cycle.

Chronic stress negatively affects hormones and metabolism. Luke advises managing stress by reframing your perspective and practicing mindfulness, as emotional health is directly linked to gut health.

For a healthier lifestyle, Luke suggests:

1. Eat early and chew food mindfully.
2. Prioritize sleep and wake up with the sun.
3. Exercise daily with simple movements.
4. Practice gratitude and avoid negativity.

He also recommends intermittent fasting (sunset to sunrise) and staying active throughout the day with simple stretches and walks. Luke’s holistic approach encourages small, consistent actions for better health and vitality.

“Everything in the human body is interconnected. So when you are treating cardiac-related conditions, you need to look at not just the heart but the kidney, the liver, the gut, everything else.”

Instagram: @luke_coutinho

Bonus Tip
Skipping a day or two in a week to go out and enjoy yourself is fine. Importantly, do not feel guilty about it.

Conclusion

Good nutrition is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. By striking the right balance between food and lifestyle, you can unlock your full potential for health and vitality. Leading dietitians and nutritionists across India offer personalized guidance to help you achieve your wellness goals—whether it’s managing weight, tackling lifestyle diseases, or simply eating better.

Experts like Luke Coutinho, renowned for addressing metabolic disorders, and Ryan Fernando, who is celebrated for sports nutrition, bring unique approaches to improving health. Their insights emphasize that while tailored nutrition is critical, it must be paired with regular physical activity for long-term benefits.

As awareness of the importance of nutrition grows in India, there’s never been a better time to take charge of your health and nutrition. Don’t wait for problems to arise—consult a nutrition specialist and embark on a transformative journey to wellness today.