“From Stethoscopes to Spices: Why I Chose to Become a Dietitian”

“Why I Chose to Become a Dietitian—and Why It Matters Today”

"Signing off 2025 "

Welcoming the NEW

Growing up in a house full of doctors, medicine was always a part of my world. Some of my earliest memories are of my grandfathers’ clinic chairs and stethoscopes—symbols of care, trust, and healing. Even as a baby, I was drawn to them. By the age of four, I had already fallen in love with the hospital environment, where compassion and responsibility toward patients were at the heart of everything.

Whenever someone I knew was admitted to a hospital, I would eagerly accompany my family to visit. Those corridors didn’t intimidate me; instead, they inspired me. I admired the dedication, discipline, and purpose with which healthcare professionals served others.

At the age of nine, my journey took a delicious turn—I started cooking. What began as simple curiosity soon became a passion. I was fascinated by how food worked: the chemical and physical changes, the transformation of raw ingredients into nourishment, and the powerful role food plays in health and recovery. Slowly, my love for food grew alongside my desire to care for people.

When the time came to prepare for medical entrance exams, my father gave me advice that changed my life. He encouraged me to follow my true passion and consider becoming a dietitian. Suddenly, everything made sense. Dietetics was the perfect intersection of science, food, and patient care—exactly where my heart belonged.

Living in India, a developing country, I became deeply aware of the widespread nutrition-related challenges faced by many, especially among economically weaker sections. Malnutrition, lifestyle disorders, and lack of awareness are still major concerns. I felt a strong calling to contribute—to help bridge this gap with practical knowledge, affordable nutrition solutions, and sustainable lifestyle changes.

For me, dietetics is not just a profession. It is a calling. It allows me to combine my childhood fascination with healthcare, my love for food science, and my commitment to serving society. Every meal plan I design, every consultation I give, and every piece of advice I share is a small step toward building healthier individuals and stronger communities.

CARDAMOM :The queen of spices

Indians love get-togethers. And get-together means good food. We have a tradition of offering cardamom, fennel , betel leaf or betel nut to our guests after the meal is over.

Offering cardamom has a reason.

The chewing of this spice masks bad breath and prevents dental decay. It also helps to digest the food.

It's an important Indian spice

Two distinct varieties of cardamom are used. The small or green and the big or the black one. The minor variety constitutes the second most important spice of India and is known as the "queen of spices" coming next to pepper. India is the major cardamom producing country in the world.

It has a pleasant aroma and a characteristic pungent taste.

Different systems of medicine employ cardamom for the cure of many human disorders.

Small cardamom may be beneficial for people suffering from Ischaemic Heart Disease 

It helps to fight heartburn, intestinal spasms , irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhoea , liver and gallbladder complaints and loss of appetite. It has a carminative effect so helps in digestion.

It also cures the common cold, just add to your regular tea. It cures bronchitis, cough , sore mouth, throat infections, epilepsy, headache, high blood pressure, urinary problems.

So add cardamom to your regular routine, you can have it after a heavy meal as a mouth freshener. or add to your Indian food like curries , pulao , tea , etc but keep the amount moderate. Overdose of any food item is harmful for health

Title: "Nutrition for Back Pain Relief: Foods That Support a Healthy Spine"

 Introduction:

Back pain is a common ailment that can significantly affect our daily lives, making it challenging to perform even the simplest tasks. While various factors contribute to back pain, including injury, poor posture, and muscle imbalances, proper nutrition can play a crucial role in managing and alleviating discomfort. In this blog post, we will explore the connection between food and back pain and highlight some dietary tips and specific foods that can promote a healthy spine and provide relief.

1. The Importance of a Balanced Diet for Back Health:

- Understanding the impact of nutrition on overall spinal health.
- The role of inflammation in back pain and how diet can help reduce it.
- How excess weight can strain the back and strategies for maintaining a healthy weight.

2. Nutrients That Promote a Healthy Spine:
- Calcium and Vitamin D: Essential for bone health and preventing conditions like osteoporosis.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Known for their anti-inflammatory properties and potential benefits for back pain.
- Magnesium: Helps relax muscles and may alleviate muscle spasms often associated with back pain.
- Vitamin C: Promotes collagen formation and supports the health of spinal discs.
- Antioxidants: Protect cells from oxidative stress and inflammation, potentially reducing back pain.

3. Foods That Support Back Pain Relief:
- Leafy Green Vegetables: Excellent sources of calcium, magnesium, and vitamins.
- Fatty Fish: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation.
- Nuts and Seeds: Provide magnesium, antioxidants, and healthy fats.
- Berries: Packed with antioxidants and vitamin C.
- Citrus Fruits: High in vitamin C, crucial for collagen synthesis.
- Turmeric: Contains curcumin, a powerful anti-inflammatory compound.
- Low-Fat Dairy Products: Calcium and vitamin D-rich options for strong bones.

4. Hydration and its Impact on Back Pain:
- The importance of proper hydration for spinal health.
- How dehydration can contribute to muscle stiffness and back pain.
- Tips for staying hydrated throughout the day.

5. Foods to Avoid or Limit:
- Processed Foods: Often high in additives and inflammatory ingredients.
- Sugary and Refined Foods: Can contribute to weight gain and inflammation.
- Trans Fats: Found in many processed snacks and fried foods, they may promote inflammation.

Conclusion:

While nutrition alone may not cure back pain, adopting a well-rounded, anti-inflammatory diet can be a valuable addition to your overall pain management strategy. By incorporating nutrient-dense foods and avoiding inflammatory choices, you can optimize your nutritional intake and support your spine's health, potentially reducing back pain and improving your overall well-being. Remember to consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian for personalized advice based on your specific needs and health conditions.

Disclaimer: This blog post is meant for informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider before making significant changes to your diet or treatment plan.

LONG PEPPER : A part of Indian Garam Masala

We Indians are too spicy. We not only use round black pepper , we use long pepper.

It is cultivated in India to a limited extent. It contains alkaloids having a pungent pepper like taste and produces marked salivation and numbness of the mouth.The pharmacological effects are probably due to the alkaloids. It has volatile and fatty oils, resins , gum , starch and some inorganic matter. It contains an essential oil with a spicy odour resembling that of pepper and ginger oils.

It has therapeutic effects-

It is prescribed for bronchitis , cough , inflammation of the throat , tuberculosis, asthma, epilepsy .

Effective in Ischaemic Heart disease. It is considered in Ayurveda to be a heart stimulant.

Useful in certain types of gastrointestinal tract disorders. Believed to be a good tonic , digestive and antiseptic.

It is prescribed for indigestion (laxative ) and abdominal distension (carminative ).

It is considered to be a value in rheumatism and gout.

Long pepper is also prescribed for early stages of influenza. Believed to be used in the treatment of mumps.

Add flavour to your curries with Indian garam masala.

Feeling low? Stressed? Anxious? Avoid these 13 food items to boost up your mood.

1. Fruit Juice- Drinking fruit juice is just drinking nutritious sugar water that can quickly hype you up --and bring you down just as fast. It can leave you hungry and angry - "hangry".
2. Regular Soda- It has blood spiking sugar with none of the nutrition. Sugar sweetened drinks like soda or cold drinks have a direct link to depression too.
3. Diet Soda- Diet soda may make you more depressed than regular soda and too much of caffeine that many soda have can be bad for anxiety, too.
4. White bread toast- The highly processed white flour quickly turns to blood sugar . That can cause energy spikes and crashes that can be bad for anxiety and depression.
5. 'Light' Dressing - The packaged ones have High fructose corn syrup and the sugar free ones have aspartame. Both are linked to anxiety and depression.
6. Ketchup - It contains lots of sugar and the lighter version have artificial sweeteners that could be linked to anxiety and depression.
7. Coffee- If you are not used to it, the caffeine in it can make you jittery and nervous.
8. Energy drinks- Can cause weird heart rhythms, anxiety and sleep issues because of the caffeine levels , sugars or artificial sweeteners.
9. Alcohol - Even a little can mess up your sleep which can raise anxiety and cause depression . Too much sleep can cause even more problems
10. Frosting- Partially hydrogenated oil is the culprit. It is also found in fried foods, pizza dough, cakes, cookies or biscuits and crackers.
    
11. Soy Sauce- It can cause anxiety and depression. It can also make feel sluggish and not at your best.
12. Processed foods- Contains sugar, salts, fats which lead to anxiety and depression.
13. Doughnuts- made up of wrong kind of fats and flour and added sugar

To feel better just steer clear of these foods. Eat whole fruits. Drink water. Use whole grain breads. read the labels. Use homemade chutneys. Eat good fats like fish, olive oil, nuts, avocados. 

These will definitely boost up your mood.

Is counting calories necessary for weight loss?

IS COUNTING CALORIES NECESSARY FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

"Calories " .We are in a modern era . We have different types of gadgets. We like to use mostly all of them . We are becoming knowledgeable day by day . We know everything about medicine. Whenever a doc prescribes a medicine we check it on the Internet. We type symptoms if we or our loved ones have some health problems on the search option and know what our problem is . We are totally dependent on the Internet for our daily lives. We have many apps to count calories, we type the food items before consuming it ,we calculate the calories so that at the end of the day we can treat ourselves with a big sundae or a cheese burger, because we have so much of "calorie balance" as per the device . Aren't we fooling ourselves? Is this the proper diet we should follow? I was spellbound by one of my dietitian friends who follow this type of app for her diet.

"Food is not just a calorie my dear. Calorie is far more important."

Sometimes many of us feel hungry after eating a meal . We have counted the calories earlier so we are happy that we have consumed less calories than we should so we will lose weight quickly but we are hungry, we are frustrated, irritated.

Calorie is the measurement of energy. We store energy in the form of fat , protein and carbohydrates.

 We need energy for ♦️ basal metabolism ♦️to build and replace tissue ♦️to compensate for excretory loss ♦️ daily physical and mental activities.♦️ Our cells also utilise energy to maintain a high intracellular concentration of potassium and low concentration of sodium.

The requirements of energy varies with

1. Age . The energy requirement is assumed to remain unchanged between 20 and 39 years of age. It decreases 5%per decade between 40 and 59 , by 10%from 60 to 69 . Beyond that, a further 10 %reduction is there. If someone has a good appetite so much of reduction will lead to craving so it has to be planned accordingly.

2. Physical activity. But if you are working in a gym to shed down the extra weight; extra calories not needed.

3. Menstrual Cycle. Healthy women consume more energy in the ten days before menses than in the ten days after. Energy intake is lowest during the ovulatory phase and high during luteal phase. But it's a myth that estrogen is an appetite suppressant.

4. Pregnancy and lactation. Lactating women needs more energy than pregnant women.

5. Climate. Energy requirements change in extreme climates.

These are the factors one should consider for counting calories, but on a daily basis there is no need of counting calories.

 We should eat well. If we eat processed food the food is easily absorbed and we feel hungry afterwards. The satiety value is less . If we eat a full meal of a balanced diet consisting of whole cereals, pulses or beans or egg or chicken or fish with two or three coloured vegetables and yoghurt and fruits . Use little oil for cooking. We don't have to count the calories.

Stop munching between the meals . If you have a full meal you won't be feeling like munching afterwards.

Sometimes we are thirsty so we feel hungry so drink one or 2 glasses of water between meals.

Eat natural foods , love your food, eat food as a food not medicine or diet supplement, do not trouble yourself by counting the calories. Let it be done by a nutritionist or dietitian. You have a lot to do in life. So enjoy yourself.

"BLADDER WOES: UNDERSTANDING AND OVERCOMING URINARY TRACT CHALLENGES THROUGH DIET"

Do you think about restrooms while leaving home or do you check where the toilets are at the shopping centers before you get there? Or do you try to avoid sneezing or laughing because you are not sure you will stay dry? You might be suffering from urinary incontinence . Both men and women can suffer from this embarrassing situation. 

The problem isn't new- even the ancient Egyptian developed remedies to deal with it. 

Certain dietary changes may help manage the condition and reduce symptoms.

1. Increase fluid intake: It may seem counterintuitive, but increasing your fluid intake can actually be beneficial. Adequate hydration helps maintain bladder health and prevents irritation. However, be mindful of your fluid choices, opting for water and avoiding excessive caffeine and alcohol consumption, as they can irritate the bladder.

2. Manage weight: Maintaining a healthy weight can help alleviate pressure on the bladder and reduce symptoms of incontinence. If you are overweight, gradual weight loss through a balanced diet and regular exercise may be beneficial.

3. Fiber-rich foods: Constipation can exacerbate bladder weakness and incontinence. Ensure your diet includes an adequate amount of fiber from sources such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Fiber promotes regular bowel movements, reducing the risk of constipation and strain on the bladder.

4. Avoid bladder irritants: Certain foods and beverages can irritate the bladder, leading to increased urgency and incontinence. Common culprits include caffeine (found in coffee, tea, chocolate, and some sodas), alcohol, carbonated drinks, acidic foods (like citrus fruits and tomatoes), spicy foods, and artificial sweeteners. It may be helpful to keep a food diary to identify any triggers specific to you.

5. Pelvic floor-strengthening foods: Some nutrients, such as vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium, are essential for muscle and nerve health. Including foods rich in these nutrients, like dairy products, leafy greens, nuts, and seeds, may potentially support pelvic floor health.

It's important to note that everyone's body is different, and what works for one person may not work for another. It's advisable to consult a qualified dietitian, who can provide personalized advice and guidance based on your specific needs and medical history. They can help create a comprehensive plan that combines dietary modifications with other appropriate treatments for bladder weakness and incontinence.