“REALLY BAFFLED ABOUT WHAT TO DO TO IMPROVE YOUR NUTRITION & HEALTH?”
“WE’VE GOT A FEW DETAILS TO SHARE WITH YOU AND YOU’RE REALLY GOING TO WANT TO READ THEM”
Ridhima Batra is the Founder and CEO of “Nutrition Defined” an organization that was started by her to awaken people on the significance of health and nutrition and help them realize the importance of adopting food habits that are healthy as well as sustainable. Having earned a degree in Biochemistry and subsequently completing her Masters in Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition, Ridhima has been actively spending her time working towards offering specialized services in order to optimize the health and performance of entrepreneurs, including those who have been high-achievers in their respective fields, apart from helping those who have been reportedly facing health-related concerns and who have been finding it tough to cross the finish line.
Being a Clinical Dietician, Certified Diabetic Educator and a Sports Nutritionist, she is currently offering her personalized services on several matters such as weight management, in addition to offering guidance on Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Disorders, Sports Nutrition, Fertility and Pre and Post natal nutrition. She has always believed in scientifically and effectively achieving a fitter lifestyle, which can lead to improvement of a person’s life in all areas, rather than staying on restrictive diets or fads. She has been ably assisting over 3000 individuals in their fitness journey, by educating, supporting and mentoring them to shift from illness to wellness and sub-par to optimal. Ridhima Batra had an exclusive conversation with Claus from Sportz Business Insights, wherein, she spoke on several matters concerning health and nutrition, including her decision to become an entrepreneur herself and offer personalized consultation services on various matters concerning health and nutrition for individuals, in order to help them maintain an active and healthy lifestyle, apart from offering her valuable insights on the quantity of sugar that can be consumed by individuals every day and the diet that can be followed by them to stay healthy and a lot more.
- Could you please give us a brief introduction about yourself and please tell us about the work that you have been doing in the recent years?
I’m Ridhima Batra, a Clinical Dietitian, a Certified Diabetic Educator, and a Sports Nutrition Specialist. My philosophy is designing a holistic nutrition plan for people based on their bio-individuality, keeping in mind their lifestyle and needs. I focus on optimizing health & performance of high achievers, entrepreneurs and/or those that have had health issues and can’t seem to cross the finish line. I have guided and helped over 3000 people in their fitness journey by educating, supporting and mentoring them from illness to wellness and sub-par to optimal. I also conduct workshops for both schools and corporates in order to address real-life challenges and guide people in overcoming them.
- Would you let us know what drove your interest the most in the field of health and nutrition?
My journey in the field of health and nutrition began as a student of biochemistry where I studied physiochemical processes. I was fascinated to understand the deeper relationships between micro and macronutrients in our bodies. And thus I further began to augment my knowledge in nutrition by specializing in therapeutics, weight management and sports nutrition.
- Can you tell us a bit about the muscle gain programme that you have been offering through your brand “Nutrition Defined” and its benefits for us?
Eating right for muscle growth is essential for improved health, aesthetics, and performance. Unfortunately, there are a few things that are often misunderstood in the process. The physical demands of an added exercise program require even more calories than your regular diet. You should not consider a diet that leaves your muscles flat and low in energy. Eating like a bird and following fad diets are not going to develop the muscle definition you desire. Lean mass gains require you to eat a wide variety of macronutrients. In order to achieve a muscular body, it is essential to consume lean proteins, healthy carbs, good fats, and drink plenty of water throughout the day (taking the right metabolites). Nutrition Defined provides you with a customized diet plan that caters to the body’s changing nutrition requirements to help with strength and endurance.
- Can you let us know how much of dry fruits can individuals consume in a day to obtain the maximum health benefits?
Dry fruits are packed with proteins, essential fatty acids, antioxidants and minerals and these are little factories for good health. A healthy individual can consume a handful of mixed nuts (upto 20g) like almonds, walnuts, pistachios, dates, apricots, cashews etc.
- When we talk of someone who is consuming only a vegetarian diet, do you believe that a person needs to prioritize on a specific set of foods in order to ensure he gets the required protein intake for his body? If yes, can you let us know more about the same?
Daily recommended intake of protein for the average and healthy individual is 0.8g/body weight (kg). There are many vegetarian protein sources which can easily take care of your recommended protein intake. Foods, especially dairy products such as milk, paneer, cheese, lentils & legumes like rajma, chana, soya, moong dal etc., nuts and seeds like almonds, chia seeds, walnuts, hemp seeds etc. are all excellent sources of vegetarian protein.
- Do you believe that a person must consume only a specific quantity of sugar in a day? Also, please share your insights about how effective are sweeteners for consumption by individuals?
It’s really not necessary for us to consume any sugar in our diets. If we focus on adding healthy complex carbohydrates, they will serve the same purpose with optimum sugar balance and other health benefits. If one wants to consume sugar, then limit your intake to 10g at the most in a day. Natural sweeteners are definitely booming in the healthcare industry. There are some healthy sweeteners like stevia, erythritol, xylitol etc. depending on taste and suitability. Natural sweeteners are generally safe. But there’s no health advantage to consuming any particular type of added sugar. Consuming too muchadded sugar, even natural sweeteners, can lead to health problems, such as tooth decay, weight gain, poor nutrition and increased triglycerides, etc.
- We have all been noticing over the past 2 decades about the rising occurrence of medical conditions, be it hypertension, thyroid, diabetes, cancer and a few more. What according to you did individuals actually miss out on, when it came to food consumption or their health?
Food alone cannot be a solution to an array of health diseases and one should focus on their mental, emotional and physical wellness as well. That translates into having a physical activity 30 minutes a day, sleeping for at least 7 – 9 hours, practicing meditation to manage stress and being mindful of your emotional wellbeing. Diseases such as hypertension, thyroid, diabetes, cancer etc. are at the core of it, as research indicates, lifestyle and metabolic diseases. Food has a major role to play in reversing some of these diseases, managing them and in improving one’s overall wellness.
An ideal intake of food throughout the day should follow these broad principles:
• Focusing on seasonal, local and whole foods
• Eating in proper portion control
• Avoiding all refined and processed foods
• Quitting / minimizing smoking and drinking
• Not eliminating any food group
• Never starving
• Allowing for occasion indulgences
- Can you let us know about any favourite healthy snack of yours which you like consuming often?
I like to consume Hummus with veggies sticks. Not only it tastes great, but is also called the “trifecta of macronutrients”—healthy fat, protein and fibre—that keep you full and satisfied, which is key to maintaining a healthy weight.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
