Neha Ranglani: A foodie who turned nutritionist, and helps people eat right

Dedication and determination are extremely important if you want to change humankind for the better. While it might seem like a far-fetched dream for many, nutritionist Neha Ranglani is living the dream every day, trying to be the change she wants to see in the world. Once a chubby kid herself, the story of this renowned nutrition coach might resonate with a lot of women out there.

Like many of us, junk food gave her satisfaction, sugar would calm her down and she had nothing to do with the world of nutrition. So, how did a person who had nothing to do with healthy eating end up being a famous name in the nutrition world? What motivated her to help people change their life and lifestyle diseases around? Here’s the story of Neha Ranglani and how she slays!

Humble beginnings in the world of nutrition

Raise your hand if you chose to do something in life that you never thought you would do! Well, nutrition was never on Neha Ranglani’s list of college applications. But that’s the path she took. In 2008, she graduated in Home Science and majored in Dietetics, beginning a life-changing phase for her. From being a chubby child who loved her sweets and junk food to someone who practices and preaches healthy eating, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that she has come a full circle.

“I was a complete junk and sugar addict. My basic meals were fried snacks, sugar, biscuits, and cakes – in bulk. I never thought about eating healthy and at that time, health culture itna nahi tha (health culture was not so prominent back then). I was confused as to what to do in life, so I went to college with my sister and stumbled upon the course ‘food and nutrition’ and I said to myself ‘I love food’ and that’s how the journey began,” recounts Ranglani, who turned vegan.

The journey of ‘fat’ to ‘fit’

“I was the chubbiest and most plump kid in school. I was called ‘moti’. But honestly, it didn’t bother me much because I knew I wasn’t overly fat. Plus, social media was not so big back then and we didn’t have as much shaming or comparisons as teenagers do now. There wasn’t so much pressure to look a certain way,” says Ranglani.

She felt happy studying because she was one of the brightest students, so these things did not bother her much. But as soon as she entered college, the desire to look and feel better dawned upon her. “I wondered if I could work on it. I was also studying nutrition, so I was getting motivation from all sides. It felt like it was a universal plan – so I felt I was meant to do this (be a nutritionist).”

She shares that initially, she was a nutritionist who didn’t practice what she preached. “I used to advise people not to eat this and that, while I was eating it all. Then it hit me one day, I said ‘it’s hypocrisy from my end.”

Slowly and steadily, nutrition became Neha Ranglani’s priority. She started going to the gym and replaced fried food with healthy food like fruits. “My cravings changed, habits changed. That’s how it all began,” adds the author of three books – “Beverage Reboot”, “Breakfast Reboot” and “Dessert Reboot”.

Also Read: Not just fat to fit, from fat to strong: This is how I lost 23 kilos in a year

Be the change you want to see

Once you start changing, you start growing and evolving, learning, adapting and relating to better things in life. This is something Ranglani abides by in her personal and professional life.

“You have to be the change to see the change in society. If we want to change other people, the change should begin within ourselves. For example, we see the person as a whole in integrative nutrition – who they are, what they are, what is their background, where do they come from, what is causing them stress, what is their sleep cycle like? Once you know these aspects of a person’s life, you start helping them change their lifestyle and you see great results,” she adds.

The idea is to inculcate changes in one’s own life before setting out to help others. Through her practice as an integrative health coach, Neha Ranglani  designs weight management programs, fertility boosting diets, apart from helping people to manage PCOS and hormonal imbalances, gut health and more.

Health should always come first for women

In a world where women have become the driving force in most sectors, it is important to prioritise yourself, not in a selfish but empowering way! But many women tend to neglect their health in the hustle and bustle of life. To that, Ranglani says, “You can’t pour from an empty cup. You have to focus on yourself first. When you start taking care of yourself and not just your diet, but how you feel your mood, and how you express yourself, you become a different woman who starts attracting all the goodness in life, and then you can pour all that goodness into your family. A happy woman breeds a happy family.”

Check out Neha Ranglani’s interview with Health Shots!

Tips for some daily dose of wellness

If you feel inspired to inculcate some easy but important tips in your life to become a better version of yourself, Neha Ranglani shares some tips to add some goodness of health to your life.

1. Eat a wholesome diet
2. Prioritize your sleep to help you detoxify your body.
3. Include conscious movement! She says, “The culture of doing one hour of exercise and being a couch potato for the rest of the day needs to go away. Take breaks in between work and keep moving so that your bones, muscles, and body remain strong and healthy.”
4. Cut down stress levels. While stress is inevitable, she suggests one way to deal with the vicissitudes of life. “Pranayama is life. Pranayama is oxygen. Not just healthy food, you also need oxygen. Focusing on your breath in different ways calms your body down and helps you deal with stress. Stress will not go but you will learn how to deal with it in a better way,” says Ranglani,
5. Meditate as it can calm your mind. She says, “Once you start focusing on yourself, your mind, everything starts changing. Meditation is not having a blank mind but allowing your thoughts to be.”

(Neha Ranglani is nominated for the Health Shots She Slays Awards in the Wellness Coach (Nutrition) category. To vote for her or to review our other nominees, please click here!)