Gyan from the Queen Bee

Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar is on the top of her game – from assisting Indian A-listers through their drastic but realistic weight loss journeys to advocating eating healthy without depriving themselves of the quintessential desi khana; the Queen ‘nutrition’ bee clearly believes in sweating it out, than sweating over it. Out with her latest read, Pregnancy Notes: Before, During and After, Rujuta gets chatty with us. This time around, mommies-to-be are on her radar, she tells us.         

Taking us through how the idea sprouted, Rujuta points out, “The main reason to write this book is that the three women, who have had a big influence on my career, including Kareena Kapoor Khan were all pregnant in 2016. They are all in their mid 30s, devoted to their professions and carried their pregnancy with real ease. That's when I felt that we need to write for our growing population of working women. Bring to them time-tested wisdom, so that they can fully enjoy their pregnancy, babies and have a smooth ride back to their work life.”  

Her new book sheds light on everything about what, why and how you should eat before, during and after pregnancy. Also trimester specific diet plans, top foods, exercise routines, and crowd sourced heritage recipes are included. “The book highlights how women should celebrate their physiological milestones like pregnancy and stay committed to getting fit even before they plan for it,” she shares.  

Having trained stars like Kareena Kapoor Khan into achieving the much talked about ‘size zero’, to sharing interesting celebrity weight loss journies with specific diets is what we ask her. Careful enough to not take names, Rujuta responds, “My celeb clients are committed, hard working folk who have learnt that for a diet to be a success it must be sustainable.They patronise local foods, eat home cooked food most of the time and plan their meals well in advance.”

On quizzing her with questions about  the most bizarre  myths about losing weight, she quips, “I don’t have a clear winner when it comes to myths, but here are some gems – Not adding milk to coffee but adding shots of coconut oil, peanuts/ cashews being harmful but alcohol being heart healthy, blending vegetables into smoothies instead of eating cooked sabzis, choosing what to eat based on what food group it belongs to!”