Let me tell you more about myself. In my childhood home, in the heart of Mumbai, I regularly helped my mother with preparing our family meals. Food was aromatic, full of spices, and delicious. By helping my mom in the kitchen throughout my childhood, I was lucky to be introduced to cooking and proper nutrition at a young age.

Little did I know that an incident involving a small cut on my thumb while helping her cut onions would serve as a major turning point in my life and also introduce me to Ayurveda – the ancient health science of India.

Following the small scrape, the area on my finger was bleeding. In response, my mom instructed me to wash my hands and gently dab a pinch of Turmeric on the open cut. She also emphasized the importance of slowing down while using a kitchen knife. In just a few short seconds, the bleeding had immediately stopped. She briefly explained the healing benefits of Turmeric, which left a lasting impression on me for the rest of my childhood and adult life.

Daily gratitude practice, grounding and Ayurvedic Abhyanga Massage became my everyday practice, and it is still part of my routine today. I immersed myself in India’s ancient science throughout my life and went on to receive my Bachelor’s degree in Ayurveda (BAMS) from the University of Mumbai.

This education allowed me to work as an Ayurveda Practitioner in a Mumbai clinic, which exposed me to diverse patient populations and reinforced my passion for complimentary wellness. After moving across the globe to the U.S. with my husband 15 years ago, I was determined to continue this practice while furthering my education. My knowledge and experience with the Ayurvedic diet and food principles coupled with my interest in evidence-based nutrition led me to pursue a rigorous and competitive combined clinical internship and Graduate Nutrition program in order to become a Registered Dietitian (RD). My background in Ayurveda inspired me to complete my Master’s thesis research on “Dietary Curcumin (phytochemical in Turmeric) and its effect in Melanoma (skin cancer)”. This research was selected at the National conference on Experimental Biology under “Diet and Cancer” and also at the Texas Dietetic Association conference.

Despite my many years of dedication as a RD in an outpatient diabetes setting, there was always a little voice in the back of my mind telling me to go back to my roots of Ayurveda. Understanding the proven benefits to evidence-based and individualized nutrition, I was determined to share this passion with others in the U.S. by using a unique combination of Ayurveda principles.

With a desire to offer an individual approach to one’s health and wellness, Ayurnutrition was born in 2009. Knowing that I wanted to provide Panchakarma, Ayurvedic Abhyanga Massage and various Ayurvedic therapies at Ayurnutrition, I became a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) in order to expand upon the individualized wellness plan options for each valued client.