“You are what you eat.” Food, one of the essential aspects of living a life, shapes our personality and lifestyle. For several years, for different reasons, food culture saw vibrancy in colours and tastes, both good and bad. However, as life advanced, lifestyles and diet fashions changed. The change seemed sparkling, yet the results were alarming. With disturbed lifestyles and diets, people started experiences impacting their lives. A diva that came to the rescue was The Diet Hub by Sayantani, with the thought, “Diet and lifestyle changes are a holistic approach.”
It is a 5-star rated e-business in India in Google for diet and nutrition wherein the diets are free from any supplements, artificial enhancers or metabolic boosters. Members achieve the results by following these excellent diet plans based on home-cooked foods and natural ingredients.
Nutritionist Sayantani Mohinta has done her Master’s in food and nutrition. She has 18 years of rich experience in food and nutrition and provides counselling services for a healthy lifestyle. She has specific expertise in metabolic diets, effectively improving a member’s overall health in the long run. Her focus is, therefore, not on immediate results but on long-term tangible health benefits. She is a leading and well-recognized nutritionist in Mumbai, providing online diet counselling services.
A blog written by editor Nikhil Malve for Mumbai Coworking on 14th Dec 2021 mentions Sayantani Mohinta as the 11th best nutritionist in Mumbai who specialises in keeping the belly and body happy. She has also given talks at various forums and has made impactful presentations in Ladies’ clubs or NGOs regarding women’s health and dietary habits.
In an exclusive interview with CIOLook India, Sayantani, the Founder of The Diet Hub has elaborated on her journey.
Ma’am, please describe your company in detail.
The Diet Hub by Sayantani is an e-clinic that provides an online support system for healthy customized Indian diets for people looking forward to one-to-one consultation via the website thediethub.zest.md. It’s unlike other health apps wherein all the customers are given tailor-made or customized diet charts based on their health requirements. A metabolic diet with no starvation and crash diets is provided, which is sustainable for life. The diet is planned for one week, catering to the individual’s health requirements and food habits.
The enrolment process is made simple by creating an account on the website to fill up all medical, food and biometric details. Then, a discussion over a phone call is carried out to understand the member’s requirements. Blood test reports are recommended to members in case of any health issues. Once a member selects a specific service, i.e. depending on their requirement, the diet chart is uploaded to the member’s account. Through telephonic discussions, emails and messages, constant monitoring is done by Nutritionist Sayantani. The results are recorded post-completion of each week, and depending on the results, the way forward is planned for the remaining weeks.
The objective is to provide assured success and health benefits through easy-to-follow diets. The diets are also supplemented by proper guidance related to lifestyle management, like exercises, yoga, etc. Since it is completely online or through via media like phone/WhatsApp, my e-clinic can be reached PAN India and globally. The website has successfully catered to the health requirements for various lifestyle disorders apart from weight loss. Diet for Diabetes, High cholesterol, Piles, Hypothyroidism, and PCOS are the services mostly availed by the members. Pre and post-pregnancy nourishment or weight loss diets are also some specialized services provided through the e-clinic.
What inspired you to enter the healthcare sector as a Nutritional and Dietary solutions provider?
Food and nutrition has been my passion, and I was inclined towards making a social impact and bringing awareness through a balance of food and lifestyle habits. Western food habits and crash diets are easily available everywhere on any social media or advertisement. Nowadays, people can make their diet charts via Google and many apps. However, I have noticed that these diets are short-lived and further lead to many deficiencies in the long term.
These trending diets may show results faster than metabolic diets but have a deep-rooted effect on the body’s metabolism. In this tech era, people treat their bodies like machines and want quick results in weeks or months with various combinations of diets. I aim to make people realize that diet is not magic and does not work wonders immediately. The diet provided must be customized for an individual’s metabolic activity and suited to their body requirements. Dieting also does not mean you should starve and deprive yourself of food.
I get inspired when my members achieve their intended health objectives like lowering blood glucose and high cholesterol, improving piles condition, etc., along with weight loss and thereby start feeling healthier and happier. I derive confidence from my work when I hear about my member’s success stories through honest testimonials and how they have benefited from my customized diet plans.
What USPs make you stand out as a leading Nutritional and Dietary solutions provider?
To chalk out easy to adhere to Indian diets for my members to help them achieve their desired health objectives. The diets are based on Indian foods, which makes it sustainable for the members to follow even after completing the enrolled program. My e-clinic and website are prominently visible in Google searches, making it easier for people to approach me from anywhere. Since it’s online through one-to-one telephonic consultations, it is easy for the working masses to follow and get counselling sessions at their convenience. My repeat members rate is high. Members have returned to me after trying various diet options elsewhere. Word of mouth and referrals have been my other USP, as members have approached me after receiving positive reviews from their friends and family. I have not ventured yet into formal large-scale marketing for my website.
What were the initial challenges after venturing into the Nutritional and Dietary solutions field, and what are the challenges now?
The initial challenge was to make people understand the difference between dieting and good food habits. Earlier people considered diets only for weight loss. Nowadays, people are more health conscious and demanding, wanting diets tailored to their specific health requirements. The challenge I face now is that most people have already followed some or the other diet plans, either on their own by doing Google research or through crash dieting. I also get members who have followed plans through app-based services without tangible long-term health benefits. These self-researched or app services have created a negative effect on their health. It has slowed the body’s metabolism and resulted in nutritional deficiencies.
Many members have complained of poor hair and skin quality, fatigue and acidity issues resulting from the crash and unhealthy diet regimes they have followed earlier. The challenge for me is to do an in-depth analysis of their body metabolism and history. I strive to keep their lifestyle and health on track with my customized diet plans. The current challenges include Rebooting their metabolism, improving overall health, and addressing the targeted health issues.
Being an experienced leader, share your opinion on how technology is transforming the Nutritional and Dietary sector and what advancements we can expect in the future.
Six years ago, when I started my e-clinic, people were not tech-friendly. They were also sceptical about online consultations; most preferred face-to-face or clinic-based consultations. Over the years and more so after the lockdown, people have realized that it is not the medium of diet consultation that makes the difference but the efforts put in by your nutritionist, be it offline or online. My approach has been to leverage technology to make it simpler for my members to reach out to me at their convenience and availability.
Members have accepted that customized diet and nutrition plans can bring out the intended health benefits when imparted through an online platform. Being an online platform, it also kept the momentum going during the lockdown phase. There are many members from outside India as well enrolled in. In the future, the company aims to leverage the power of social media and member referrals to reach out to more people globally and increase awareness about the benefits of Indian foods for bringing out lifestyle-related changes. My e-clinic is also working on leveraging advanced analytics for in-depth analysis of members’ metabolic parameters, thereby aiding in chalking out specific diet plans specifically in case of members diagnosed with multiple lifestyle disorders.
What would be your advice to aspirants willing to venture into your field?
I want Nutritionists to make people aware of healthy diets with sustainable health benefits. Being a Nutritionist is not only about taking up a commercial profession. We also have a social commitment towards positively impacting people’s health and lifestyle. Do not convince people to follow a crash diet pattern that may provide short-term benefits but eventually spoil their complete body metabolism in the long run.
How do you envision scaling the company’s scope and offerings?
I want to focus on imparting online customized diets and reaching out globally for health-related counselling. My objective is to make people feel confident about the right food and nutrition for their bodies. The Diet Hub by Sayantani is available for everyone who wants to achieve optimum health goals for a lifetime.
I am looking forward to more interactions on the social media platform and various discussion forums. Social media platforms viz. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc., are the places to locate it for health-related tips and counselling sessions.
Read More: Click Here
