Raksha A. Changappa, founder-owner and principal consultant, Nutrewise

She spoke at length about her company saying “Nutrewise is a nutrition, diet and weight management consultancy, based in Bangalore, India. The name is derived from the words `nutrition and wisdom’. This is in line with our belief, that we are a source of scientific, practical and effective nutritional knowledge/information, of which the final recipient is our client.

The company logo, a tree, symbolizes everything Nutrewise stands for including, wisdom, good health and growth.”

“Our core business is nutrition and diet counseling, spanning five categories, namely-pediatric (infants, toddlers & children), adult, adolescent, geriatric and sports nutrition. The diet counseling is not limited to specific disorders/diseases alone, but is also for anyone who wants preventive nutrition/improved health. This apart, we conduct nutrition workshops/seminars for interested corporates/NGOs/educational institutes/sports clubs and the like. We also provide expert guidance or give inputs, for industries in the healthcare sector.”

The services they provide cover not just age range, but also professional athletes and workshops for those seeking to enhance their understanding of human diet.

Raksha elaborates on their services saying

“i). We provide for the diet counseling needs of individuals, at every stage of their life cycle, in good health and disease. In other words, all age groups (infants, toddlers, children, adolescents, adults and elderly) seeking diet counseling, either for improved health or for disease management, benefit from our services.”

“ii). Expert nutrition management for athletes, both recreational and professional, which includes sport specific diet plans.”

“iii). Dissemination of accurate nutrition knowledge and information via-articles in various media (print or electronic), interactive sessions (eg: workshops) and so on.”

“iv). Expert guidance or inputs for food, nutrition or diet related industries/ventures/projects e.g.: formulation of new products or product improvement.” 

All their clients are personally counseled by the founder-principal consultant, who is not just an MSc university first rank holder and a triple gold medalist, but is also a highly awarded dietitian-nutritionist.

All diet plans/other inputs are formulated by Raksha, using her proven expertise in the field of nutrition and dietetics and are based on extensive research. Her services cut a swathe across:-

• Complete assurance of evidence based and topical diet advice
• Total emphasis on safe, practical and effective diet solutions
• Diet advice for lesser known or rare conditions eg: systemic lupus, metabolic disorders (phenylketonuria, galactosemia)
• Nutrition management of challenging disorders or conditions eg: dysphagia, paralysis, cancer, anorexia nervosa
• Dietary management of children with special needs eg: Downs syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs)
• Widest spectrum of expert advice on sports nutrition

She is also gearing up to enhance her business in other directions. The introduction of health foods under the brand name- Nutrewise or Raksha A. Changappa and the publishing of a series of dietary self-help books are in the pipeline.

Raksha could have chosen a career associated with a known brand, but the entrepreneur in her sought to take a different route. She explains “An important reason behind me choosing to be an entrepreneur was to explore to the maximum of my ability, the horizon within my field. One can also call it as a need to push the envelope in my chosen area of work.”

She also told us about the challenges she has faced while trying to carve her own space. She relates her troubles saying “It’s a fact that all systems in ones own business, have to be-sourced, developed, tested and improved upon, by oneself. When one works in an organization, the- who/what/when/where and how, are already defined and one just has to go by them. Whereas in ones own business, there is no ready reference. It’s like a blank sheet and one starts to write from a scratch. This can be overwhelming esp. if one is a sole proprietor. I realized that prioritizing and being systematic helps a lot.”

“After every job done, there is always a feeling that it could have been done in alternate or better manner. Mistakes are part and parcel of learning something new and I think I have had my fair share too!”

She uses her own savings to conjure up the seed capital for her consultancy. Since its inception, Nutrewise has been steadily making a name for itself. Raksha reports on her progress saying “The biggest achievement for Nutrewise is the fact that, all the background work and research I did on formulating diet plans has met with success, in terms of clients who have experienced total relief or control of their symptoms.”

As for achievements in her personal life she recalls the ones that meant the most saying “The most prestigious award/s I have received till dates are my three gold medals. These were awarded to me for getting first rank in the university during my MSc (food and nutrition). The then Governor of Karnataka, Padma Vibhushan, Shri TN Chaturvedi, presented them to me during the annual university convocation. It was such an honor. Post this, I received more awards in my field, but these will always be special to me.

Raksha also shared her set of beliefs which help her on the path to success, she says “Remember:

“a) Your venture should something you are passionate about and not what is the `flavour of the season’. This is because it’s this passion or interest in the venture, which will help you tide the bad times.”

“b) Try not to get into something of which you don’t know the ABCs. In other words, your venture should be a field which is your strong point and of which you have complete knowledge.”

“c) Your neglect or apathy will kill your venture before anything else does. This is esp. true in cases when you are the only one managing the show. Thus, the level of self-motivation is great player here.”

“d) While it’s good to expect encouraging results or progress early on, one also has to learn to be patient esp. in times when your venture experiences slumps. Learn to give it time.

She is keen to never give up on her dreams and says “Not now. Not ever.” to any thoughts of retreat. She explains the secret behind her drive saying “I am always driven by the simple fact that in my consultancy the only person who can limit my progress is myself. In other words, I love being an entrepreneur because the only limits which exist, are those which I set for me.”

Yourstory wishes Nutrewise a future of steady growth and success with making the world a healthier place.