Nmami Agarwal, the nutritionist who ensures Miss World Manushi Chillar eats right

Nmami believes in spreading the joie de vivre among her clients while ensuring they eat healthy.

Miss World Manushi Chillar stood out among a bevy of beauties from around the world thanks to her grace, confidence, and personality even before winning the pageant. However, it goes without saying that she was ably supported by a team, working hard behind the scenes for months, to ensure everything from her outfits and makeup to diet and fitness was on point.

Nmami Agarwal, Manushi’s nutritionist, is the founder of Nmami Life and has names like cricketer Gautam Gambhir and former Australian captain Michael Clarke in her clientele.

Twenty-six-year-old Nmami started Nmami Life in October 2016. She says, “My aim was to enrich people's lives with the right dose of nutrition and to help them build a healthy relationship with food.”

Instead of stringent dos and don’ts that make dieting akin to a prison sentence, Nmami suggests simple lifestyle modifications and nutritional strategies. She advises customised diet plans that work best based on a person’s lifestyle, current fitness levels, and long-term goals. With so much conflicting advice and so many weight-loss programmes and diet clinics cropping up across the country, both offline and online, the health and fitness industry has become a money spinner by offering shortcuts that do not work.

Nmami says, “From weight management, PCOD, thyroid-related weight loss, and nutrition for children to diets for pregnant and lactating mothers, management of diabetes and cholesterol, and diets for senior citizens, Nmami Life offers nutrition-aided solutions for different age groups with consideration for each person’s unique health demands.”

The entrepreneur and the fitness expert

Nmami oversees the company’s overall business strategy while personally charting out diet plans for all her clients. She explains,

It’s not like I create a one-time diet chart and give it to the client and my job is done. I am constantly interacting with them either in person or over phone or Skype and planning their meals based on their likes and dislikes, their fitness regimens, and constraints if they are travelling.

For instance, sportspeople who expend a lot of energy will require a high-protein diet that can energise them. About working with Manushi, says Nmami, “She is an example of how what you eat shows on your body. She was very clear in her goals and followed not just a healthy diet but also a good fitness and sleep schedule.”

Fitness is always first

Though she seems an out-and-out Delhite, Nmami was brought up in Jammu and Pune. Unlike several others who made the move to diet and nutrition later in life, Nmami was interested in the field right at the outset. She completed her BSc in science and specialised in nutrition and dietetics from SNDT College in Pune and her master’s in science from Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences. During her internship, she gained hands-on experience from multispeciality hospitals like Max and Medanta.

After completing her internship, she went back to New Delhi and worked under a reputed nutritionist at The Diet Clinic. At the same time, she started freelancing for several clients from across the country. After gaining experience for two years, Nmami started Nmami Life.

The 15-day challenge

Nmami plans to increase her reach by launching an iOS and Android app. She will also be starting her new clinic in Delhi’s upscale Saket area soon. Nmami is also a passionate traveller and loves exploring new cuisines since creating healthy meals, without making them repetitive and tasteless, is important to ensure clients stick to their diet plans. She is also constantly reading up on food and nutrition, looking for ways to retain the joie de vivre of food while keeping it healthy.

She, along with Manushi, has launched a 15-day challenge to encourage people to make small but impactful changes to their lifestyles. With challenges like Sunrise Selfie, No-Screen Sleep Day, No-Fried Day, No-Refined-Sugar Day, and Super-Hydrated Day, the duo is trying to add a fun element to fitness. Nmami suggests,

By making small changes to your lifestyle like taking the stairs, avoiding sugar and fried snacks, or going to bed an hour early, you can take the first step towards a fitter you.

Nmami Life has been chosen among the 50 best wellness companies in India and has received the World Health and Wellness Congress Award as well as the Asia Brand Excellence Award in 2017.