Mrs Payal Kothari’s journey with nutrition is nothing less than a mountain of inspiration. With strong beliefs in the power of the gut, she decided to create her mark in the nutrition industry. At the tender age of two, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and her one year of constant medication left a harsh impact on her microbial ecosystem. This paradigm shift stunted her growth and caused her to develop many food intolerances.
Puberty is a difficult time for many people, and it was the same for her too. With endless sugar-cravings resulting in obesity, she had to endure hurtful body-shaming from those around her. However, little did she allow this to break her spirit. Mrs Kothari powered her journey with these events as fuel, and she used it to alter the course of her life completely!
She realised the importance of high physical and mental health in maintaining a healthy life, and she commenced her journey by exploring the world of nutrition from different books and journals around her. Her experiments and her dance troupe motivated her to continue on this renewed path to glory, and she then decided to pursue nutrition as her career choice. After years of guiding people, she has made a massive impact on society. She has written over 200 articles in the field, and she has been accredited by several organisations like Vogue, GQ, Femina, Times of India, and Hindustan Times, among others.
As a nutritionist, she has an uncommon philosophy: You can eat anything, as long as you burn what you consume. Instead of focusing on the ‘don’ts,’ she encourages her clients to focus on all the positive aspects of food and health, including making healthier choices.
The gut plays an extremely vital role in our lives. It is our core. It balances the mind and the body, and it is the heart of our intuition. All of us have followed “what our gut says” at some point in time, and it helps us make difficult decisions in fight-or-flight situations. So, if we spoil our gut health with unhealthy bacteria from trans fats and hydrogenated oils, then we are only leading ourselves to a worse future.
If we lead stressful lives, our gut accumulates all this pressure. The health of our gut depends on our mental health and our exercise. Our body is always sending us signals, but are we really listening? Is it that we have filled our lives with toxic people, or have you chosen to blissfully ignore any warning signs? These signals can turn into migraines, acne, hair loss, and other forms of communication that your body is sending us. These occurrences are trying to tell us that something is wrong in the body, either physically or mentally. If we listen to our body, we are giving it a chance to heal.
Understanding the importance of gut health, Mrs Payal Kothari has decided to start a nutrition school to share her knowledge of nutrition and well-being. Along with covering gut health, she will also teach neuro-linguistic programming, mental well-being, anatomy, financial independence, and overall wellness.
In her nutrition school, she aims to train others in the science of wellness. Her only requirements from her students are that they are over 18 years of age and that they understand English. However, she plans to commence classes in other regional languages soon. Mrs Kothari will teach her students everything they need to know about food: how to sell salads, the art of food photography, and of course, how to be a mentor.
She has planned to share online modules for the lessons and then conduct live sessions for questions and answers. The duration of the course is 16 weeks, and she will conduct an examination for certification at the end. Her curriculum has been accredited by the International Accreditation Organisation (IAO) too.
Mrs Kothari believes that understanding nutrition is not rocket science. It is vital information that one must have to lead a healthy life. She is starting this school to make this information more accessible to the public, and she wants to raise awareness about the dangers of following fad-diets. She wants to teach people to identify what they are buying, and she wants them to understand what they are buying. These are just a few of her plans for this school, and she continues to inspire us daily.
