"There Should Be a Proper Disciplined Diet" - Shelly Mukhija

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1. Tell us more about yourself and your profession.

This is Shelly Mukhija, and I have completed my Bachelors in Science. Apart from my graduation, I have completed a certificate course in Food and Nutrition and a Diploma in Nutrition and Health Education. After completing these professional courses, I joined Dietician Shreya to get some practical instincts from August 2016 till January 2020.

2. What is your fitness mantra?

I don’t have very specific Fitness Mantra but talking about the general formula which one can follow to lead a healthy life is the healthy food habits along with a disciplined lifestyle. I would say eat proper nutritious food, exercise regularly and maintain some discipline in your civic habits. 

This would help to boost up your confidence and obviously enhance your personality. Talking about diets which I recommend to people, I generally provide them Metabolism diet to cut down their calories and not all the taste and flavours. I co sider their routine, their habits and state of mind before offering them diet.

3. What are some of major misconceptions about diets and exercises?

Just like every other thing people have some misconceptions about diets and exercise as well. There prevails a number of myths around people including the meaning of diet firstly. People often think diet generally means eating less food, first of all, then diet would include less sugar intake or tasteless food or so on.

4. How can one maintain a healthy lifestyle?

The best way to maintain a healthy lifestyle is healthy eating habits. I believe there should be a proper disciplined diet and habits of a person to live a better life. In my perception, there is a 20% impact of exercise and 80% if of diets on our body when we talk about the maintenance of any particular physique or body figure. Similarly, if we try to make regular habits and schedules of healthy food, we are not away from a healthy body and a healthy life.

5. How can one build a successful career in your field?

There are different types of dieticians who give different diets such as Keto, Metabolism, Dash and so on. But to build a successful career one should consider the following things. A good dietician is the one who provides diets according to the client’s affordability as there are many people who need diet plans but they can’t afford expensive food items regularly. 

Secondly, it should be easy to follow a diet according to their lifestyle. Then it is very important to consider the psychology of the client. It simply means to cut down the calories but don’t cut down all the favourites items of the client. A successful dietician is the one who considers the needs of the clients rather than imposing the diet of their choice on them.

6. What is one piece of advice, you would like to give someone who wishes to lose weight?

I would like to suggest that people should really cut down their sugar intake if they want to reduce weight. We intake sugar in various forms apart from tea, coffee, etc. like cakes, cookies and so on. 

As we know there are a lot of protocols that people follow to reduce their weight and one of the most famous is ‘avoid eating after 7 or 7.30pm’ but I would rather suggest that you can eat after 7.30 as well but if you are seeking weight loss, try to change eating habits. Intake fruits or salt-free food that is easily digestible. Try to skip dinner thrice in a week if you want to lose weight.

7. How do diets and exercise contribute to overall well-being and happiness?

Diets and exercise help a lot in all the fields. As the saying goes, a healthy mind rests in a healthy body. It helps the people and society to live a healthy life. It is important to note that health doesn't mean weight only. 

It covers all the parameters of human life. I personally believe that morning exercise helps people to be more energetic and active throughout the day. 

Further, I think morning walk is the best solution to the girls suffering from PCOD, pregnant woman and diabetic people. But this all can be possible with a healthy diet. As I mentioned earlier, I believe both a healthy diet and regular exercise go by hands in hand. They both are complementary to sustain a happy life.

Interview by - Himanshi