When its about health then most of the Indian families were always depending on the family doctor or the advice of relatives and neighbours. And if someone wanted to lose weight then the usual solution was to skip the dinner or join the gym for two months. But let me tell you that the things have changed a lot in last few years, now people are booking a video call with a dietitian sitting in another city and following the diet plan on WhatsApp. Since more people are searching for an Online dietitian in India now, I thought to write about why this is growing so fast and what to check before you pay anyone.
1. Covid Changed the Habit
Before 2020 very few people were comfortable taking health advice on video call. During lockdown everything went online, school classes, doctor consultation, even the gym trainers, and people slowly got used to it. For diet you don't really need to sit in front of the expert so the habit stayed after lockdown also.
2. No Travel and No Waiting
In a city like Mumbai going to a clinic means one hour in traffic and then waiting outside for another 30 minutes, for a working person half day is gone. A friend of mine in Thane used to cancel her appointments every second week because of office, after she moved to online consultation she did not miss even one call in three months because she was taking it from the office cabin in lunch break. Working professionals and new mothers mostly prefer online for this reason only.
3. Good Experts Now Available in Small Towns
Earlier a person living in Dhanbad or Nashik had very limited options, may be one or two nutritionist in whole area and that also mostly attached with some hospital. Now the same person can consult a well known expert from Mumbai or Bangalore sitting at home. Same thing is happening in Ranchi, Patna and Raipur also, where people are now happily paying the fees of big city experts because the travel and hotel cost is completely saved.
4. Daily Follow Up on WhatsApp
Most of the online dietitians ask you to send meal photos and weight update daily, some of them use their own app and some just use WhatsApp. It sounds small but this daily checking is the main reason people follow the plan properly, because with clinic visit once a month most of us forget the diet chart by second week.
5. Plans Made on Indian Food
Earlier the diet charts on internet were full of oats, quinoa and avocado which nobody is cooking in a normal Indian kitchen. Now the plans are made around dal, roti, poha, idli and sabzi and they are adjusted for festivals, Jain food, Navratri fasting and even the office canteen food.
Having said that, the growth has also brought lot of fake experts. Anyone with a nice Instagram page and some before-after photos is calling themselves nutrition coach now a days. So before paying check the qualification first, a proper dietitian will have a degree in food and nutrition or dietetics and many of them are Registered Dietitians or members of the Indian Dietetic Association. Ask them directly, the genuine ones don't mind sharing it.
Also stay away from the programs that promise 10 kg loss in 15 days or push you to buy their powders and supplements with the plan. If you have diabetes, thyroid, PCOS or any other medical condition, the dietitian should work along with your doctor and should never ask you to stop any medicine.
Now the question that many people ask me is whether online is better than going to the clinic. For weight loss and normal eating habits online works fine and it is cheaper also in many cases, but if someone needs body composition test or has some serious health problem then meeting in person at least once is better. Many people in Mumbai are doing the first meeting at clinic and then continue online after that.
At the end of the day the right dietitian matters more than online or offline. If you stay in Mumbai and want someone who can also meet you when needed, look for the Best Dietitian in Mumbai who gives online follow ups also, check the Google reviews and ask for a short free call before joining. And if you are in any other city, an experienced Online dietitian in India can guide you from home in the same way. For anyone searching the Best Dietitian in Mumbai, asking friends who actually followed a plan and got results is still the most simple way to start.
