Nourish | Pooja Makhija

Nourish | Pooja Makhija NOURISH - It is something most of us forget. Or take for granted. Your body is irreplaceable and only you can feed, respect and NOURISH it. Eat. Energise. Glow.

Lost in the crazy merry-go-round we call life, many of us forget that food is not something to be feared, worshipped or abused. What you eat is what you are and it cannot be overemphasised how the food you give (your one and only) body impacts what you do, who you are and how you feel. To use the age old cliche of using only the best fuel for your brand new car (which may be very expensive but after all, is replaceable) as this will impact how it will run, how fast it goes and how it ages – are you doing your body justice by feeding it anything just to get by with a 'eat to live' philosophy? Build the right relationship with food, reach your goal weight and fight disease with Pooja Makhija at NOURISH. Having successfully catered to over 10,000 clients including professionals, housewives, Bollywood stars, CEOs, sports personalities, models and the like, Pooja will work with you through Diabetes, PCOS, heart disease, weight gain and MORE so that you can NOURISH your body through the plate and not through a pill. Pooja will also teach you how to reclaim this long-lost relationship with food, so you can not only reclaim the fit, healthy body you have always wanted to have, but also reclaim the life you have always wanted to live. Nourish.

06/01/2026

Why nocturnal glucose spikes aren’t a dinner problem

Nocturnal glucose excursions often occur due to:
• Reduced insulin sensitivity at night
• Increased hepatic glucose output
• Cortisol and growth hormone pulses during sleep

Studies on the Second Meal Effect show that higher protein intake earlier in the day:
• Improves insulin sensitivity for subsequent meals
• Reduces glycaemic variability in the evening
• Lowers overnight glucose release from the liver

One controlled trial showed that a high-protein breakfast significantly reduced post-dinner glucose levels compared to a low-protein breakfast — despite identical dinners.

This explains why:
Late dinners feel “light” but CGMs still spike
Sleep gets fragmented without obvious cause
Morning fasting glucose stays stubbornly high

Practical framework:
• 25–35 g protein at breakfast
• Protein-first at lunch
• Dinner = supportive, not corrective

Your metabolism keeps score all day — not just at night.

05/01/2026

Most people think health is built over decades.
Biology disagrees.

Within minutes to hours of eating, food alters:
• Insulin & cortisol signaling
• Neurotransmitters like serotonin & dopamine
• Inflammatory gene expression (via NF-κB)
• Immune cell behavior post-meal

A single high-fat or high-sugar meal has been shown to increase inflammatory gene expression and oxidative stress within hours — even in healthy individuals.
(Esposito et al., JACC; Patel et al., AJCN)

But here’s the nuance
One meal doesn’t define you.
Repetition does.

Your body adapts to what it repeatedly hears.
That’s why nutrition isn’t about perfection — it’s about patterns.

Think of food as:
Information
Instructions
Signals sent daily

Change the signal consistently — and biology follows.

03/01/2026

Most weight-loss plans fail because they rely on delayed rewards.

The human brain evolved to repeat behaviours that give frequent dopamine feedback — not distant outcomes like scale weight.

Research shows:
• Dopamine is released more by perceived progress than final results
• Behaviour tracking improves adherence and long-term fat loss
• Scale-dependent motivation increases dropout rates

This is why smart fat loss focuses on:
Systems, not willpower
Daily feedback, not monthly outcomes
, not self-blame

When you change what the brain is rewarded for, the body follows.

Comment HELP and I’ll send you a link on how we can do this together in 2026!

weightloss

22/12/2025

Forgetting names is often mislabeled as inattention or poor memory.
In reality, it reflects how the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex prioritise information.

Research shows that:
• Emotionally salient information is encoded more deeply
• Neutral labels (like names) receive weaker consolidation
• Social cognition often overrides verbal memory in real-time interactions

Your brain is constantly asking:
“What matters right now?”

And meaning almost always wins over labels.

This is why many people remember:
– the conversation
– the feeling
– the insight
…but not the name.

This isn’t brain fog.
It’s not cognitive decline.
It’s not a character flaw.

It’s neural efficiency.

Let’s stop shaming normal brain behaviour.

19/12/2025

In peri- and post-menopause, cortisol plays a much larger role in fluid retention.

Lower estrogen means reduced insulin sensitivity and less protection against stress hormones. Cortisol and aldosterone increase sodium and water retention — even when fat loss is occurring underneath.

This is why common strategies like:
• excessive cardio
• aggressive calorie cuts
• overhydration without electrolytes

often stall visible progress.

The menopausal “whoosh” usually appears after:
• improved sleep
• reduced training load
• adequate calories
• restored electrolyte balance

This isn’t metabolic damage.
It’s a nervous system and hormonal signal asking for recovery.

Fat loss still happens.
Visibility waits for safety.

18/12/2025

In pre-menopausal women, cyclical estrogen and progesterone influence sodium balance, fluid retention and release. After fat is mobilised from adipocytes, water may temporarily replace it — masking fat loss on the scale.

When hormones shift (often post-ovulation or post-period), that water is released, revealing the fat loss that was already happening.

This is why daily weigh-ins can be misleading — and why patience often pays off.

Stay tuned for how this works in Peri and post menopause.

15/12/2025

Betel leaf works through well-studied biochemical pathways. Here are the mechanisms behind each benefit and the exact research that supports it.
1. Its digestive effects come from stimulating salivary amylase and gastric secretions, which enhances carbohydrate breakdown and improves post-meal motility.
Study: “Stimulatory effects of Piper betle on digestive enzymes”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11349855/
2. Its antimicrobial power is due to phenolic compounds like eugenol and hydroxychavicol, which disrupt bacterial cell walls and inhibit oral pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans.
Study: “Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Piper betle leaf extracts”
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2612173/
3. Betel leaf’s anti-inflammatory effect is linked to COX-1 and COX-2 modulation, lowering the formation of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, similar to the pathway NSAIDs target.
Study: “Hydroxychavicol inhibits COX-1/COX-2 and reduces inflammation”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17641677/
4. Its antioxidant capacity comes from ROS-scavenging phenols, which reduce oxidative stress and protect tissues from free-radical damage.
Study: “Antioxidant and free-radical-scavenging activities of Piper betle”
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2612173/
5. The antihyperglycemic action is attributed to improved insulin sensitivity and inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase, slowing carbohydrate breakdown and reducing glucose spikes.
Study: “Antihyperglycemic activity of Piper betle in diabetic rats”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16579737/
6. Anticancer potential is linked to hydroxychavicol, which induces apoptosis and suppresses tumor cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo models.
Study: “Hydroxychavicol as a potential anticancer agent”
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9773318/
7. Betel leaf also shows strong antifungal activity, particularly against Candida species, through membrane disruption and oxidative damage pathways.
Study: “Antifungal effectiveness of Piper betle extracts”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21596542/

10/12/2025

THE REAL 4-PHASE HAIR CYCLE
Anagen: your active growth phase (2–6 years).
Catagen: a short transition where growth pauses (~2 weeks).
Telogen: the 90-day rest phase where shedding is prepared.
Exogen: the actual release of the old hair while new growth pushes out.

—

Most people panic when they see shedding — but shedding today isn’t about what you did this week.
It’s the echo of an event 90 days ago: stress, low iron, a viral infection, crash dieting, poor sleep, a thyroid dip.

That’s because your follicles shift into telogen immediately,
but the shedding only appears when that telogen hair reaches exogen, roughly 12 weeks later.

Here’s what most people miss:

Shedding is synchronized

Stress makes thousands of follicles enter telogen together →
so they shed together.

Regrowth is scattered

Anagen restart happens in quiet, tiny waves →
so healing looks slow even when it’s working.

Follicles have “memory”

If your last cycle ended in inflammation, deficiency, low protein, cortisol spikes, or hormone imbalance,
your next cycle begins weaker — until you change the internal environment.

And that’s why your consistency today matters more than you think.

Hair doesn’t respond instantly —
it responds cyclically.

Your food, sleep, protein, iron stores, thyroid support, and stress practices today
are building the hair you will see in the next 90 days.

You’re not in a failure phase.
You’re in a lag phase.
Stay the course — biology is on your side.

—

Evidence-Based Studies

• Telogen duration & delayed shedding (Headington JT. J Am Acad Dermatol 1993).
• Stress-induced premature telogen (Exp Dermatol, 2020).
• Iron deficiency & hair cycle shortening (Rushton DH, Clin Exp Dermatol 2002).
• Sleep disruption affecting follicle circadian rhythm (Hardman JA, Sci Adv 2020).
• Viral infections & telogen effluvium (Abrantes TF, Int J Trichology 2021).
• Thyroid hormones regulating hair cycling (Gilhar A, J Invest Dermatol 2016).

08/12/2025

Most people are shocked to learn that fat leaves the body mostly through your lungs, but here’s what’s even more fascinating

Oxygen is the real fat-burning fuel.
Every molecule of fat you burn (like a triglyceride) needs oxygen to break apart into carbon dioxide and water. The more efficiently your body uses oxygen — through deep, steady breathing during moderate exercise — the more fat you oxidize.

Your fat cells shrink, not disappear.
When fat is oxidized, the stored triglycerides inside fat cells are broken down and expelled as CO₂ + H₂O, but the actual cell structure stays. That’s why sustainable habits matter — empty fat cells can easily refill if you slip back.

Breathing technique matters.
Shallow mouth breathing reduces oxygen delivery and fat oxidation efficiency. Try nasal or diaphragmatic breathing during workouts for better oxygen exchange and endurance.

So next time you’re on that treadmill, focus on controlled breathing — because every deep exhale is real fat, leaving your body molecule by molecule.

Reference: Meerman, R., & Brown, A. (2014). “Where does the fat go when you lose weight?” BMJ, 349:g7257 — https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g7257

06/12/2025

Your body doesn’t wait for your calendar.
When sleep drops, it shifts into a stress-override reflex — a survival mode where biology takes control, not you.

Here’s what actually happens (and the science behind it):

⸻

1. Micro-sleeps: the brain’s emergency shutdown.

Your brain starts taking involuntary 3–15-second “micro-naps” with your eyes open — a protective neurological reflex.
Reference:
Poudel et al., Nature Neuroscience, 2014.
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3719

⸻

2. Cortisol rises by 37% after just one short night.

Sleep

04/12/2025

Most people think saffron works the same no matter how you take it… but absorption science tells a different story.

Here’s what the research actually shows ⬇️

💛 1. Water releases crocin — saffron’s most therapeutic compound

Crocin (yellow carotenoid) is responsible for saffron’s effects on mood, antioxidant activity, inflammation regulation and metabolic support.
It is highly water-soluble, which is why its extraction in warm water is fast and efficient.

A pharmacokinetic study showed crocin converts to crocetin quickly and is absorbed better in aqueous solutions.
🔗 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20026012/

💛 2. The mood + PMS benefits you hear about? They come from crocin-rich water extracts.

Almost every clinical trial uses water-based saffron extracts, not milk preparations.
A 12-week trial in perimenopausal women found saffron significantly reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms.
🔗 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8408316/

A meta-analysis of 9 human trials showed saffron improved mood comparably to SSRIs.
🔗 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31135916/

These effects are dependent on crocin + crocetin availability — which dissolve best in water.

💛 3. Milk primarily extracts volatile aromatic compounds (like safranal)

Safranal gives saffron its fragrance but contributes far less to the therapeutic outcomes studied.
It’s fat-soluble — so yes, milk captures more aroma…
But not more therapeutic potency.

💛 4. Water also preserves bioavailability

Boiling destroys some carotenoids, but warm water steeping keeps them intact.
This mirrors extraction methods used in research settings.

💛 5. A small absorption detail → a big difference in outcomes

If your goals are mood stability, emotional cravings, PMS support, antioxidant benefits, gut comfort or perimenopause symptom relief — the method that matches clinical evidence is:

Warm water, not milk.

This doesn’t replace tradition.
It simply aligns your daily ritual with what the research actually supports.

Science is a tool.
TheMShift is how we use it.

02/12/2025

Perimenopause can feel like a storm — mood swings, strange cravings, bloating, dull skin, restless sleep.
If you’re looking for one gentle daily ritual to soften the turbulence… saffron water might be it.

Here’s why these tiny threads support the perimenopause transition:

💛 1. Mood, Anxiety & Emotional Stability

A 12-week RCT on perimenopausal women found saffron significantly reduced anxiety (~33%) and depression symptoms (~32%) — without side effects.
🔗 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8408316/

A large systematic review shows saffron can help improve mood and reduce anxiety by supporting serotonin.
🔗 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31135916/

💛 2. Emotional & Stress Cravings

Serotonin dips during hormonal fluctuations trigger cravings even when you’re not physically hungry.
Saffron helps regulate this pathway — reducing stress-driven snacking and “I need something sweet now” moments.

💛 3. Skin Glow & Brightness

As estrogen drops, circulation and antioxidant protection decline — leading to dull, uneven skin.
Saffron’s crocin and safranal improve microcirculation + reduce oxidative stress.
🔗 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5747362/

💛 4. Gut Sensitivity & Bloating

Perimenopause slows digestion and increases gut reactivity.
Saffron soothes the digestive system without irritation — helping reduce gas and bloating.

💛 5. PMS Flares in Perimenopause

PMS often becomes more intense in this phase.
Daily saffron has been shown to ease cramps, mood swings, bloating, and carb cravings.

Address

Mumbai

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 2:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 2:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 2:30pm
Thursday 11am - 1pm
Friday 9:30am - 2:30pm
Saturday 9:30am - 2:30pm

Telephone

+919819877485

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Nourish | Pooja Makhija posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Nourish | Pooja Makhija:

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category