Madhura is a qualified nutritionist with a certificate in Plant Based Diet from eCornell University, New York.
After graduation she worked in India as a dietician for 5 years and then moved to the US to pursue her Masters in Nutritional Sciences from University of Kentucky where she specialized in effects of a high fat diet on cardiovascular disorders and diabetes and published her work (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3220787).
Her personal health issues along with the health of her husband led her to explore a plant based lifestyle which is oil as well as refined sugar free.
Madhura started putting on weight after an emergency appendectomy in her mid-teens which had her on bed rest and minimal activity. She also suffered from allergies and migraines. Despite all conventional treatments she remained unwell. As a result of her obesity, in 2006, at the young age of 25, she suffered a stroke due to sudden rise in blood pressure which left her paralyzed in the left side. Though doctors had given up hope of her survival, she got back on her feet thanks to a few diet modifications, exercise and medical treatment. Weakness in the left side along with tremors were making everyday activities tiresome.
A few years on, with marriage and 2 kids, the weight was back. The migraines were excruciating and she did not have the energy to manage her home. Her own and her husband’s annual medical check–up with elevated cholesterol levels was a wakeup call and she was determined to not let history repeat itself. The documentary Forks Over Knives was instrumental in the family’s adopting a 100% plant based lifestyle. Within a month, her weight had dropped by 4 kg, her allergies had gone, migraines were under control and she regained energy. A year on, she had lost 26 kgs and all her health issues were gone!
Madhura believes that our health is the best investment and the more we invest more in ourselves, the higher the returns. By making the right choices, you feel healthy and buoyant. Today, she conducts cooking classes and does nutritional consultations at SHARAN.