Manvi Lohia, MPH, RD: Former Harvard Registered Dietitian, Master in Public Health, and Advisory Board Member of American Mindfulness Association

About Me

I have a Bachelors in Nutrition and Dietetics and worked in different disciplines ( focusing on cardiology and oncology)  for over 6 years. 

My journey began at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Hospital where I worked in different disciplines all throughout the hospital (renal, cardiology, enteral and parenteral nutrition, trauma, ICU and wound, oncology, pediatric oncology, pediatrics, eating disorders, endocrine and gynaecology)

I then worked as a Registered Dietitian with the Dean Ornish Cardiac Rehab Center in The Miriam Hospital in Providence, United States for over half a year.  I have also worked as a lead researcher at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, focusing on diabetes and genetics.

Moreover, I have trained healthcare workers in Lesotho, South Africa, for COVID-19 protocols and safety techniques and nutrition during COVID-19.

As a Registered Dietitian I have assisted people with disease conditions focusing on diabetes and cardiac conditions in Mass General Hospital, (Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America)  for several years. With over 6 years of experience in dietetics and culinary in the United States, I have now returned to India to expand and hone my practice providing evidence based nutrition education with Ekaanta: Mindversity on the Ganges

Who I work with?

As we know mental health and wellness is of biggest concern amongst the youth. Hence I am currently working to help people reduce stress through mindful eating. Nutrition plays a big role in how we feel through the day, it also helps feed our brain which in turn gives the right signals to our body. Women especially need to eat the right foods for hormonal balance and to not trigger diseases such as PCOS/PCOD. I work with clients who are suffering from anxiety, stress, hormonal imbalance and many other mental health conditions. I also work with people who have disease conditions but my focus lies in diabetes, PCOS, cardiac rehab, and oncology remission. I even work with other diseases that stem from obesity such as fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, and sleep apnea etc.

How I help them through Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating is not just focusing while you eat but it is also what you eat and listening to your body. When you pay attention to your body, you will realize that most of the times when we are snacking, we are actually not hungry but thirsty, so what happens is we link our thirst to hunger. While the main signals for hunger (empty feeling in your stomach) and thirst (a dry mouth) are quite distinct, when we are distracted we ignore the signals and the signs that come a little later are very similar for thirst and hunger and may result in you eating a toasted sandwich instead of drinking a glass of water. This in turn leads to weight gain and hormonal imbalance. Hence we should focus on eating mindfully, when I say that I mean listening to body cues, for what it wants and how much it wants. According to a literature review, “Mindful Eating: A Review Of How The Stress-Digestion-Mindfulness Triad May Modulate And Improve Gastrointestinal And Digestive Function”, mindful eating is an opportunity to become aware of the body’s cues, sensations and emotions which in turn nurtures PSNS dominance—the condition of the nervous system associated with reduced stress.