Pooja is an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and Accredited Nutritionist (AN), specialising in Pregnancy, Fertility & Women’s health nutrition. She holds a Bachelor of Human Nutrition from La Trobe University, Melbourne and a Master of Nutrition and Dietetic Practice from Bond University, Gold Coast. She completed her dietetic internships at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Brisbane; the Mater Hospital Brisbane; John Flynn Private Hospital Gold Coast and the Queensland Health.
She further completed Specialist Training for Dietitians in Pregnancy Nutrition, Fertility Nutrition and Nutrition for PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). She is a registered member of the Dietitians Australia and is actively involved in various Dietetic Interest Group Leadership Committees.
Pooja has a wealth of experience in serving patients in clinical, rural, corporate and private patient settings. She has worked with private companies like Medibank, Bupa, MyHealth General Practice; as well as within the public sector at Western Health, as an Antenatal Dietitian. She has also been involved in clinical research projects with publications and media projects.
Qualifications
Specialist Training in PCOS Nutrition for Dietitians
Specialist Training in Fertility Nutrition for Dietitians
Specialist training pregnancy nutrition for dietitian
Registered member of the Dietitians Australia
Master of Nutrition and Dietetic Practice from Bond University
Bachelor of Human Nutrition from La Trobe university
Certificate IV in Fitness
Certificate III in Fitness
Multilingual
Native: English, Gujarati, Hindi. Intermediate: Punjabi, Marathi, Urdu
Get to know me
Welcome to the corner of the internet where we are all about plant-based nutrition for women’s health, fertility and pregnancy!
HEY!! I’m Pooja .. true Melburnian, coffee-connoisseur, ocean-lover, culinary extraordinaire (self-proclaimed!), yogi, creative at heart, a loyal friend and a hopeless romantic!
I was born and raised in India – the land of rich cultural heritage, the land of Ayurveda, the home of Yoga, the land of Mahatma Gandhi, the epicentre of colours, spices and vibrancy!! A culture where food is more than just food!! It’s nourishment, enjoyment, celebration, a symbol of love and affection – so always have been interested in food per se! I grew up eating a plant-based diet, and have always been plant-based!! I immigrated to Australia at a very young age, and call Australia home for almost 20 years.
My story, My “WHY”…
Here I share my heart and soul with you… after stumbling through my own health and fertility journey, I decided to dedicate my career to serve and support people on their own reproductive journey…
In my early career, I was a corporate employee, busy climbing the corporate ladder and very successful at that too! As a busy professional woman, I had prioritised my career over my own health. The longer hours, poorer food choices, skipping meals, irregular meal patterns and the stress – massively impacted my health. I was very sedentary, had put on a lot of weight, struggled with my own body image, didn’t feel good in my own skin, my hair was falling out and I fell sick quite often. I felt tired and lethargic all the times and yet used to work almost 10-12 hours each day, to get that next promotion!
When we embarked on our own journey to start a family, just like many others, I thought it would magically happen straight away! But little did I know that the journey to parenthood may not go as smoothly as I anticipated. During the medical investigations, I was diagnosed with Insulin resistance, Pre-diabetes, fatty-liver and severe microcytic anaemia at a very young age in my early 30’s, and my doctors told me that I would have difficulty conceiving if I didn’t change my diet and lifestyle…
My world came crashing down… everything felt so out of control, so wrong, so unfair, so hard and so overwhelming! I played the victim, I blamed everyone but myself…
I didn’t even know where to begin, but I knew something had to change, In fact, EVERYTHING had to change, I needed a 180-degree turn!
I went down the rabbit hole of google, tried to find the “best diet” for my health conditions and fertility, only to be overwhelmed and confused with the information that was hard to tell apart from fact to fiction.
However, I certainly found it fascinating when I learnt the POWER OF NUTRITION for health and healing – this was the light bulb moment that changed the trajectory of my entire life! While navigating my own health and fertility journey, I found many of my girl-friends, couple friends, family members and colleagues were on the same boat … struggling, confused, overwhelmed with the misinformation and zero support! And I realised that this is a bigger problem, this is beyond me, and I would love to help others too!
This is when I decided to change my careers, and went back to University to get the highest qualification in Nutrition, that would provide me with the foundations, education and experience to manage disease/s with diet! In all honesty, it was no piece of cake leaving my consistent income, and going back to student life as a “mature-aged” student!! But I did it, because I knew this was the ONLY WAY to do it – as our dream of having our own little family depended on it! I completed my Masters degree in Dietetics; and got further training in fertility and pregnancy nutrition.
And fast forward to today … When I reflect upon my entire journey, it seems like one of the best decisions of my life, personally and professionally…
I practice what I preach, I have implemented all the diet and lifestyle changes that I advocate for – on myself. With my own lived experiences, and knowledge, I get to do the best job in the world! I get to help other women and couples make their dream of having a family – a reality!!
I get to be a part of their journey to parenthood… from pre-conception through to nourishing their pregnancy and welcoming their little ones. And I do not take this responsibility lightly, I am so grateful that I get to do this. Welcome to the PBN family!
My mission
To serve and empower plant-based people on their preconception, pregnancy and postpartum journey – with the POWER OF NUTRITION and personalised nutrition support.
I live and breath my Core Values
Partnership
I strongly believe that, every individual and their fertility/pregnancy journey is unique .. You are unique, your story is unique – and I want to be a part of your journey – I am keen on learning your previous experiences and where you want to go next, what are your goals, and what health outcomes you wan to achieve.
When you work with me, we are partners! We are team-mates!
Outcome-focused
At the end of the day, as your partner in health, I am interested in your wins! No matter what your goals are, what your journey has been so far, what is your starting point – As a team, we focus on implementation and getting you desired outcomes!
Holistic & Person-centred care
Holistic care that goes beyond “diet”…
Our bodies are complex, highly synchronised machines … and when it comes to hormones, everything is connected to everything!! Hence, why I take a whole-Person approach in my practice.
There are no copy-paste or cookie-cutter plans here – I care for you holistically: taking your nutrition, medical history, family history, lab test reports, your nutrition deficiencies, your lifestyle, your cultural beliefs, your food preferences, your work-life .. Basically,
the WHOLE you!
And after considering all the factors, I curate a bespoke Nutrition Implementation Plan for you, that is as unique as you are!
Commitment to excellence &
science-based approach
As a clinician, I am committed to provide with the care and advice that is based upon the latest scientific research. As a practitioner, each year, even each week, I spend hours and hours on reading upon the latest research findings, participating in advanced courses and workshops, so I keep my knowledge and skills up-to-date!
Empowerment
I am here to impart POWERFUL knowledge, education and skills that you can keep with you for the rest of your life, as I teach you “HOW” to eat, rather than dictating just what to eat! As a result you feel confident in making food choices to nourish your own and your family’s health, you feel Empowered and in control of your own health.
Ethical & inclusive
I strongly believe in “AHIMSA”. Being Plant-focused, I believe – we, the humans – are a part of the environment, and so are the other living creatures, which include plants and animals; and strongly believe we should treat each being with respect and honour.
Being a person of colour myself, I am an advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion. My practice is supportive of people of different races, ethnicities, religions, abilities, genders, and sexual orientations. You are welcome as you are!