Frequently Asked Questions

NutraJeev is an AI-powered nutrition platform designed specifically for Indian diets. It combines modern nutritional science (ICMR-NIN guidelines) with traditional Ayurvedic wisdom to provide personalized diet plans, nutrition calculators, and health tools tailored to Indian foods and lifestyles.

Yes! All 30+ nutrition tools, calculators, and assessment quizzes on NutraJeev are completely free. You can also sign up for a free personalized meal plan that adapts daily based on your feedback.

NutraJeev is built specifically for Indian diets using ICMR-NIN (Indian Council of Medical Research - National Institute of Nutrition) Recommended Dietary Allowances. It includes a database of 350+ Indian foods with accurate nutritional data, Ayurvedic dosha-based personalization, and considers Indian cooking methods, regional cuisines, and seasonal eating patterns (Ritucharya).

NutraJeev serves as the interactive companion platform for the book 'Two Sciences, One Plate', which explores the intersection of modern nutrition science and Ayurveda. The free tools on NutraJeev bring the book's concepts to life with calculators, quizzes, and personalized recommendations.

NutraJeev uses Asian/Indian BMI cutoffs recommended by WHO and ICMR because Indians and South Asians tend to have higher body fat percentages at the same BMI compared to Caucasians. The Indian cutoff for overweight starts at 23 kg/m² (vs 25 kg/m² in Western standards), and obesity at 25 kg/m² (vs 30 kg/m²). This provides more accurate health risk assessment for Indian populations.

Our calculations use ICMR-NIN food composition data specifically for Indian foods, which accounts for Indian cooking methods, oil usage, and preparation styles. The TDEE calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation with activity multipliers validated for Indian populations. While no calculator can be 100% accurate, our tools provide reliable estimates for dietary planning.

NutraJeev offers condition-specific tools for diabetes (glycemic index checker, carb counter), PCOD/PCOS (hormone-balancing food guide), pregnancy (Garbhini Paricharya trimester guide, safety checker), thyroid health, kidney health (renal diet planner), heart health (cholesterol-friendly foods), anemia (iron-rich food finder), and more. Each tool provides recommendations using both modern nutritional guidelines and Ayurvedic principles.

Absolutely! NutraJeev is designed with Indian dietary patterns in mind, where vegetarianism is common. All tools support vegetarian diets, and most include vegan options. The protein calculator, for example, highlights plant-based protein sources like dal, paneer, soy, and legumes commonly used in Indian cooking.

In Ayurveda, doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) are bio-energetic forces that govern physiological and psychological functions. Your unique dosha combination (Prakriti) influences how you digest food, which foods suit you best, and what eating patterns support your health. NutraJeev integrates dosha awareness into its nutrition tools to provide more personalized recommendations.

Our 23-question Prakriti Assessment evaluates your physical characteristics, digestive patterns, mental tendencies, and lifestyle preferences to determine your dominant dosha type. The quiz is based on classical Ayurvedic texts and provides a percentage breakdown of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha in your constitution, along with personalized dietary recommendations.

Ritucharya is the Ayurvedic science of seasonal eating. It recommends adjusting your diet based on the current season to maintain dosha balance and support digestion. NutraJeev uses a 5-season Indian model (Shishira, Vasanta, Grishma, Varsha, Sharad-Hemanta) and suggests seasonal foods, cooking methods, and spices appropriate for each period.

Viruddha Ahara refers to incompatible food combinations in Ayurveda — combinations that may disturb digestion or create toxins (ama). Common examples include milk with fish, honey in hot water, or fruit with meals. NutraJeev's Viruddha Ahara Checker tool helps you identify potentially incompatible combinations in your diet based on classical Ayurvedic guidelines.

NutraJeev uses ICMR-NIN guidelines as the nutritional foundation for all calculations and recommendations, ensuring scientific accuracy. Ayurvedic principles are layered on top as complementary guidance — for example, a diabetic diet plan follows modern glycemic index guidelines while also considering the Ayurvedic rasa (taste) profile and dosha-balancing properties of recommended foods.

Indian food preparation methods (tempering with oil, pressure cooking, using ghee, grinding masalas) significantly affect nutritional values. NutraJeev uses ICMR-NIN food composition data that accounts for these cooking methods, providing more accurate values than Western databases like USDA which measure raw/Western-prepared foods.

NutraJeev includes 350+ Indian foods spanning regional cuisines from across India. This includes common dishes (dal, roti, rice preparations), snacks (samosa, dhokla, vada), sweets (ladoo, kheer), beverages (lassi, buttermilk), and ingredients with their Ayurvedic properties (rasa, guna, virya, vipaka).

Yes! Our food database covers dishes from North Indian, South Indian, Bengali, Gujarati, Maharashtrian, Rajasthani, Kerala, and other regional cuisines. We continuously expand our database to include more regional specialties and traditional preparations.

Each food in our database includes Ayurvedic classifications: Rasa (taste — sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent), Guna (quality — heavy/light, oily/dry), Virya (potency — heating/cooling), and Vipaka (post-digestive effect). Foods are also classified as Sattvic (pure/harmonious), Rajasic (stimulating), or Tamasic (dulling) to help you make choices aligned with your wellness goals.

When you sign up, NutraJeev creates a personalized meal plan based on your health profile, goals, dietary preferences, and dosha type. The AI adapts your plan daily based on your feedback — if you report that a meal was too heavy, didn't taste good, or you skipped it, the next day's plan adjusts accordingly. Over time, the plan becomes increasingly personalized to your preferences.

Yes! NutraJeev supports goal-specific meal plans for weight loss, PCOD/PCOS management, diabetes-friendly diets, children's nutrition, pregnancy nutrition, thyroid management, and general wellness. Each plan follows condition-specific guidelines from ICMR while incorporating Ayurvedic dietary principles.

Yes, meal plans are designed around Indian cooking patterns. They include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack suggestions using commonly available Indian ingredients. Plans account for family cooking by suggesting dishes that can be shared, with portion adjustments for individual calorie and nutrient needs.

Yes. Your health information is stored securely and never shared with third parties. Our free tools work entirely in your browser — no data is sent to any server. For registered users with meal plans, your data is encrypted and used solely to personalize your diet recommendations.

No. NutraJeev tools are for informational and educational purposes only. They are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, especially if you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or are on medication.

Ayurvedic dietary recommendations on NutraJeev are based on classical texts and are provided as complementary wellness guidance. They should be used alongside — not instead of — modern medical advice. If you have a health condition, discuss any dietary changes with your healthcare provider, even if they are Ayurvedically recommended.