Rujuta Diwekar Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Nickname	Rujju [1]Rediff
Profession(s)	Sports Science and Nutrition Expert, Author, Health and Wellness Speaker
Famous For	Being Kareena Kapoor Khan's nutritionist
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 161 cm in meters- 1.61 m in feet & inches- 5’ 3”
Eye Colour	Brown
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Publications	• 2020: Eating in the Age of Dieting • 2020: The 12-Week Fitness Project • 2018: Notes for Healthy Kids • 2017: Pregnancy Notes: Before, During & After • 2016: Indian Superfoods • 2016: The PCOD - Thyroid Book • 2014: Don't Lose Out, Work Out! • 2011: Women and The Weight Loss Tamasha • 2009: Don't Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• 2010: Winner of 'Nutrition award' by Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad • 2010: Featured amongst the only 3 Indians in the CNN Asia-Hotlist: 'People to watch out for' • 2012: Voted as the '50 most powerful people in India' by People magazine • 2013: Awarded 'Mukta Sanman' from IBN-Lokmat • 2013: Awarded 'Mata Sanman Youth achiever award' by Maharashtra Times • 2016: Nominated among top six for the coveted India’s Most Promising Face in Diet and Nutrition at Satya Brahma-founded annual healthcare meet, the 9th Annual Pharmaceutical Leadership Summit and Pharma Leaders Business Leadership Awards • Special guest speaker for the Embassy of India events in China, Singapore, and Nepal • Invited by the Government of India to conduct workshops at IAS, CAG, Judicial, and police academies • Invited by the Indian Embassy to conduct workshops in China and Nepal • Listed in 'Under 35 achievers of India' and the 'Change makers of Mumbai' by India Today magazine
Personal Life
Date of Birth	5 October 1973 (Friday)
Age (as of 2021)	48 Years
Birthplace	Mumbai
Zodiac sign	Libra
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Mumbai
College/University	• University of Potsdam, Germany • Australian Institute of Sports, Canberra • Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Academy, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand • S.N.D.T. College, Mumbai • Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai
Educational Qualification(s) [2]Rujuta Diwekar official website [3]Mint	• 2015: Future of foods, University of Potsdam, Germany • 2010: Sports dietitians course, Australian Institute of Sports, Canberra • Sadhana Intensive and Teacher training courses, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Academy, Uttarkashi • 1999: P.G in Sports science and Nutrition, S.N.D.T. College, Mumbai • 1995: B.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry from Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai
Food Habit	Vegetarian [4]Deccan Herald
Hobbies	Yoga, Trekking, and Bharatanatyam
Controversies	• Rujuta's recommendation on eating mangoes for diabetics faced criticism: On 30 April 2018, Diwekar tweeted that mangoes are safe to eat by diabetics and explained the same in her viral video. The advice angered the medical professionals, and many criticized the Indian nutritionist. Her followers defended her claims, and Rujuta also clarified that her statements were based on available research. [5]The Print [6]Mumbai Live • Trolled for tweeting "tea with milk, sugar rare thing": In May 2018, the celebrity nutritionist's take on the way people consume tea in the country didn't go down well with Indians, and Rujuta was extensively trolled on social media. [7]The Indian Express • Slammed for tweeting "making chutney liberates women": In July 2020, Rujuta was strongly criticised by the twitterati for her controversial tweet that associated women liberation with making chutney. People slammed her remark as "demeaning and insulting for women;" however, some of her followers supported her and tried to justify the tweet. [8]Outlook India
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	2012
Family
Husband/Spouse	Gaurav Punj (Owner of Connect with Himalaya, engineer, and author)
Parents	Father- V. P. Diwekar (Engineer, runs an engineering ccompany that manufactures machineries for cosmetic and coating industries) Mother- Rekha Diwekar (Retired Chemistry professor at Sathaye College, Mumbai, author, and oversees farming at Sonave)
Siblings	Brother- None Sister- Ankita Diwekar Kabra (Co-founder, Fountainhead School and Fountainhead Preschool)
Favourites
Food	Traditional Maharashtrian food
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)	Rs. 1-1.4 crore a year [9]Mint

Some Lesser Known Facts About Rujuta Diwekar

• Rujuta Diwekar is an Indian nutritionist, sports science expert, author, and speaker on health and wellness.

• Diwekar is amongst the world’s most-followed nutritionists. She lives by the mantras – “Eat local, think global,” “Choose local, not low cal,” and “What is good for their bottom-line is not good for your waistline.” ^[10]Rediff

• She is often seen giving the advice: ^[11]The Associated Press
  

  Cook Indian food the way our grandmother cooked them.”

• India’s leading weight-loss guru’s clientele is spread across 50 countries. In more than 20 years of her career, Rujuta has worked with some famous clients including famous personalities like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor, Anupam Kher, and Anil Ambani.
  

  Rujuta Diwekar with her clients Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan

• Rujuta was born in an upper-caste and typical middle-class Maharashtrian family. Her entire family practised yoga as a way of life that hugely influenced her. She eventually decided to further her understanding of the subject and studied Yoga and Vedanta, along with Ayurved, from Sivananda Yog Vedanta Forest Academy. ^[12]Rujuta Diwekar official website
  

  Rujuta Diwekar practising yoga

• Diwekar started initially as an aerobics warm-up instructor while she was studying in college. Her experience prompted her to do a post-graduation degree in Sports Science and Nutrition in 1999 from S.N.D.T. Juhu, Mumbai. ^[13]Uppercrust India

• After her post-graduation, Rujuta set up her own gym named “Urja.” She had to take a loan of Rs. 5 lakhs to set it up, which took 45 days to sanction.  ^[14]India Today ^[15]Sheroes

• Rujuta’s work with celebrity clients began in 2000 with actor Varun Dhawan’s mother, Lally Dhawan. Diwekar took up the job of Dhawan’s fitness instructor after she had just completed her diploma in sports nutrition and training. ^[16]Rediff

• Diwekar first came into the limelight in 2004 when she trained Anil Ambani to run the Tata Mumbai Marathon by helping the Indian tycoon lose one-third of his body weight.

• In 2005, Rujuta started “Run With Rujuta,” India’s first marathon training program.

• In April 2008, Diwekar rose to fame for helping Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan achieve a “size zero” body for her movie Tashan.

• The celebrity nutritionist is an author of 9 books that have sold around 1.5 million copies and made her a best-selling author. Diwekar’s debut book, “Don’t Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight,” published in 2009 by Random House Books, still remains India’s top-selling book in the “fitness and diet” section as of 2021, while the second best-selling diet book in the list for the last 10 years also belongs to Rujuta. ^[17]Al Jazeera
  

  Rujuta Diwekar with the Kapoor sisters, Kareena and Karisma, at the launch of her second book

• The sports science expert spends two months every year in the Himalayas or the US. ^[18]India Today

• Rujuta got married to Gaurav Punj in 2012 in an impromptu simple wedding ceremony in Manali when the two had gone on trekking from Kashmir to Manali. Their nuptials took place at a local seventh-century Krishna temple in the presence of only 15 guests. In an interview, Rujuta talked about her marriage. She said, ^[19]Hindustan Times
  

  I had already decided not to pay any more than Rs 25,000 on our wedding. The priest, who organised the ceremony, chai, lunch and sweet dish, did it for Rs 5,000. I was stumped. We closed the deal, went down to the German Bakery, I had a cup of cappuccino and GP called our parents, sisters and close friends.”

  

  Rujuta Diwekar and Gaurav Punj after their improptu wedding in Manali

• Rujuta has also worked to make Mumbai cops fit. Reportedly, in October 2016, the nutritionist made police personnel at eight police stations in Mumbai fill out forms, describing their daily activities Diwekar’s team then gave the officers a simple tip every day at their morning parades. Rujuta’s tips for the Mumbai police have been collected into a Marathi booklet, which was launched by the Mumbai Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar on 8 March 2017. ^[20]News18 She said,
  

  It is not that they don’t want to bring changes in fitness and health. They just don’t have the right information.”

• In January 2018, Diwekar experimented with a free 12-week online fitness project. Within five hours, 75,000 people signed up from across 40 countries, and Rujuta started giving a health guideline every week to 1.25 lakh people. ^[21]The New Indian Express Indulge^[22]Al Jazeera
  

  Rujuta Diwekar announcing her fitness project in 2018 on Instagram

• Rujuta works with an all-women team of 5 in a small office in Mumbai’s Khar, where she moved from Andheri a few years ago.
  

  Rujuta Diwekar with her all-women team of 5

• The celebrity nutritionist boasts a total of 3.6 million followers across her four social media handles. ^[23]Al Jazeera

• Her services are quite expensive. For a 12-month programme, Rujuta charges $20,000 with a two-month wait to get in.

• Diwekar has declared publicly that she does not and will never endorse any product or brand. She claimed that she was offered more than 700 brand endorsement requests during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nutritionist; however, said she wanted to keep her brand, “Rujuta Diwekar,” simple, small, and personal. ^[24]Al Jazeera In an interview, Rujuta said regarding this,
  

  Food is a very, very intimate thing … you are building a relationship for a lifetime. I’m very ambitious. I want my clients’ grandchildren to inherit the diets they are on.”

• In 2021, the nutritionist revealed on Twitter that she was approached by a media agency offering to give her an award for being an inspiring woman, and in return asked her to fill a form and to pay Rs. 2.5 lakhs. Her claims shocked many people on Twitter, while some of them agreed that they have had the same experience. ^[25]Instagram – Rujuta Diwekar ^[26]OpIndia