Sumit Nanda, Founder, and Director, EGA Wellness states that the birth of EGA Wellness took place because of his own sufferings. Today, he sees himself as a fitter and healthier individual and his brand aims at the same with a motive to reduce drug dependence in the world for lifestyle diseases and instead make preventive care commonplace, powered by Ayurveda. He adds, “Through EGA Wellness we want to bring awareness to more and more people, we want people to know that diseases can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle, diet, and by treating food as medicine. We want to help people listen closely to their bodies, depend on lesser on medication that suppresses symptoms and instead adopt natural treatments that cure the root cause of diseases.” Excerpts from a conversation with Sumit:
How did the idea of EGA Wellness happen to you?
EGA Wellness is born out of my personal transformation experience of my own health. I grew up with a sensitive throat and had chronic ENT problems during my teenage years. I got my tonsils operated on at the age of 25; however, that did not solve my problem as I would keep falling sick; it became more chronic, and I was continuously prescribed anti-allergy medicines and antibiotics as doctors had no other cure. Then, I tried to follow a very healthy lifestyle; I exercised regularly and ate “healthy”. By the age of 35, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Every time I was sick, I would go to a doctor; he would add more medicines. In 2011, I met Dr. Ratheesh, an Ayurvedic doctor for the first time. He checked my pulse and told me that my metabolism and internal biological age was that of a 65-year-old. He said not to worry as it was possible to reverse the biological age through cleansing the internal digestive organs with changes in my diet and lifestyle. When we started this company, I told him that the most significant aspect for me was the idea of metabolic age reversal. We began thinking of a brand that could signify the concept of age reversal and jointly came up with it as it could denote what we do. Hence, EGA stands for ‘AGE’ in reverse.
Your journey has helped you find your own ways. How has been your journey as an entrepreneur to date?
The response has been more than overwhelming, and that is very encouraging. It has given us a lot of confidence on what we are doing. We have our loyal customers tell us how their energy levels have changed, and they don’t fall sick as often after following the recommended diet and lifestyle or natural Ayurveda supplements regularly. While my journey as an entrepreneur started really early in life, the move into health and wellness born out of my own experiences has been truly special with significant milestones.
Tell us about the philosophy of EGA Wellness.
We are on a mission to reduce drug dependence in the world for lifestyle diseases and instead make preventive care commonplace, powered by Ayurveda. Through EGA Wellness we want to bring awareness to more and more people, we want people to know that diseases can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle, diet, and by treating food as medicine. We want to help people listen closely to their bodies, depend lesser on medication that suppresses symptoms, and instead adopt natural treatments that cure the root cause of diseases.
EGA Wellness fosters food as medicine. Explain.
Ayurveda talks of a natural balance of the five elements that comprise our body. If we can maintain the balance, maintain good digestive fire and eliminate toxic metabolic waste from the body regularly, we can lead a disease-free life. Food -what, when, and how we eat – plays a crucial role in this balance. Food as medicine begins with knowing our own unique individual body type and following a daily diet that supports it. Follow this with eating fresh, organic, close to the source, seasonal fruits, and vegetables rather than processed and preserved foods. There are many other aspects of food as medicine, including food combination that brings out the best nutrient value, we follow these principles in our juice cleanse packages as an example. If we eat a healthy diet as per Ayurveda body type, use nature and its products made with the wisdom of Ayurveda we never need to see any hospital.
Over a period of time, Ayurveda has found its lost identity. Your comment.
There has never been a better time for Ayurveda, than now. Not just India, but the world is awakening to health &wellness that is in balance with nature in every way, whether it is veganism, eating close to the source, transparent ingredients, or the manner in which the world has adopted yoga. I would say, Ayurveda did not lose its identity at all, it has in fact been re-found now by millions. As against modern medicine that adopts clinic trials on sample sets, Ayurveda is a time-tested ancient science built on reverse pharmacology spanning millenniums. It is a matter of time the world adopts Ayurveda, the way it has yoga.
Share a glimpse of the product range of EGA Wellness.
We have created an extensive range of products that help reset gut &other vital health; like our Colon Cleanser, Nano Turmeric, Immunity Tea, Oil Pulling, customized Juice Cleanse packages, daily natural Power Shots, Organic foods products like A2 Ghee, beauty products and more. While we have this extensive range, we encourage taking the consultation with our in-house Ayurveda doctors who can recommend customized diet programs lifestyle changes for a holistic approach to a disease-free life.
When it comes to wellness and Ayurveda, many myths are buzzing around the internet. How do you see the internet as a tool to create awareness about wellness?
Digital media and healthcare are a powerful combination. Digital networks have become a significant health and information resource. However, they can also become a source of disinformation.
Raising awareness can be as simple as reminding followers/readers about common sense health practices, or addressing common healthy living concerns. In the digital age, social media and content platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter are important platforms for engaging and educating an audience.
Social media is a crucial way of ensuring the public is aware of the latest issues, guidelines, and advisories when it comes to wellness. One way to get the information out there is to share information directly in your social posts, and we have seen this done effectively during the recent pandemic.
A lot more digital integration is something that even we are looking at EGA Wellness, considering digital is the future and that is where our consumers are. A lot of focus is being given to creating authentic content with in-house doctors as well as industry Ayurveda experts. Live sessions with practicing nutritionists, dieticians and social media campaigns help us create awareness on Ayurveda, its tenets, and our brand.
EGA Wellness is one of the fastest-growing Ayurvedic brands based in Southeast Asia. What are your plans for the brand?
We want to grow our direct-to-consumer business by expanding into new markets, new business models, and new products. In Singapore, we started as brick-and-mortar stores and then built our online business. In India, this is the best time to grow a tech-based D2Cwellness brand. Companies are reaching out to consumers through every possible digital touchpoint. The tide of consumers moving online to shop is undeniable and we will grow our D2C business with a focus to expand our online channel. Our consumers are looking for safety and convenience during this pandemic. We already have a core team of in-house Ayurveda doctors who enabled by technology are available anytime for online consultations with our consumers. We are also building online content for education and awareness, created by Ayurveda experts. Collaborations and partnerships with dieticians, nutritionists, and people of influence in the health and wellness space are something we are focusing on as we scale up.
The post The Age of EGA Wellness appeared first on TMM.