Member Profile: Geetanjali Bhide
PINES members include many trailblazers from around the globe. Here, we introduce you to Dr. Geetanjali Bhide, who is reshaping the landscape of sports nutrition in India! Geetanjali is renowned in her homeland for her unwavering dedication and unmatched expertise in the field. While she exudes calm and composure, her impact on the Indian sports scene is nothing short of profound.
Geetanjali specializes in crafting personalized nutrition journeys for diverse needs, from tackling lifestyle diseases to fuelling the passion of fitness enthusiasts, athletes, and non-athletes. As a mom to a budding gymnast, she understands firsthand the challenges faced by families of athletes, adding a personal touch to her work.
Pioneering Sports Nutrition in India
When sports nutrition was barely a baby step in India, she embarked on her PhD journey, paving the way for its growth across the nation. Geetanjali’s PhD work on ‘Effect of antioxidant supplementation on sports performance of selected Indian athletes’, won her Young Scientist’s Award from the Nutrition Society of India. She has also won the JN Bose Memorial Award in Community Nutrition from the Indian Dietetic Association and the latest RND Sadhana Award at the National Institute of Nutrition for Best Sports Nutritionist 2024.
As the founder nutritionist at the Army Sports Institute, Pune, India, she played a pivotal role in creating the dietary regimens of the nation’s finest athletes. Geetanjali has worked tirelessly alongside experts in the field of sports medicine to establish nutrition protocols for athletes participating in the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and other national and international events.
Nurturing the Next Generation
Alongside her consultancy, she is also a prominent educator, guiding students in dietetics, nutrition, clinical, and sports nutrition at both graduate and postgraduate levels. At the heart of Geetanjali’s endeavours lies the Sports Specific Nutrition Management (SSNM) course, an educational initiative of the Association of Sports, Nutrition and Fitness Sciences (ASNFS). As a secretary of the Association and a course coordinator, she oversees this course to nurture the next generation of sports nutritionists. She is often invited as an expert in sports nutrition for several national and international events.
Lifelong Learner & Author
Despite her work commitments, Geetanjali remains a lifelong learner. She has continuously updated herself with the latest in nutrition by taking up certifications in nutrigenomics, ketogenic diets, functional lab report analysis and Ayurvedic dietetics.
Geetanjali’s contributions aren’t confined to the realm of academia and consultancy; she is also an accomplished author, with her book ‘Nutritional Guidelines for Sportspersons’, serving as a guiding light of wisdom for aspiring nutritionists and athletes alike. More than 1200+ copies of her books have sold to date.
More recently, Geetanjali has embarked on a new venture with the establishment of Dr. Geetanjali Bhide’s Nutrition and Research LLP (DGBNR LLP). Through DGBNR LLP, Geetanjali aims to further her mission of empowering athletes with the knowledge and resources they need to excel in the field of play.
Unwinding & Giving Back
In her downtime, Geetanjali unwinds as a fitness enthusiast, practicing yoga and dedicates her time to her other passions like volunteering as a translator to a school program, Vidya Vahini and engaging in Indian classical music practice.
What truly sets Geetanjali apart is her innate humility and quiet confidence. Despite her towering achievements, she remains grounded and approachable. Through her tireless efforts, she continues to pave the way for a brighter, healthier future for athletes and aspiring sports nutritionists across India.
You can reach her at geetanjali.kk@gmail.com and visit her website https://geetanjalibhide.com/
Written by PINES member Mridula Naik.
