Dubai: Menopause Coach, Sharon James, has launched Mindful Meals, a healthy meal plan service designed to help people transform their lifestyles through better nutrition. Backed by a 30-year career in the health and fitness industry, Sharon co-founded the business in partnership with Varsha Tharanath, a trained software architect who now owns Village Hangout Café in Jumeirah Village Circle, according to a media release.
After meeting at their community gym, Sharon and Varsha soon discovered a shared passion for nutrition and wellness. They spent several months brainstorming and planning before launching their personalised meal plans, which cater to men and women with a wide range of dietary needs and fitness objectives.
Unlike many brands, Mindful Meals’ main aim isn’t to retain customers indefinitely. It is on a mission to demonstrate the positive impact of simple, nutritious dishes and educate people about how to build better habits and make their own healthier food.
Sharon and Head Chef Danny Wijewardhana design the recipes, and Sharon assesses the nutritional aspects of every dish before it is prepared by their team of chefs. The emphasis is on quality from start to finish. Nothing is mass-produced, everything is made in house, using fresh ingredients chosen to benefit overall wellbeing – from the brain to the gut.
Co-founder Sharon James explains: “After decades working in the fitness industry and then menopause coaching, Mindful Meals was a natural next step. Many of my clients struggle with hormonal imbalances and gut health, especially during the menopause transition. Nutrition is a key pillar of menopause health, alongside stress management, exercise, and sleep. The majority of my clients were on other meal plans, so it made sense to integrate this service. Menopause, hormones, diet and fitness are not a one-size-fits-all issue, and neither should a meal plan be. We work with men and women, busy professionals, people looking for weight loss and those who just want an easier way to eat well. We also cater to athletes, adjusting macros throughout their training plans to ensure they are properly fuelled for training, competition, and recovery.”
Co-founder Varsha Tharanath adds: “Personalisation is a top priority for us and we are very proud of our commitment to tailoring our plans to achieve the right balance. This is why we deliberately keep our customer base small, ensuring we deliver the best options to meet each person’s individual nutritional needs. We want our clients to embrace a healthy lifestyle and plan to expand into educational workshops, building a community that participates in sporting events and more.”
The Mindful Meals plans are available on a daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or custom basis. The company also supports corporates with specific solutions for their staff, driven by the knowledge that diet impacts the entire body, especially the brain, helping to improve cognitive function, accelerate performance, and increase productivity throughout the day. The team also aligns nutritional meals with different themes for meetings to create a dynamic and engaging well-being experience in the office, promoting productivity and health.
