In 2018, Andhra’s Sri Harsha came to Mumbai for higher studies. During his second year at the MGM Institute of Health Sciences, he was diagnosed with dengue.
“The doctor said I could not consume solids or semi-solids, and I should rely only on liquids like papaya leaf and kiwi juice,” he says.
Being hospitalised for five days on his own, he could not manage to source such a health-conscious and specific diet.
Living on his own, Harsha searched online meal delivery platforms that cater healthy food to patients, but he did not find any such services.
“I realised that many patients suffer from various conditions, but the market lacks meals tailored to specific diseases like chronic illnesses, diabetes, cancer, obesity, hypertension, thyroid, PCOS, liver disease, and renal issues,” he adds.
So in 2022, the now 23-year-old, along with Sharath Chandra and Nirali Parikh, co-founded ‘Hypothalamus’ to offer disease-specific diet meals and general wellness meals to people.
So far, he has collaborated with six hospitals — including Shantinekan, Lifecare, and Lilavati. In these hospitals, doctors refer patients to the startup for personalised meal plans.
After detailed nutritional counselling, the startup’s clinical dieticians prepare customised diet charts based on the patient’s medical conditions, symptoms, and recovery period.
The meal package comprises food items like tofu bottle gourd millet dosa, sesame green gram khichdi, bottle gourd brown rice dosa, cardamom milk, quinoa, poha, cinnamon juice, drumstick curry, kodo millet spinach rice, etc.
Delivered thrice a day, the six-meal package — including breakfast, mid-meal, lunch, snacks, dinner, and a bedside meal — is currently priced at around Rs 600 a day.