Nandita Iyer is a doctor, nutritionist, and the author of four books: This Handmade Life, Everyday Superfoods, The Everyday Healthy Vegetarian, and most recently The Great Indian Thali: Seasonal Vegetarian Wholesomeness. She is the author of the food blog Saffron Trail, and a columnist with Mint Lounge.
A vegetarian, Nandita is never afraid to experiment with the diversity of plant-based dishes in Indian cuisine. She loves to “mix and match,” pairing different ingredients together to come up with unusual but delicious combinations.
Nandita draws from her childhood in a South Indian vegetarian home, where local vegetables, greens, grains, lentils, fruits, nuts, and seeds were part of everyday home cooking. She grew up listening to her grandma, mom, and aunts say that food is a way to wellness, and their wisdom informs her approach to eating and cooking too.
Nandita studied medicine and worked in an intensive care unit for two years in India, then gravitated towards nutrition after moving to the United States. Eventually, she moved back to India, settling down with her family in Bengaluru to focus on writing, nutrition, kitchen gardening, and music. Besides being a bestselling cookbook author, Nandita is a trained singer in Hindustani classical music.
