‘Comfort zone is the biggest barrier’

Indian nutrition influencer Revant Himatsingka aka Food Pharmer left his lucrative job in the USA and returned to India with a mission to dissect food labels and expose the misleading claims of the food companies. Now the social media influencer has turned entrepreneur and has launched his clean-label food brand. Recently in Kolkata for Young Indians Kolkata organised by CII, he spoke about his school days in the City of Joy and what motivated him the most.

You left a high-paying career abroad to start Food Pharmer. What gave you the courage to take that risk, and what can students learn about choosing passion over comfort?

I was fighting for the right thing and I knew one day the world will have no option but to agree with me. Nothing is more important in life than health and our health is dependent on the food we eat. But there’s something majorly wrong going on in the food industry now. We have no idea what we’re eating. I would say whatever you’re passionate about, you can follow but then you should remember is you passion even worth following?

Looking back at your school life in Kolkata, what skill or mindset do you think is most important for students to succeed in any career?

I think pushing oneself outside the comfort zone is the most important thing. Most people are stuck in their own comfort zone. We eat the food we like, the movies we want to watch. In fact, we even make friends with similar mindset or income group. But we need to push ourselves out of our comfort zone… try different cuisine, make friends of different background and age. Only, then, we will understand our true potential.

Many youngsters think they need big resources to be entrepreneurs.

I mean I won’t lie… money helps of course. If you have money, you can’t run a campaign and inform others about your idea. Even when I started off, I wasn’t making money for the first six months. So, I had to rely on the savings I had from my earlier job. So, you have to make the most of the resources you have to push your idea become a reality.

India is among the world’s fastest-growing obese populations. What are the biggest mistakes Indians make in their daily eating habits?

We are eating too much carbs and fat and the result is showing. We don’t have enough protein. Also, most of us are living a very sedentary life. We need to exercise and cut down on the carbs to keep ourselves healthy. Also, watch before you eat.