Holistic health: Renowned lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho’s journey to personal transformation

• Luke Coutinho’s remarkable journey from carefree teenager to holistic wellness expert showcases his unique approach to personalized health, focusing on comprehensive wellness, prevention, and integrative healing methods.

(May 2, 2023) As a corporate worker, Luke Coutinho observed senior professionals succumbing to lifestyle diseases, despite access to top healthcare resources. Recognising the need for a holistic approach, Coutinho developed his signature program, ‘You Care Wellness Program.’ Today, he has consulted and treated over 20,000 patients worldwide, authored four bestselling books, and regularly conducts workshops.

“If people are mindful and know what their bodies need, it will make living a healthy life more effortless.” Emphasising simplicity, he says, “The body is unique, so every day is different, and so are its needs,” Luke Coutinho tells Global Indian.

Among his accolades, Luke was named one of GQ’s 50 Most Influential Young Indians and Times Power Men in 2018. He also received Elle’s Best Health Expert of the Year and Vogue’s Best in the Industry (Nutritionist) in 2018. His clientele ranges from billionaires to A-listers across Bollywood, Tollywood, television, industrialists, royal families across the Middle East, elite athletes and spiritual leaders.

While some illnesses might not have a cure, Luke believes healing is always possible, even if it means accepting the condition and finding peace. He asserts that healing is spiritual, involving improvements in physical, emotional, and spiritual health. “It can include improving the quality of your life by empowering yourself with the right lifestyle, food, movement, and tools to enable emotional wellness and the spirit.”

Luke Coutinho

From Goa to the world

Born in Mumbai, Luke travelled extensively with his family, growing up around the world before his father decided to settle down in Goa. He has come a long way as well, from the carefree teen who liked to chill with friends, to hotel management to lifestyle coaching. “Goa was very different in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I had my fair share of parties and clubs as a youngster,” Luke recalls.

His interest in nutrition sparked during college days when he was part of Institute of Hotel Management and Applied Nutrition (IHM). After completing his three year course, he worked for several organisations across Mumbai, Qatar, Dubai, London and India and  tried his hand at different professions, ranging from operations, sales, hospitality to learning and development.

The program that changed it all

Luke respects all forms of healing, be it allopathy, naturopathy, homeopathy, ayurveda. “We are not against any form of medicine. Instead, we integrate the best forms of medicine that works for an individual, while we coach them on lifestyle,” he informs.

He says the You Care Wellness Program is a holistic, integrative medicine and lifestyle program that revolves around patient’s condition, medication, goals, the nutrition they need, integrated with movement, exercise guidance and sleep. “The program empowers you with the tools to build sound emotional health and wellness,” Luke explains.

Moreover, his program revolves around five pillars — deep and intelligent cellular nutrition, adequate movement and exercise, quality sleep, emotional detox and wellness, and the spirit. “These are the foundational platforms for prevention and recovery in integrative and lifestyle medicine. It respects your uniqueness and works with an understanding that no one shoe fits all.”

Every program and journey is personalised according to the person’s past or present lifestyle, health condition, symptoms, and root causes, says Luke, who is an adviser and the head of integrative lifestyle and nutrition at Pure Nutrition, which creates pure plant-based formulations and cold-pressed oils.

Luke says integrative and lifestyle medicine focuses on addressing the root cause of the problem and works to manage the side effects of medications and treatments that may cause secondary problems, issues, and discomfort. “While symptoms are being treated, root causes must be addressed, and rebuilding with a focus on future prevention is important,” he explains.

A team of highly skilled nutritionists, clinical dietitians, allopathic doctors, yoga therapists, life coaches, and certified emotional counselors are assigned according to the condition of the person. “All these experts come together to form an integrative team that will help you find a way on your journey to wellness and a healthier you,” says Luke, who has co-authored The Dry Fasting Miracle with The Green Sheikh.

Luke Coutinho

The hardships along the way

Luke has had his share of challenges along the journey. The toughest challenge, he says, has been changing the wrong attitude of people and working with them on this so they can actually recover. “Sometimes it only takes some correcting to improve health. The ego, pride and wrong attitudes can be so strong that it comes in the way of their healing and becomes an obstacle,” he informs, adding that another challenge he encountered was during the pandemic when he could not meet his patients.

In the line of integrative and lifestyle medicine, he believes in seeing his patients and closely observe their physical aspects that signify health. “I am a huge believer in energies, and physical presence of a doctor or nutritionist allows an exchange of energies which can benefit a patient,” says Luke, who is also the co-founder of GOQii, a digital healthcare platform that provides personalized coaching.

Holistic programs

He believes a wellness program needs to focus on the root-cause, instead of a symptomatic approach. “A program has to look at health from a holistic lens, and not just pushing diets and strict exercise regimes. It has to work on the basic fundamentals of nature and should focus on simplicity instead of complication, because the answer to most diseases in most cases is simple lifestyle corrections,” points out Luke, who also co-wrote the book The Magic Weight Loss Pill – Lifestyle with Anushka Shetty, which includes 62 proven lifestyle changes that help individuals achieve healthy weight loss.

He says complicated solutions might be required for some cases, but not all. “Most programs today may get good results, but they can only be carried out in a controlled environment. The moment an individual travels or moves out of their homes, the program becomes impossible to follow,” points out Luke. He believes it is necessary for any health program to be realistic, simple, individualistic, and driven with true care and passion by the experts.

Luke and his team work with root cause and create an inner and an outer environment for an individual so as to allow their body’s inner intelligence to kick in. “It would be through fasting, circadian rhythm, fixing nutritional deficiencies, creating relaxation in the mind, and so on.”

On mental health

With mental health issues plaguing people across the world, Luke says chronic stress is one of the major reasons for half of the cardiac problems and also cancer. “If your illness is caused by chronic stress, then no amount of medication is going to help unless you learn to manage your stress the right way,” he says.

Luke learns the most about life from his interactions with terminally- ill patients. “I have learnt that time and life are finite, so don’t waste both. Instead build and make memories. Be ambitious in your career but don’t become a slave to your career or to money,” he says.

His piece of advice? “Focus on family, relationships, love, emotions and experiences. Look after your health and enjoy your life. Find a way to give back to society to feel fulfilled in life.”

Luke Coutinho

Luke the speaker

The award winning holistic nutritionist travels the world conducting and speaking at events on holistic wellness, nutrition, disease and emotional wellness. He doesn’t believe in preaching instead wants to empower people to use their own mind, common sense, biofeedback and intuition to make decisions for themselves.

Being an expert, he says he can coach people on the guidelines to conform to, but cannot make specific decisions for their health. However, he does emphasise on the three most important fundamentals to success in all areas of life – Discipline, Consistency, Simplicity.

Future plans

Luke says his past, current and future plan has always been to give 100 percent to every patient who comes to him. “My goal is my next patient. That is what built us so far, and I want to continue giving my all to the vision my team and I have.”

Learning something new everyday

Luke prioritises personal growth by dedicating at least an hour every day to learning something new through reading and research. “Writing is also a way for me to express myself and reflect on my thoughts. I immensely connect through music, and I find myself listening to my favorite artists and playlists during my downtime, in-between consults, and after work,” says Luke. Since he is constantly on the go, he watches movies during his travels.

“I make it a point to soak in some sunshine while practicing meditation and pranayama,” smiles Luke, who tries to fit in a workout during the day. “Once work is done, I head back home, where I may have a few more consults before winding down for the day,” says the nutritionist, for whom evenings are dedicated to dinner, some reading, journaling, and prayers. “I always end the day with a sense of gratitude.”

Key takeaways: 

1. Embrace a holistic approach: Focus on nutrition, movement, sleep, emotional detox, and spirituality for overall wellness.
2. Personalize your wellness plan: Recognize that everyone’s needs are unique and tailor your health journey accordingly.
3. Listen to your body: Pay attention to your body’s signals and adapt your wellness plan to its changing needs and requirements.
4. Address root causes: Identify and target underlying issues to prevent health problems rather than merely treating symptoms.
5. Combine healing methods: Utilize integrative techniques, such as allopathy, naturopathy, and ayurveda, to create a well-rounded wellness strategy.

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