Abirami S Sakthivel has a deep relationship with food. As a former weightlifter and now a mother, she has experienced firsthand the impact of diet on one’s overall health. And he is determined to share the tips he has learned about healthy eating through his Tiruchi-based cloud kitchen noms, which specializes in customized low-calorie diet menus and snacks.
“I was a weightlifter in college, so I had a basic understanding of fitness and diet from the start. But things changed after I graduated and I became busy trying to develop my career. When I miscarried six months after my wedding, my weight ballooned to 120 kilograms. That’s when I started researching my problematic relationship with food,” says Abirami.
In 2016, he began looking at the effects of low-calorie diets, and also how commercially prepared meals play fast and loose with nutrition.
“By switching to a low-calorie menu, which I prepared myself, I was able to bring my weight down to 87 kg. My husband Sakthivel soon joined me, as he felt the dishes were more delicious,” she says with a smile.
balanced diet
Low Carb Food by K Noms, Tiruchi. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
During her second pregnancy, she resumed eating ‘regular’ food, as her doctor advised her not to go on a ‘fancy diet’ for the sake of the unborn baby. “But my weight went back up again, because I was diagnosed with carbohydrate and gluten intolerance, which was causing water retention. I soon went back to a low-carb diet,” she recalls.
With no low-carb food suppliers in Tiruchi, Abirami decided to cook for herself, even though her medical condition was uncertain.
Later, the experience of running a low-fat dessert service helped him look deeper into the market for healthy food options locally. After much trial and error, and with financial support from the Prime Minister’s Micro Food Processing Enterprises Formalization (PMFME) Scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Abirami decided to set up Noms, a low calorie diet food cloud kitchen, in August 2023.
“It’s for people who want to eat nutritionally balanced meals. We buy our ingredients on the day of preparation, and close the orders by 7 pm, as we don’t believe in serving food late at night. After all, one has to practice what one preaches,” says Abirami.
Kitchen offers door delivery, although it is also available on food aggregator apps.
food for thought
The online menu is a curated section as per customer requirements. ‘Seoul Street’ offers Japanese dishes such as Japchae Stir Fried Glass Noodles. makguxu (noodle salad), kimchi fried rice, while ‘K Noms’ has options like grilled chicken salad and a variety of soups. Standard Indian food is also available. ‘Food2BFit’ focuses on low-carb recipes.
Grilled Chicken Platter by K Noms, Tiruchi. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A flexible meal subscription service helps those who want to eat healthy in the long term. “Cheese, tofu and chicken are on the menu now; we sometimes offer fish if the customer requests it,” says Abirami.
A professional chef, assistant and certified nutritionist make up the Kay Noms team, along with Abirami, who also cooks. Abirami’s husband helps her buy spices and other ingredients directly from the farms. Nutritional information about each dish is provided on the website to make it easier for calorie-conscious customers.
Abirami says, “Diet food doesn’t have to be boring. We expect to get the most out of any dining experience while spending the money. But I think we should focus on the quality rather than the quantity of what we’re getting.”
