About AyurCulinary
AyurCulinary is an Ayurvedic nutrition and culinary methodology developed by Dr. Poornima Sreelal Mukkanniyil and operated by Dronagiri Ayurveda Solutions Private Limited. Dronagiri Ayurveda Culinary School is the advisory, course, and professional-training division of Dronagiri Ayurveda Solutions Private Limited through which AyurCulinary courses and professional service are delivered.
AyurCulinary is operated by Dronagiri Ayurveda Solutions Private Limited, based in Kozhikode, Kerala, India. Dronagiri Ayurveda Culinary School serves as the official Advisory Division of the organization, delivering educational courses, professional training, individualized nutrition consultations, and institutional advisory services.
What Is AyurCulinary?
AyurCulinary is a principles-based approach to understanding food, health, and culinary practice. Rather than promoting a universal, one-size-fits-all diet, the methodology teaches how food choices can be considered dynamically according to the individual, digestive capacity, constitution, season, lifestyle, and cultural background.
A central pillar of the approach is understanding the properties and actions of food through core Ayurvedic concepts:
Rasa — Taste
Guna — Qualities
Virya — Potency
Vipaka — Post-digestive effect
Prabhava — Specific action
Agni — Digestive capacity
Prakriti — Individual constitution
Vikriti — Current state or imbalance
Ritucharya — Seasonal dietary and lifestyle principles
Ahara — Food and dietary practices
The objective is to empower learners and professionals to understand the why behind food selection and preparation rather than simply memorizing rigid dietary rules.
The AyurCulinary Methodology
Our framework connects traditional knowledge with practical kitchen and clinical application by evaluating four core dimensions:
The Individual: Prakriti, Vikriti, digestive capacity, age, lifestyle, occupation, and health goals.
The Food: Rasa, Guna, Virya, Vipaka, Prabhava, and nutritional characteristics.
The Preparation: Cooking methods, processing, food combinations, quantity, and timing.
The Environment: Seasons, climate, geographical setting, and cultural food traditions.
Who Developed AyurCulinary?
The methodology was created by Dr. Poornima Sreelal Mukkanniyil, an Ayurvedic physician, clinical nutritionist, educator, and author with over 18 years of experience in Ayurvedic dietetics and therapeutic nutrition.
Education: BAMS from V.P.S.V. Ayurveda College, Kottakkal; MSc in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics from Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram.
Professional Background: Extensive experience in clinical dietetics, wellness hospitality, and education, having worked with esteemed institutions including Nattika Ayurveda Beach Resort, Kalari Rasayana Ayurveda Hospital, and Ananda in the Himalayas. She has also served as Adjunct Faculty at the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, teaching Ayurveda Culinary Nutrition.
Our Ecosystem
Dronagiri Ayurveda Solutions Private Limited: The parent organization based in Kerala, driving initiatives in Ayurvedic education, nutrition, consultations, and professional training.
Dronagiri Ayurveda Culinary School: The official Advisory Division offering certified courses, professional training programs, and clinical consultations.
AyuLyfe: An AI-powered personalized Ayurveda platform co-founded by Dr. Poornima, bridging traditional assessment with modern digital technology.
Who We Serve
Our online educational programs and consultation services are designed for a global audience, including:
Ayurveda practitioners and healthcare professionals
Clinical nutritionists and health coaches
Chefs, culinary professionals, and wellness consultants
Hospitality and wellness organizations seeking kitchen-training or menu-advisory services
Individuals seeking personalized Ayurvedic dietary and lifestyle guidance
Our Vision & Mission
Vision: To empower healthier lives through personalized Ayurvedic nutrition, lifestyle, culinary knowledge, and holistic wellness across every stage of life.
Mission: To make authentic Ayurvedic food and nutrition knowledge practical, understandable, and relevant to contemporary life through education, professional training, personalized guidance, culinary practice, and responsible innovation.
Our Core Values
Authenticity: Rooted firmly in the principles and knowledge tradition of Ayurveda.
Personalization: Tailoring recommendations to the unique constitution and circumstances of the individual.
Practical Application: Translating classical theory into everyday food, nutrition, and kitchen solutions.
Evidence-Informed Learning: Encouraging dialogue between classical Ayurveda and contemporary nutritional science.
Cultural Adaptability: Respecting diverse geographical food traditions, local ingredients, and modern lifestyles.
Responsible Practice: Advocating safe, ethical communication and prioritizing professional medical care when required.
Meet the Team
Sreelal Sankar Andathodath
Co-founder
Poornima Sreelal Mukkanniyil
Director
Dr. Poornima Sreelal Mukkanniyil
Dr. Poornima Mukkanniyil, BAMS, MSc (Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics)
Dr. Poornima Mukkanniyil is an Ayurvedic physician, clinical nutritionist, educator, and author with over 18 years of experience in Ayurvedic dietetics and therapeutic nutrition. Originally from North Kerala, she completed her Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from V.P.S.V. Ayurveda College, Kottakkal in 2007 and later earned a Master's degree in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics from the Centre for Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition (CDC), Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram.
She began her professional career as a Clinical Dietitian at Nattika Ayurveda Beach Resort, where she gained extensive experience in integrating traditional Ayurvedic dietary principles with modern nutritional science. She later served as the Manager of Clinical Dietetics and Food Production at Kalari Rasayana Ayurveda Hospital, where she developed and supervised therapeutic diets and medicated culinary preparations for patients with a wide range of chronic health conditions.
Dr. Poornima specializes in translating classical Ayurvedic dietary wisdom into practical, evidence-informed nutrition plans that can be followed in everyday life. Her recommendations are personalized according to an individual's Prakriti (constitution), Vikriti (imbalance), Agni (digestive capacity), ethnicity, cultural food habits, lifestyle, occupation, and health goals, making Ayurveda accessible to people across different countries and cultures.
She has served as an Adjunct Faculty at the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, where she taught Ayurveda Culinary Nutrition to hospitality students. She has also worked as an Ayurvedic Diet Consultant for Ananda in the Himalayas, one of the world's leading luxury wellness retreats.
Dr. Poornima is the Founder and Director of Dronagiri Ayurveda Solutions Private Limited and the Founder of Dronagiri Ayurveda Culinary School, an international platform dedicated to teaching Ayurvedic nutrition and culinary science to healthcare professionals, chefs, wellness practitioners, and the public.
She is also the Co-founder ofAyulyfe, an AI-powered personalized Ayurveda platform that combines classical Ayurvedic assessment with modern technology to provide individualized diet and lifestyle recommendations. She s a member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA), a non-profit professional organization founded that represents and promotes the practice of Ayurveda in the United States.
As an author, Dr. Poornima has written short practical books The Wellness RootsandCustomize Your Diet, both of which focus on making Ayurvedic nutrition practical, personalized, and scientifically relevant for modern lifestyles.
Through her clinical practice, educational programs, research, and publications, Dr. Poornima continues to bridge the gap between traditional Ayurvedic wisdom and contemporary nutritional science, helping individuals and healthcare professionals apply Ayurveda in a practical, sustainable, and evidence-informed manner.
Dr. Sreelal Sankar Andathodath
Dr. Sreelal Sankar, BAMS, PG Diploma in Bioinformatics
Dr. Sreelal Sankar is an experienced Ayurvedic physician, educator, and researcher who comes from a family of traditional Ayurveda practitioners in North Kerala. He completed his Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from V.P.S.V. Ayurveda College, Kottakkal in 2000 and later earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Bioinformatics from the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), Bengaluru.
Over the past two decades, Dr. Sankar has dedicated his career to integrating classical Ayurvedic wisdom with modern healthcare systems. He has presented lectures and conducted Ayurvedic workshops at numerous national and international forums, promoting authentic Ayurveda to healthcare professionals and the wider public.
Throughout his career, he has held key positions at several renowned Ayurvedic institutions, including Kalari Kovilakom Ayurveda Hospital, Somatheeram Ayurveda Research Institute, The Nattika Beach Ayurveda Resort, and Kalari Rasayana Ayurveda Hospital. In these roles, he played a significant part in introducing traditional Ayurvedic clinical practices into wellness resorts, developing standardized operating procedures, and contributing to the establishment of NABH-accredited quality systems.
At Kalari Rasayana Ayurveda Hospital, Dr. Sankar led a clinical research project evaluating changes in selected blood parameters before and after Panchakarma therapies, contributing to evidence-based documentation of Ayurvedic treatments.
Dr. Sankar currently serves as the Head of the Ayurveda Department at Ananda in the Himalayas, where he is involved in integrating classical Ayurvedic principles with contemporary wellness practices to provide personalized and holistic healthcare.
He was also a Co-founder of Dronagiri Ayurveda Solutions Pvt. Ltd., where he contributed to the company's vision of delivering high-quality Ayurvedic education, consulting, and innovative healthcare solutions. Due to his current professional commitments, he is no longer an active partner in the organization.
He is a menber of Quality Council of India (QCI) and is a member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA), a non-profit professional organization that represents and promotes the practice of Ayurveda in the United States.
Dr. Sankar has a strong interest in applying information technology and artificial intelligence to Ayurveda. His work focuses on developing digital tools and technology-driven solutions that make personalized Ayurvedic healthcare more accessible while preserving the authenticity of classical Ayurvedic knowledge.
