From the heritage lanes of Fontainhas in Panaji to advanced research spaces in Melbourne, Luana Mascarenhas has built a career grounded in both culture and science. Raised in Goa, her early curiosity for food, cuisines, and health naturally evolved into a professional path in nutrition, one that blends research, clinical practice, and community education.
Academic Foundation and Professional Credentials
Luana is an Accredited Practising Dietitian with Dietitians Australia and a full member of the Indian Dietetics Association (Mumbai Chapter). She is also a doctoral researcher at Deakin University, Australia, pursuing her PhD on a full scholarship. Her academic journey began with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from St. Xavier’s College, Goa, followed by a Master’s degree in Food, Nutrition and Dietetics from Nirmala Niketan, University of Mumbai. Together, these qualifications shaped a strong base in clinical nutrition and human physiology.
A Career Built Across Leading Institutions
With over 11 years of experience, Luana has worked across reputed organisations in Goa and India, including QUA Nutrition Clinics by Ryan Fernando, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai, and Goa Medical College, where she served as In-patient Dining Manager and Lead Dietitian with Sodexo. These experiences refined both her clinical skillset and leadership capabilities, eventually giving her the confidence to establish her own practice.
Why CalRaid Nutrition Clinic Was Founded
CalRaid Nutrition Clinic was founded in 2019 from what Luana describes as a need for service-driven, evidence-based nutrition care in Goa. She observed that while advice was widely available, structured nutrition support that respected Goan cultural beliefs, food practices, and long-term lifestyle realities was limited. Clients often needed sustained guidance focused on education, behavior change, and realistic goal-setting, rather than quick-fix solutions.
From Local Practice to Global Consultancy
Since its inception, CalRaid has grown from a Goa-based clinic into a globally accessible nutrition consultancy. Today, the clinic supports individuals across countries, working with a broad range of health conditions, lifestyles, and performance goals. Despite the growth, the clinic’s foundation has stayed consistent: ethical, client-centred care backed by scientific evidence.
Deakin University and the Research Mindset
Luana’s doctoral journey at Deakin University has strengthened her approach to evidence-based practice. Working in an academic environment known for sports science excellence, she has developed deeper skills in critical thinking, data interpretation, and clinical trial execution. Being part of nutritional intervention studies, from ethics and administration to implementation and analysis, has helped her build research expertise that remains directly applicable to real-world practice.
Doctoral Research Focus: Protein, Sleep, and Performance
Her PhD research explores whey-based protein and amino acid interventions and their role in improving physiological and sleep-related outcomes in healthy, active individuals. With increasing attention on sleep optimisation and the growing prevalence of sleep insufficiency among young adults, her work aims to strengthen evidence-based recommendations around supplementation, especially its potential impact on sleep, mood, and cognition.
Translating Science into Everyday Nutrition Support
One of Luana’s defining strengths is her ability to bridge academic research with clinical nutrition. In her practice, evidence-based nutrition means combining scientific rationale with personalization, adapting plans to a client’s preferences, culture, lifestyle, and lived experience. Rather than prescribing rigid routines, she views nutrition as a two-way conversation, where practical feasibility matters as much as biochemistry.
A Special Focus on Sports Nutrition
While CalRaid supports a wide range of clients, metabolic health management, lifestyle change, and active populations, Luana’s special interest lies in sports nutrition. She is widely regarded as the first sports dietitian in Goa and has supported over 100 athletes, including ISL footballers, IPL cricketers, swimmers, marathon runners, triathletes, and endurance and strength athletes. This exposure has strengthened her ability to create adaptable strategies that match both performance demands and recovery needs.
Long-Term Behavior Change as the Core Philosophy
CalRaid’s approach prioritizes sustainability over short-term results. The clinic emphasizes education-led changes, holistic health evaluation, symptom tracking, and lifestyle analysis to build programs that last. Luana’s expertise in nutritional supplementation further supports clients when supplementation is clinically appropriate and aligned with evidence-based outcomes.
Cutting Through Misinformation with Education
In a landscape shaped by fad diets, marketing claims, and social media “experts,” Luana focuses on empowering clients with nutrition literacy. Consultations include education on how to evaluate evidence and identify credible sources. She also extends this mission online through her professional Instagram page, where she shares myth-busters, interactive quizzes, and educational series such as Foods of Goa and simplified interpretations of dietary guidelines based on ICMR recommendations. Her community of followers, known as the #CalRaidArmy, reflects the impact of this consistent, integrity-driven outreach.
Trust Built on Ethics and Scientific Integrity
Luana places strong importance on ethical practice, viewing dietetics as a profession rooted in accountability. For her, integrity is non-negotiable because nutrition work involves real lives and long-term health outcomes. This principle shapes both her clinical work and her public communication, positioning CalRaid as a credible voice in a space often crowded with misleading advice.
What Success Looks Like at CalRaid
For Luana, the most rewarding part of building CalRaid into a global practice has been seeing clients improve whether it’s athletes winning accolades or individuals achieving healthier blood reports and clinical symptoms management or clients simple regaining energy and confidence. She credits CalRaid’s growth across borders not to advertising, but to trust and word-of-mouth built through measurable outcomes.
The Future of Nutrition: Technology, AI, and Stronger Care Models
Luana believes nutrition science is evolving rapidly, driven by the rise of AI, clinical advancements, improved medical nutrition therapy, and online consultation models accelerated by COVID-19. With people becoming more health-focused, she sees an opportunity and responsibility for dietitians to play a stronger role in shaping public understanding and healthcare outcomes.
A Long-Term Vision That Stays Connected to Goa
Luana’s vision is twofold: to grow as an academic and sports dietitian while training future clinicians to think critically and counsel effectively, and to expand CalRaid as a trusted global clinic across Australia and India. At the same time, she remains committed to giving back to Goa, building CalRaid into a lifestyle, clinical, and sports nutrition brand that Goans worldwide can rely on for authentic, evidence-based, personalized care.
