From White Rice to Ghee: What’s Hurting Your Health

In this episode, I speak with Dr. B. Sesikeran former Director of National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), about why modern Indian diets are making us unhealthy. We break down low-protein diets, carb-heavy plates, low fiber intake, anemia, vitamin deficiencies, and the myths around millets, milk, ghee, and ‘healthy’ packaged foods. Dr. B. Sesikeran also shares how refined foods, poor food choices, and low physical activity are silently driving diabetes and other lifestyle diseases in India. We also touch upon how everyday staples like the atta we use, fit into our diets, and what actually makes a meal balanced or harmful. Most importantly, he explains simple, practical food choices that can genuinely improve your health without overcomplicating your plate. This conversation will completely change the way you look at your daily meals. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 1:44 - India's Protein Crisis: Real Numbers, Milk Gap & Why Most Indians Are Deficient 5:18 - Soy: India's Most Underused Complete Protein, the Isoflavone Myth & Gut Bacteria Science 11:59 - Combining Plant Proteins & Tofu vs. Paneer: Getting Complete Amino Acids Without Meat 17:09 - A1 vs. A2 Milk, Fermented Dairy & Why Indian Milk Has Never Been a Problem 20:44 - Ghee: What Science Actually Says About Safe Quantities & When It Becomes Harmful 24:07 - How Much Protein Do You Actually Need? The 0.8g vs. 1.2g Debate & the Kidney Risk of Excess 28:18 - Soluble vs. Insoluble Fibre: The Complete Science & Why Your Gut Needs Both 31:13 - White Rice vs. Roti vs. Brown Rice: The Fibre Facts & the Best Practical South Indian Swap 36:38 - The Millet Debate, Portion Size & Why 'Healthy' Labels Are Often Marketing 43:07 - The Fruit Debate: Guava, Banana, Watermelon & Which Fruits Suit Diabetics 46:52 - India's Micronutrient Crisis & the National Fortification Strategy: Iron, Vitamin D & B12 52:46 - Anaemia in India: Why Iron Tablets Alone Fail & the Complete Package Needed 54:16 - India's Diabetes Epidemic, the Jaggery Myth, Physical Inactivity & the Carbohydrate Trap 58:25 - Final Takeaways: Dr. Sesikeran's Three Recommendations for Every Indian ----- Medical comedy (Medcom) shows: I love doing medical comedy (medcom) stand-up shows. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet you all in person and also to promote awareness of a healthy lifestyle. ----- For shorter versions of our long podcasts, please checkout the following channels 1. Gut Feeling with Dr Pal Shorts - We highlight the important points within 1 minute in this channel. https://youtube.com/@GutFeelingPodcastShorts?si=PF-7MZPjMAKU9HWi 2. Gut Feeling with Dr Pal clips - Please find the highlights of the best episodes from our podcast. https://youtube.com/@gutfeelingpodcastclips?si=sSYoYnowk9DCHb3v ----- Our holistic weight loss/chronic disease reversal gut health program - "NewME " Are you interested in joining our program designed to help you make lasting changes to your lifestyle so that you can be free of medications? https://drpalmanickam.com/gut-health-program/ Email: newme.fit6@gmail.com ----- For Tamil videos, Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYxezj89xof3XRLFqly20VA ----- Follow us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr-Pal-102856268051377 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.pal.manickam/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/drpal_manickam Telegram: https://t.me/Ask_Doc_Pal For Collabs & Enquiries: Email: askdocpal@gmail.com ----- Our charity work - https://www.vmfus.org/ . We support hospice patients and specially abled kids by running a free school in Madurai. #askdocpal #drpal #IntermittentFasting #WeightLossJourney #BellyFatLoss #TimeRestrictedEating #IFResults #HealthyEating #IFCommunity #FastingForHealth #LoseWeight #FitLife #FatLossTips #MealTiming #IFGoals #BellyFatBusters #EatClean #IFSuccess #FitnessMotivation #BurnFat #HealthyHabits #MealPlan