Anjali Mukerjee, India’s leading nutritionist, spoke at the Khar Gymkhana event on July 9, 2017. There, the gymkhana trustees honored her with “Living Legend” award.
Anjali Mukerjee, a pioneer in the field of nutrition, and founder-director of Health Total has a vast experience of more than three decades. Hence, it does not come as a surprise that she was the first choice as a speaker at Khar Gymkhana. The event was organised and managed by Mr. Prem Asrani, a senior-most trustee of Khar Gymkhana. He said, “This is the first time that Anjali Mukerjee, a chief nutritionist not only in India but also in Asia, has come to Khar Gymkhana to address the members. We want to welcome her and recognize her by giving her the Living Legend award. We wish her all the best and more success in life.”
Scores of members, young and old alike, were present on a lovely Sunday morning. The event started off with Mr. Asrani welcoming Anjali Mukerjee with a bouquet. He then introduced the other senior trustees of the gymkhana to the audience, who felicitated the management team of Health Total. This was followed by a spiritual prayer recited by one of the woman members of the gymkhana.
Then the stage was taken over by Anjali Mukerjee, who first spoke on her favorite subject, which is Nutrigenomics and gene testing. She then spoke in-depth on obesity and how it can lead to multiple health disorders. She also touched upon the subject of metabolic syndrome.
One valid point that Anjali Mukerjee made in her address was how our lifestyle is a major cause of our health problems. She said, “It’s 90 percent of our lifestyle and 10 percent of our gene or DNA that causes health diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart ailments, cholesterol, and weak immunity. What you eat truly affects your body.”
Anjali Mukerjee emphasized on how at Health Total we use natural means and Ayurvedic herbs to treat patients suffering high blood pressure, diabetes, weight loss, menopause management, and more. She said for a healthy and fitter body, it is essential to incorporate sulfur-rich foods such as ginger, garlic, onion, cauliflower, cabbage, and eggs. These foods help to detoxify our body. And avoid bad foods such as sugar, lactose, and fried foods. Bad foods are toxins for the body and switch on our bad genes.
“Consuming medicines will only shut the problem for a short period of time; they don’t solve the problem from the root,” Anjali Mukerjee said. To eliminate toxins and chemicals from our body, she shared a daily diet plan with the gymkhana members. This included: 3 cups of leafy vegetables, 3 cups of colored vegetables and lastly 3 cups of sulfur-rich foods.
When one of the audience members raised a query on pesticides in almost all green vegetables, Anjali Mukerjee recommended washing them in hot water or salt water at least two times, Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time for 30 seconds), cooking and dehydrating. This removes all the pesticides on the vegetables.
While addressing the issue of “Obesity and Weight Loss”, Anjali Mukerjee said one must focus on eating small portions of the meal. She explained how at Health Total, the detox and weight loss plans have helped people lose weight in a span for 4 to 6 months. “At Health Total, we use an integrated approach, which not only helps our patients lose weight, but it also benefits their overall health,” Anjali Mukerjee said.
Lastly, she said how today sitting for hours is as harmful as smoking. In the almost two-hour session, Anjali Mukerjee also gave tips on one can lead a healthy and fitter life. Towards the end of the event, the floor was open for a quick Question & Answer. The enthusiastic members of the Khar Gymkhana raised their concerns on various subjects.
One of the most discussed subjects during the round was “Is milk good for health?” During her address, she said how cow’s milk contains A2 protein, which is harmful. In fact, she said any dairy product made from cow’s milk should be avoided because of the presence of A2 protein. “Anything to do with cow milk will cause inflammation,” she added. She suggested goat milk as it is lighter, contains less fat and is chemical-free. One can also drink branding of milk containing A1 protein.
One member wanted to know if she can consume soy milk. To this, she said, “Yes. It is safe.” Another wanted to know her views on organic foods. “I won’t recommend it. However, if it suits your body, you can consume it.”
Other questions raised during the question and answer round included: “Should fruits be eaten after a meal”, “What is the cause of cramps”, “Is apple cider good for our health”, What is good: fresh fruit juice or packaged juice or just fruits”, “Is rice good for health”, and “Is there any connection between anxiety and food”.
Anjali Mukerjee addressed every query and also suggested alternatives to it. In the end, she expressed her happiness by saying, “One of my passions in life is to create health awareness. I want to thank Mr. Prem Asrani for giving me this opportunity to be able to interact with these wonderful people at the Khar Gym. I thoroughly enjoyed; the audience was fantastic and what lovely questions they asked. They were so eager for more information and that’s what excites me. I am happy I was able to come here and talk to them.”
According to Anjali Mukerjee, food and nutrition are the most important factors for a healthy lifestyle. This thought led her to write a book, “Healing With Food”, which is a great insight into food and nutrition. Through this book, she has taken the subject to the next level and inspired many to follow it as well.