Armed with the right diet, nutritionist Nikhil Chaudhary is waging a war against cancer 

Chaudhary gives talks at various schools and institutions and bats for a healthy diet to cure almost everything  
The battle between diet and disease
The battle between diet and disease

Nutritionist and dietitian, Nikhil Chaudhary, has given several talks at schools, including a few in Chennai like Shri Sanatana Dharma Higher Secondary School, Sowcarpet and Vivek Vidhyalaya Middle School, Kolathur. And with his vast knowledge in the domain (and of course, presenting international papers and getting published in international journals), he can vouch that nutrition and lifestyle can cure even deadly diseases like cancer. "Diseases start when the internal environment of the body is not right and to treat the disease you need to treat the environment. The role played by diet here is indispensable," says the 31-year-old, who is planning to present a case study on how the right diet can cure PCOD in women.

Chaudhary presented a case study on the remission of cancer achieved by changing diet and lifestyle at the Global Cancer Conference and Medicare Summit 2014, Hyderabad, along with a co-author

But he does understand that sometimes, students and even working professionals live outside their homes and in different cities. He doesn't expect a high level of discipline from them in terms of cutting down junk. Instead, he suggests that one should compensate for those lost nutrients while at home at least. Another not-so-new issue that plagues students and professionals alike is high-level stress, be it exam or job-related, which in turn causes acidity. Chaudhary, who recently moved to Hyderabad, reminds us how the brain and intestines work, and suggests that we give our body the care it should receive.

I like interacting with children and talking about diet and nutrition with them

Nikhil Chaudhary

Turning to the topic of junk food, Chaudhary, who has pursued B Tech Biotechnology and MSc Dietetics and Food Service Management, says that though the intake of junk food among students has lessened, thanks to relentless awareness initiatives, what we eat at home could also qualify as junk. "There is so much white rice, maida, refined oil...," he says, cringing at the very thought of it. And to top that, parents always worry that children don't eat enough at home. This results in overfeeding, obesity and eventually, diabetes in children as young as eight. Oh, dear! How does one pull a child back from that enticing road of ‘tasty’ food? "Simple! Start giving them healthy snacks," he says, nonchalantly. And when they refuse to eat? "Let them go hungry. Trust me, they won't be able to stay away for too long," he says, stoically.

Chaudhary has also published a case study in the prestigious international journal, Journal of Cancer Science and Therapy

Surprisingly, Chaudhary believes that 'being skinny', which is as big a problem as being obese among the young, has nothing to do with one’s genes. "It's either that the nutrition is not reflecting or that there is a deficiency of the same," he says. He also draws our attention to the fact that it's not just parasitic infections like worms, which are prevalent, fungus is also the problem — the main cause of which is antibiotics. "They kill the bacteria and spare the fungus that takes over our intestines," he explains.   

Real fight: Chaudhary believes that the fight is against the food which causes diseases

And while the picture looks grim right now, Chaudhary gives us hope by saying that the future can be brighter if nutrition and diet is popularised at the school level. "The syllabus for nutrition needs an update as it's not just about carbohydrates, proteins and fats anymore," he advocates, which is exactly why he has made it his mission to tour schools and do his bit.

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