The evening featured a panel discussion with food historian and Padma Shri awardee Shri Pushpesh Pant; Millet Chef of India Vikas Chawla (Ambassador of Millets, NITI Aayog and Nutrihub, Government of India); Dr. Anshuman Kaushal, Director of Robotic, GI, Minimal Access and Bariatric Surgery at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram; and Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medallist Nupur Sheoran; alongside the author.
In her opening remarks, Dr. Ridhima said her clinical practice has changed over the years. Fewer patients ask what to eat. More ask for reassurance that ordinary foods are safe to eat at all. “The problem was never the dal, rice, roti, potato or mango,” she said. “The problem is fear, misinformation and extremes.” This idea, that food itself is not the issue, framed the evening’s discussion.
The panel explored the subject from different angles. Shri Pushpesh Pant said India’s relationship with food has changed more in the last three decades than in the previous three centuries. He pointed to fermentation, seasonal eating, and the use of spices as practices that existed in Indian kitchens long before modern nutrition science gave them names.
Chef Vikas Chawla spoke about how imported grains like quinoa and kale became aspirational, while Indian staples like ragi, jowar, bajra, kangni, and kodo quietly disappeared from urban kitchens. He made the case for bringing these grains back into everyday meals.
Dr. Anshuman Kaushal addressed the flood of nutrition advice online. He raised a simple question: how much of it is backed by science, and how much is just confident storytelling?
Nupur Sheoran shared an athlete’s view on nutrition and performance. She described discipline not as never breaking routine, but as knowing how to return to it.
A lighter segment of the evening, called the ‘Khalnayak’ round, asked panelists to give quick verdicts on foods often blamed for poor health, including rice, ghee, potato, milk, fruit, and dal. The round sparked a lively, and at times disagreeing, exchange on which foods deserved their bad reputation. Closing the discussion, Dr. Ridhima returned to her opening question and asked whether views in the room had shifted. She restated what she called the core message of her book: “Don't just count calories. Count nourishment.” She added that health depends as much on sleep, movement, and stress as it does on food. She closed with the line, “Health does not come from fearing food. It comes from understanding it.”
About Dr. Ridhima Khamesra
Dr. Ridhima Khamesra is an award-winning clinical dietitian, wellness coach and nutritionist. She is the founder of Ridhima Khamesra’s Diet Clinic. Her honours include the Atal Bihari Achievement Samman (2022), the title of North India's Most Trusted Dietitian (2023), and recognition from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and NITI Aayog for her national contribution to nutrition.
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