Turn into a starchivore

Challenge me," said Dr John McDougall, starting off his talk at Global Hospital, Parel last Wednesday, adding that he is here to win friends but not a "popularity contest".

The American physician and author was in Mumbai last week to talk on reversing diseases through nutrition. "Rich foods make people sick, and if one takes care of what they eat, they don't have to pop pills for diseases such as blood pressure and Type II diabetes," he said.

He was invited to give talks in the city by Dr Nandita Shah, founder of Sharan that works for reversing diseases using plant-based diets. "People are suffering from food poisoning of oil, meat, eggs and dairy products. What we need is a starch-based diet, which includes corn, potatoes, wheat, barley, rye, legumes, rice,
millet and oats," said Dr McDougall.

SMD Disclaimer: Before trying any new diet, do consult your medical practitioner.

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Historical examples of grain and starch-based diets

Corn: North, Central and South America gorged on maize 7,000 years ago. Aztec and Mayas were called ‘people of the corn'

Rice: For 10,000 years, rice was the staple diet of Asians. While brown rice is better than white rice, the latter is not harmful if eaten in limit

Wheat-Barley: It was the staple diet in the Middle East for 11,000 years. The Gladiators were known as ‘Barley Men'. The strongest people in the world eat starch, and not meat, says Dr McDougall

Millets: Africans ate millets for 6,000 years. Starch is a complex carbohydrate made up of chains of sugar molecules, stored in the plants