Asif Malik
Srinagar, Sep 22 (KNS): Padma Shri awardee and independent scientist Dr Khadar Vali has called for reviving traditional grains and millets, saying food, not medicine, holds the key to good health.
" If our food is right, there is no need for medicine, and if your food is wrong, no medicine works," Vali said as per news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) at a dialogue on holistic food systems and revival of traditional grains organised by Lok Bhavan Jammu and Kashmir in collaboration with Kheti Virasat Mission here.
Vali, who holds a PhD from the Indian Institute of Science and has worked in areas including environmental science, toxic materials and microbial systems, said he returned to India after spending several years in the United States with the objective of promoting traditional and healthier food practices.
He said that over the past three decades he had studied traditional grains which, according to him, had gradually disappeared from mainstream diets.
Vali alleged that millets had been described as "coarse grains", "bird feed" and "animal feed", while rice and wheat became dominant staples in modern diets.
He also expressed concern over the increasing use of hybrid and genetically modified seeds, saying changes in agricultural practices had affected farmers' control over traditional seed systems.
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Discussing nutrition and lifestyle-related health concerns, Vali said diets high in rapidly digested carbohydrates could contribute to spikes in blood glucose levels. He advocated greater consumption of traditional, fibre-rich grains as part of a diversified diet.
He also highlighted the importance of gut microbiome health and spoke about traditional fermented preparations made from fibrous grains, referring to 'Ambali', a traditional fermented millet preparation consumed in parts of South India, and said similar preparations existed under different names in other parts of the country.
Vali referred to traditional Indian texts that mention grains, greens, vegetables, roots and tubers as components of food and said traditional dietary knowledge deserved greater attention.
He called for greater awareness about traditional grains and food practices, saying their revival could contribute to dietary diversity and healthier eating habits.
The dialogue focused on the nutritional, agricultural and cultural significance of millets and the need to reconnect contemporary food practices with traditional food systems. (KNS)
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