On the 7th of
November, 2016, numerous members of the faculty and student body attended a
talk given by the famous nutritionist, Rujuta Diwekar, made famous by stars
like Kareena Kapur, Shah Rukh Khan etc. This talk reached out specifically to
parents of school-going children, urging them to rethink their choices, both in
terms of nutrition and lifestyle. Ms. Diwekar talked of multiple activities that
could replace the ones we resort to every day, in an effort to encourage a
healthier lifestyle.
The most
engaging segment of her talk was perhaps when she threw questions out to the
audience, making us question the nutrition we had been resorting to for years.
She broke numerous misconceptions that we had about the kind of food children
should be eating. Her opening statement immediately took us aback as she
declared that parents need not force their children to drink milk. She talked
of how the old age adage about milk’s magical properties no longer rings as true
as we’ve discovered other sources of calcium. This surprised several parents in
the audience and sparked a flurry of queries. Other sections of her talk
included tips such as avoiding drinks with high fructose corn syrup and
remaining aware of a child’s strength to weight ratio.
As a student, I
found her talk enlightening, though her material was aimed at parents. I gained
a deeper understanding of the implications of the nutritional choices we make
on a daily basis and also developed an appreciation for how ultimately simple
yet worthwhile a healthy lifestyle can be.
