Background:

1. I have been a Hypertension patient for the past forty years. Medical reason: Unknown. My BP reading would be 160/100 when I wake up and vary between 190/110 and 210/120 during the day. In times of extreme stress, I have recorded 220/130. I was admitted to hospital for a different ailment (I will deal with it below). I also suffered from sleep apnea and I believe this problem was further accentuated because of my large belly.
2. I became a diabetic at the age of 61 (2016) when I was afflicted with an ailment that was diagnosed initially as “cellulitis” (dying of cells in a small region of … in my case, the foot); later diagnosis ranged from gangrene to cancer and finally to “auto immune”! My diabetes was mainly on account of consuming potent drugs for my foot ailment (several ‘000s of mgs every day!), pain killers and alcohol because of my inability to bear that extreme pain. My blood sugar readings until a year ago ranged from a fasting level of 160 to a random (post-prandial) of about 290. My ailment was finally “identified” as a skin ailment and after spending close to Rs10 lakhs, I was directed to meet with “any good dermatologist”! All this was over a period of 1 ½ years! In this period, I had already gone through a plastic surgery, five rounds of biopsy and thousands of mg of potent antibiotics. The dermatology treatment worked very well but the most bizarre part of the cure was when a dear friend recommended me to meet with an Ayurveda specialist couple who visit Mumbai regularly from Ahmedabad! The couple said on first examination that the entire treatment over 1 ½ years until
then was almost completely wrong and asked me to consume three different colored pills for over a month with fairly severe dietary restrictions. My wound had vanished!
3. After this period I started limping back to walking because I was bed-ridden most part of the time but my BP and Sugar readings continued to be in the same range.

The Transformation: Involves change of mind-set

1. I have provided you with the nonsense I took upon myself so, do not sympathize with me please. Not looking after one’s health is not only a personal risk but also demonstration of irresponsibility towards family members who invariably depend upon us for support.
2. Before I state my diet plan and the discipline around all that, we must sign up for something that is beyond one’s health and that is what our ‘larger purpose’ towards health and fitness is because, we will not undertake this journey without being convinced that it is about what defines us in terms of our health and fitness, our responsibilities towards family and society and our sense of discipline that our children are likely to emulate.
3. I reflected and hit upon a journey of building self-discipline based on three simple steps:

i. What is the larger purpose of all this for me to believe that it is worth it

ii. What are the three broad changes that I need to make and

iii. What specific action steps I need to take every day of my life

The new diet

My diet was well researched and based upon the following three concepts:

1. Say ‘NO’ to

i. all processed foods: Bread, jam, sauces, all breakfast cereals and foods such as Kellogg’s, Maggie Noodles, Oatmeal, all fruit juices, all canned foods and juices, all health foods and juices, all types of honey, …

ii. all sugar products such as chocolates, ice creams, colas, coffee and tea with sugar, all juices, …
iii. alcohol because it interferes with sleep and metabolism; also, several alcoholic preparations especially, cocktails, contain huge amounts of sugar

iv. all grains that is, wheat, rice, all maize, corn, barley (beers contain barley and that’s why, the “beer belly”); grains cause serious digestion problems, contain huge amount of carbs and are meant for consumption by cattle; exception is rice which is not as harmful and can be consumed in small quantities. There are huge studies carried out on the ill effects of grains and those with excess weight, arthritis (joint pains of all types), huge belly, high BP and Blood Sugar must start containing grains consumption.

v. no carbs after meals at lunch because there are adequate studies to prove that carbs intake at night is harmful because most of the carbs (estimated at 70%) get converted into sugar that causes spike in blood sugar.

vi. This is based on proven research that sugar contributes to hypertension, diabetes, cancer, memory loss related illnesses, damage to the brain and other critical parts such as the liver and pancreas. It is also based on the principle that eliminating carbs completely and relying only on proteins is dangerous and will certainly result in joint pains. It is also based on a nuts-based breakfast, no grains lunch with plenty of vegetables and lentils/legumes and proteins and very limited carbs. It is based on the fact that we should not consume any carbs after lunch and certainly avoid dinner. My friends who are non-vegetarians have had severe problems focusing only on barbecued chicken and mutton or fish because they suck the water in the body and damage its balance.

2. To avoid the dangers in following Keto and Vegan diets routines, I followed a diet that is predominant in the following:

i. Nuts such as walnuts, pista, almonds, cashews. Six of each of them make a great breakfast and also to snack upon in the evening. They are great sources of proteins and minerals and contain very little carbs. Breakfasts comprising of idlis, upma, Maharashtrian Poha, South Indian speciality “Adai” where the dough is prepared without rice, dosa, make a good breakfast and help more than meet daily requirement of carbs. I used to initially eat a two egg omelette for breakfast every day and gave up eggs for personal reasons.

ii. Lunch must contain extremely small quantity of carbs. So, lunch comprising of all sambar, rasams, spinach, all lentils, chana, moongs, are great with a moderate quantity of millet (Foxtail millets and Quinoa combo instead of rice or, a “katori” of rice) will be great. The trick is to kickstart lunch with a large green salad to ensure that you eat all green vegetables and eat less of the other part of the lunch. All vegetables are great except that you restrict certain starchy vegetables such as potatoes because they contain more than necessary quota of daily requirement of carbs.

iii. My dinner comprised of a large “Greek Salad” with dressing made only from olive oil and mixed with some oregano and salt to taste. I also have a green-vegetables soup every day in the evening at say, 730 pm.

iv. Accordingly, my diet comprises mainly of nuts, green vegetables, almost no fruits especially at dinner time, and proteins found in vegetables and lentils.

v. I fast on every ‘Ekadashi’ not for religious reasons but to provide my system with complete rest. This builds my resistance to gorging food when hungry.

3. Those who follow an ‘only high proteins’ diet risk sudden increase in uric acid in the body and this can lead to severe kidney problems and joint pains. That is why my food comprises predominantly of green vegetables and almost no fruits.

4. I consume a very high potency green juice which recipe I will send separately. This drink is unique and not available with any vendor. I guarantee great health because the juice is based on select greens and items such as ginger and amla. I will also send the recipe for the vegetable soup separately.

5. In addition I do 50 ‘Brahmri’ and 100 Naadi Shodan (that is Anulom Vilom). I started with left nostril breathing (100) to get my BP down in the initial period but realised that Anulom Vilom is better. I practice this with normal breathing and do not do rigorous breathing as is demonstrated on TV.

My present status 8 months after implementation of this diet:

i. My BP and blood sugar are largely under control:

Morning BP: 125/70 and random BP 145/75

Fasting sugar: 80 to 98 and “random” is between 105 to 125. Spike after a carbs based lunch takes it to 165.

ii. My weight has fallen from 85 kgs to 70 kgs

iii. My lower waist is 33 (from 36), my upper waist is 35.5 from 42.

I am therefore happy to note that my dear friends Ramesh and Chitra have embarked on this venture at Antarang, trying to induce better health to those who come under their fold at Antarang Holistic Wellness. It is certainly the future of the health care and I do hope more and more people will take advantage of this

Natraj Ramakrishna
Ex KPMG

Bangalore
18th September 2019

Message from Ramesh Lakshman:
We are happy to share this important blog from our friend Natraj. Till now we have read about such attempts in books written from the west. When our own friend decides to take charge of his life and health in his own hand and works wonders it is worth sharing. In case you want to know more or will like some more inputs or be connected with Natraj leave a comment or email us.