Former cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday sparked criticism from health experts after claiming on social media that dietary and lifestyle changes cured his wife Navjot Kaur's cancer. Despite the backlash, he has now gone ahead and shared a detailed diet plan.

According to Sidhu, his wife's cancer treatment involved surgeries, chemotherapy, hormonal and targeted therapies, alongside a strict diet plan. He claimed the diet was inspired by ancient Indian Ayurveda, Nobel Prize-winning research by Yoshinori Ohsumi on autophagy, and insights from eminent doctors worldwide. Sidhu also emphasized the role of positivity and determination in her recovery.

Since Mr Sidhu will continue to share his ‘happiness’ with the world in the form of health & nutrition advice, I can only urge people to please consult your treating oncologist BEFORE adopting any of the points on this ‘diet plan’. Sometimes, we might understand something as… https://t.co/PUl6i6ajTs

— Urvashi Prasad (@urvashi01) November 25, 2024

Japanese cell biologist Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2016 for his research on how cells recycle and renew their content, a process called autophagy. Fasting activates autophagy, which helps slow down the aging process and has a positive impact on cell renewal.

Sidhu’s Diet Plan

Diet and Lifestyle Changes

* The ideal PH Level of your drinking water should be 7 (Alkaline Water) to enhance your recovery

* Consumption of concoction which comprises Cardamom, Holy Basil, Mint, Ginger, and Cinnamon. Consume this as a replacement of tea.

* Following intermittent fasting by giving at least 12 to 17 hours of gap between dinner and breakfast. Dinner taken before sunset, with the first meal of the following day at 10:00 AM (An ancient practise in India)

* Beginning morning with warm water, lemon juice and a spoon of apple cider vinegar with two pieces of raw garlic on alternate days followed by consuming an inch piece of raw turmeric/powdered turmeric and 9 to 10 neem leaves (you can also make a concoction and consume)

* Consuming fruits (blueBerries, blackberry , strawberry or pomegranate), along with carrot , beetroot and amla juice, one spoon of mixed seeds (pumpkin seeds, white sesame, sunflower seeds and flax seeds / chia seeds)

 * Consuming 3 pieces of walnuts, 2 pieces of Brazil nuts or almonds (All nuts must be soaked overnight) with makhanas (Foxnuts sprinkled with pink salt) for snacking and coconut malai or avocado as healthy fat.

* In afternoon or whenever hungry, take juice of ash-gourd (white petha) or juice of oranges, haldi and ginger / cucumber and pineapple with ginger / bottle gourd (ghiya)

* Consume concoction of either soursop leaves (hanuman phal) or night jasmine (harsingar) once a day

* Salad equivalent to 1 percent of body weight (for example 700 Gms for 70 Kg) containing tomato, spinach, mushroom, carrot, onion, radish, beetroot, cucumber, sweet potato, avocado, broccoli, green beans, red green yellow capsicum (raw combination of any 4-5, beetroot/sweet potato should be cooked)

*Limited consumption of cooked food - 2 cooked vegetables or 1 cooked vegetable and lentils (Dals) or Chana or Rajma - not more than 1 serving (katori).  If consumed they

must be soaked overnight before being cooked.

*2 spoons of psyllium husk (lsapgol) with lukewarm water anytime in the day

preferably after the last meal is a must.

* Total removal of cancer lifeline foods - strictly no consumption of any form of

refined carbs,refined sugar, refined oils, milk products and any kind of packed food

containing preservatives

* The only oils to be used - Cold Pressed Coconut Oil / Cold Pressed Mustard Oil

(Kachi Ghaani)/ Cold Pressed Olive Oil - strictly no refined oil.

* Chapati/roti should only be prepared with Quinoa Flour/ Almond Flour / Water-

chestnut Flour (Singhara Aata). Boiled quinoa is the best replacement of rice - it is

both anti cancer / inflammation

* Replace milk products with homemade almond milk/ coconut milk/ coconut curd

* Occasional consumption of juice of bitter gourd along with orange / grapefruit

(Chakotra)

* Important to regularly consume 50 to 70 grams of leaves - spinach/neem/curry leaves/lettuce/ coriander/mint Leaves/radish Leaves/beetroot leaves/any salad leaves known as green blood.

* Limited consumption of lentils (Dals) or Chana or Rajma - not more than 1 serving (katori). If consumed they must be soaked overnight before being cooked.

* No consumption of aerated drinks and replacement of white salt with pink salt

* Exercise regularly in any form, walking/yoga or anything as this is the upliftment medication as body releases healing enzymes during exercise

* Positive mindset with continued motivation and positivity from family and friends will be the impetus for unshakable will power. - Positive anything is better than negative nothing

* Make sure to wash all fruits and vegetables from baking soda and then with water with a pinch of salt before consumption (it will help in removal of pesticides)

* For sweet tooth - Dates can be eaten occasionally but without any sugar coating as they have low glycemic index

However, former NITI Aayog member, public health advocate; and herself stage four cancer survivor, Urvashi Prasad, took to X to debunk Sidhu’s diet plan. 

“Since Mr Sidhu will continue to share his ‘happiness’ with the world in the form of health & nutrition advice, I can only urge people to please consult your treating oncologist BEFORE adopting any of the points on this ‘diet plan,’” she wrote. 

 “Sometimes, we might understand something as natural/edible/safe to consume with proven health benefits but it might end up interacting with your medicines in ways none of us yet understand. This is especially true for newer, targeted medications, like the one I am on for Stage 4 cancer. So PLEASE CONSULT your doctor before you adopt any of these recommendations,” she added. 

Earlier 262 oncologists of from Tata Memorial Hospital issued a statement asking people “not to delay their treatment by following unproven remedies, but rather to consult a doctor, preferably a cancer specialist, if they have any symptoms of cancer.”

“A video of a former cricketer describing his wife's treatment for her breast cancer has been circulating widely on social media. Parts of the video imply that "starving the cancer by not eating dairy products and sugar", consuming haldi (turmeric) and neem helped cure her "incurable" cancer. These statements have no high quality evidence to support them,” the joint statement said.

They said while research is ongoing for some of these products, there is no clinical data currently to recommend their use as anti-cancer agents. “Cancer is curable if detected early and proven treatments for cancer include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy,” the statement added.

Also read: FACT CHECK: Medical experts debunk Sidhu’s claim of curing his wife’s Stage-4 cancer through diet - First Check

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