"My friend and erstwhile colleague, Anuradha Vashisht, is nothing if not a radical. Being a radical myself, I empathise, but she leaves me far behind when it comes to health and wise food choices. Long ago, Anuradha threw in her lot with natural hygiene, not in a dilettantish, lurking-around-the-fringes kind of way, but passionately, whole-heartedly, uncompromisingly, and with heartbreaking sincerity. Her book, Health Recipes, published by her, is a product of this involvement and expresses her deepest and most profound convictions, especially when it comes to the right food for children.  Food, for her, is the most important determinant of our health, and therefore, must be partaken of with scrupulous care and consciousness. Expectedly and justifiably, she savages the entire junk food and fast food culture. Her prescriptions revolve around fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Refined oils, flour, sugar are a no-no. She grudgingly concedes milk, as long as it is cow’s milk, but is sparing of ghee and butter. Pulses and grains are not to be had together, but in their place, she offers innovative khichdis. She says, in her book, “One thing I can say with total conviction: my children will never need to take medication in their lifetime, nor ever visit a doctor or a hospital, if they continue to live the way they do – naturally.” Now, that’s a powerful assertion, and ought to be incentive for us to go the natural way for the health of our children and ourselves. Read the book. It might change your life." — Suma Varughese