Khader Vali
Indian nutritionist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Khader Valli residing in Mysore is a food and nutrition specialist, who advocates consumption of millets to control lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension.[1][2] He was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award by the Government of India in 2023 and the same was handed over to him by the President of India on 5 April 2023.[3][4]
Khader Valli | |
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| Born | Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh |
| Known for | Advocating the consumption of millets to control life style diseases like diabetes, hypertension |
| Website | https://healthymillets.in |
Early life and education
Born in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, he completed MSc in Regional Institute of Education, Mysore and PhD in steroids at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and he became a Postdoctoral Fellow in Environmental science at Beaverton, Oregon, US.[5]
Career
Khader Vali worked in the US as a scientist and returned to India in 1997.[3] He advocates the benefits of consuming millets in place of rice and wheat and is engaged in studying the benefits of millets since the last 20 years.[6] He also works on saving Soil fertility and the right kind of agricultural practices.[7]
Millet advocacy
For the past 30 years, Dr. Vali has been advocating for the benefits of millets and raising awareness about their role in disease prevention. He emphasizes the need for extensive research to promote millet consumption in society. According to Dr. Vali, millets support mitochondrial health and help protect the body from microbial and hormonal imbalances. He claims that daily millet consumption can aid in preventing and managing conditions like diabetes, thyroid disorders, and even cancer. Highlighting the economic impact of diabetes, he stated that diabetic pharmacies collect $827 billion annually.[8]
As per him, millets can also help mitigate global warming and ensure food security, as only 300 litres of water are required to grow 1 kilogram of positive grains (Siridhanya) such as Foxtail millet (Navane), Barnyard millet (Oodalu), Kodo millet (Arka), Little millet (Saame), and Browntop millet (Korle), whereas to manufacture 1 kilogram of sugar requires 28,000 litres of water and 8,000 litres for 1 kilogram of rice. So, if farmers cultivate positive grains, drought can be totally avoided in India in the next 50 years according to him.[7][9]
