Why did Virat Kohli become vegetarian? The question has been asked by the fans of the Indian batter for a long time, and Kohli recently answered it in a conversation.
The answer, however, did not satisfy a doctor who took to social media to explain why and how Virat Kohli got the whole logic wrong.
Virat Kohli started by saying he got the advice to turn into a vegetarian from an acupuncturist. Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips wasn’t impressed a bit after hearing this, to say the least.
His view is, “Acupuncture is a pseudoscience. It has no meaningful principles or reasonable action. It is not based on scientific knowledge and is a form of quackery. Large systematic reviews confirm that there no good evidence of benefit, which suggests that it is not an effective method of healthcare.”
Next, Kohli sought to explain the problems that he was facing with his body and the reason behind it. Kohli talked about having cervical spine disc prolapse and said, “Eating meat was making my stomach more acidic, because of which the calcium from my bones were leaking off. So the solution – make it alkaline. I quit meat and became vegetarian – to make my stomach less acidic, more alkaline, to prevent calcium loss in bone and thus, cure my cervical spondylitis.”
Doctor reveals truth to Virat Kohli
The doctor termed the above explanation ‘pure and unadulterated nonsense’ and said, “The stomach is acidic and will remain so whether you want it or not. Acid production is the unique and central component of the stomach’s contribution to the digestive process and also plays a role in protecting the body against pathogens ingested with food or water. You cannot make the stomach alkaline, unless you ingest enough alkali – which will of course kill you.”
“Going vegetarian does not mean one becomes gauranteed calcium sufficient. Vegetarianism is a culturo-religious factor and not a norm. People choose it because of various personal reasons and it is not one based on strong evidence from medical science. It is not superior to other diets, except of course, is better than veganism, which is the most inferior form of diet from scientific standpoint. Cervival neck disc bulge is not treated by going vegetarian. There are actual scientific guidelines for it” he added.
The doctor wrapped up his post by saying, “I like Virat Kohli. The guy is a national treasure. But I am sorry to say that he is very health and science-illiterate and a prototype of the beggarly scientific temper that define majoirty of Indians in today’s India.”
If you were following Virat Kohli’s diet blindly till now, perhaps its time for a rethink.