When we were growing up, the variety of fruits that were there naturally, for us to pluck and eat – in every season there is some fruit. I have been in jungles for 2-3 weeks by myself, without any outside support – always there was something to eat. But today, I’m telling you, today I walk into the jungle, I will die within 5 days. Because there is nothing to pluck and eat. So, I want you to understand the plight of all the other creature – the monkeys, they are all invading cities, because there is really nothing to eat.
So, this change has happened in just a matter of 35-40 years. So fruit is an important part of our diet. As far back as, Megasthenes, when he came, and Hsuan Tsang, when he came, and Kautilya, when he wrote his treaties – all three of them have mentioned how in the Indian diet there is an unusually large segment of fruit. It seems, Hsuan Tsnag somewhere says, I have not read it myself, it seems he says that Indian people are unusually intelligent mainly because of their fruit consumption. Their intellect is sharp because of that. And whether he said it or not, I am saying it is 100% true.
If 30% of our diet becomes fruit, 40% of the health care bills in the world will come down
This much we know – suppose your friend is sick and in a hospital, you go there with what, biryani […] – Fruit. So you know it definitely works. So you have to get sick to eat the right thing. But if you eat the right thing, maybe you will not get sick. There is substantial studies in the world to clearly show, if 30% of our diet becomes fruit, 40% of the health care bills in the world will come down.
So in India, right now fruit consumption is at 4%. And that too, this 4% is calculated as per capita, but it’s only in the elite segment that people are eating fruit. Down below, once a month also he is not eating a single fruit. Children, through the mango season, they go without eating a single mango, because it’s no more available. You have to go and buy it, it costs 25 rupees. A child will never get to eat it.
