Health Versus Wealth With Dr Ben

Daksha Parekh, also known as ‘Chef D’ and ‘The Veggie Virtuoso’, has been a chef for 25+ years, and describes herself as “a visionary, serial entrepreneur”. She is Birmingham born & bred, and after suffering a family bereavement, and then also a ‘pivot’ in Covid lockdown, she changed from ‘cheffing’ to teaching others, including children, about how to achieve better health through the power of nutrition.

Daksha champions the power of Millets, super ancient grains grown in China, Russia, Ukraine, Africa and India, originally for fodder, not for humans. Wheat and rice took over precedence, but millets hold important healing properties and can reverse lifestyle conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, gut issues and more, she says.

Daksha is also an expert in “non-toxic cooking equipment”. People buy non-stick pans which are coated in chemicals, she says. “The minute you clean or scrub them, you are taking off protective layers and the toxins go into your food. You also inhale the fumes. People can be caused all sorts of problems with autoimmune illnesses, mental and physical problems, too,” she says. Having researched this in depth, she advises that it is best to buy good-quality stainless steel cooking equipment.