Celebrity nutritionist Pooja Makhija’s decision to consume salt has been refuted by a medical professional. Makhija’s comments came during a YouTube podcast with Raj Shamani.
Makhija is known to have worked with Bollywood celebrities including Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan. He has also helped Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor. She has appeared in MasterChef India.
According to his official website, the nutritionist has ‘made the Earth more than 125,000 kilograms lighter.’ She disputes the common association between salt intake and high blood pressure.
Pooja Makhija said, “Someone gets a stroke, someone has a heart attack, or someone suddenly becomes unconscious, we take them in an ambulance. Without talking to any doctor, without knowing the medical history, what is the first thing they give? Saline. What is saline? 9000 mg sodium.”
“Why? Because sodium lowers BP. Even someone who’s had a stroke, they’ll give you saline first. And, sometimes they give a push, which is two units of saline, which is 18,000 milligrams of sodium,” she added.
He said, “Your body needs sodium to absorb retained water, for the kidneys to filter, and for the heart to pump. Sodium is not the culprit. It was demonized so sugar could shine and diseases could flourish.”
“If you have excess salt, it comes out in your urine. If you have excess sugar, does it come out in your urine? It gets stored as fat,” Makhija said.
According to Pooja Makhija, if there is not enough salt then the kidneys work harder to reabsorb sodium. This process pressures the pancreas to release more insulin to the brain, which lowers blood sugar and causes excess hunger.
“The body really needs salt and protein, not a lot of sugar. Once you get enough salt, you realize you don’t crave sugar as much,” he said on Raj Shamani’s podcast.
She advises people to cook with iodized salt because iodine supports the thyroid. According to him, modern water filters remove minerals from natural water, making it harder for the body to use.
“Simply place a small crystal of rock salt on your tongue, and drink your water,” she advised.
Doctor challenges celebrity nutritionist’s claim
An AIIMS doctor sharply challenged a celebrity nutritionist’s claim about the use of salt and saline in the hospital.
Dr Arihant Jain, Senior Resident, EM and Trauma, AIIMS, New Delhi, refuted the nutritionist’s opinion. He said the video does not share true evidence and that salt could harm many patients who already have medical risks.
“The information about salt shared in this video is not accurate or evidence-based. Salt is definitely harmful for some group of individuals,” the doctor posted in a comment on YouTube.
According to him, doctors do not give saline to increase sodium levels, but to replace lost body fluids when it is really needed. Heart attack patients may also avoid fluids as they may already have excess water stored in their bodies.
“Secondly, the “push” being discussed refers to a diluted injection of epinephrine (adrenaline), where saline is just the diluting agent – the actual drug being given is epinephrine, not saline,” the AIIMS doctor said.
According to Dr. Jain, new studies show Ringer lactate to be preferred for many emergency cases. He warned that misinformation about salt and saline could mislead people and even put vulnerable patients at risk.
“Such misinformation can be harmful, especially to certain patient groups who may take such advice seriously,” he said.
