From chia seeds to chamomile tea: Jailed Sidhu's 'diet chart'
What's the story
Jailed Indian National Congress (INC) leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has been prescribed a special diet after he was diagnosed with obesity and metabolic disorder. Interestingly, he will be served chamomile tea, coconut water, nuts, chia seeds, salads, and fruits, among other things. Sidhu, who is serving a one-year jail term, has also been appointed as a 'munshi (clerk) in the Patiala central prison.
Breakfast
Chamomile tea, flax seeds and pecan nuts for Sidhu
After Sidhu's medical examination was conducted at Patiala's Rajindra Hospital on Monday, a team of doctors recommended him a special diet. His day would start with a cup of rosemary/chamomile tea, white petha juice, or a glass of coconut water. For breakfast, he would be given a cup of lactose-free milk, a tablespoon of seeds such as flax/sunflower/chia, almonds, walnut, and two pecan nuts.
Lunch
Juice, fruits and sprouts for mid-morning meal
The jailed cricketer-turned-politician would be served a glass of juice (beetroot, cucumber, tulsi, amla, carrot), or any fruit like watermelon, melon, kiwi, or sprouted black gram, green gram with cucumber/tomato/half lemon/avocado for the mid-morning meal. For lunch, he would be given one bowl of cucumber, and seasonal green vegetables with one flatbread made of sorghum, water chestnut, or finger millet flours.
Dinner
Tofu, paneer, and sauteed vegetables in the evening
A cup of tea with low-fat milk and 25-gram cottage cheese or tofu with half lemon would be given to him in the evening. His dinner would comprise mix vegetables and dal soup or black gram soup and one bowl of sauteed green vegetables. At bedtime, Sidhu can take a cup of chamomile tea and one tablespoon of psyllium husk (isabgol) with warm water.
Surrender
Road rage case of 1988
Sidhu was sent to jail after he was sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a 1988 road rage case. Gurnam Singh, a 65-year-old man, had died in the incident. Sidhu initially sought time from the court citing medical conditions, but later surrendered on Friday last week. To recall, he has undergone treatment for acute deep vein thrombosis in 2015.
Security concerns
Work from cell for Sidhu
The 58-year-old politician will perform the job of a munshi from his cell because of security reasons, an official said. The jail manual categorizes prisoners as unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled. Unskilled and semi-skilled prisoners get Rs. 40 and Rs. 50 per day, respectively, while skilled prisoners get Rs. 60 per day. Like everyone else, Sidhu won't be paid for the first 90 days.