India, June 1 -- The other day I met an elderly lady, a good friend, proud of the fact that she looks much younger than her actual age, who was suffering the consequences of going on an extreme high protein diet to lose further weight, and control her pre-diabetic status. The diet played havoc with her system, she said. She may have lost some weight-she was not overweight to begin with-but is now dealing with several problems involving her gut and other organs caused by this shock dietic treatment.

R. Venkatraman, former President of India, used to say to me when I was his press secretary, that moderation and balance in life style is the key to good health. According to our ancient shastras, if these two factors are kept in mind, the lif...