Dr Oz: Padma Lakshmi Health Crisis + Daughter Krishna’s Paternity

Dr Oz: Padma Lakshmi, Lucky To Be Alive

Padma Lakshmi was just 14-years-old when she almost died of a life-threatening skin disorder. Then, two days after she was released from the hospital, she was almost killed in a car crash. Mom, chef, and author of “Love, Loss, and What We Ate,” Padma Lakshmi, sat down with Dr Oz. Padma began by explaining that she was suffering from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, which is a hyper-allergy to a drug or virus.

When she was 14, she happened to get the flu but wasn’t getting better. She began developing lesions in her mouth and nose and eventually went to the hospital and then City of Hope. It was there that she was diagnosed and given medications to alleviate her symptoms. She was basically allergic to the flu virus, so the issue happened several times throughout her adolescence, but to a lesser degree. It got so serious that she couldn’t even swallow her own saliva and was blind and mute for three weeks. 

Dr Oz: Padma Lakshmi Keloid Scar & Insecurity

She was released from the hospital on a Friday and that Sunday, she went to the Hindu temple with her mom, 50 miles from her house. On their way back, they got into a serious car accident that almost killed her and her parents. A helicopter had to land on the freeway to take both her parents to USC Medical Center while she was taken to another hospital in L.A. She broke her right arm and broke her hip.

She has a long keloid scar on her arm from the surgery to repair her arm, which required a metal plate and six screws, until they were removed because she was still growing. She admitted to feeling very insecure about her scar, until she eventually realized it was part of who she was. She began modeling to pay off her college loans until a famous photographer wanted to photograph her because of her scar. It was then, that she became a lot more open-minded about her scar, and less self-conscious.

Dr Oz: Padma Lakshmi Endometriosis

Padma then wanted to talk about her endometriosis, which occurs in 10-15% of the childbearing female population. Padma explained that the endometrial tissue can grow, and in her case it was on her liver, kidneys, and even her intestines. Women go for an average of 10 years before being properly diagnosed. Dr Oz then showed her a real uterus, with the ovaries.

Dr Oz: Padma Lakshmi & Headlines About Daughter’s Paternity

Padma shared that she actually lost part of her left ovary and then later lost her right Fallopian tube. She strongly believes that Krishna is a true miracle baby. In her book, Padma opened up about the uncertainty of Krishna’s paternity. Padma said so many news outlets were talking about her pregnancy in a very cynical way. The truth is that she was recovering from a divorce and was presented with two very different men. She didn’t want to settle down and wanted to “play the field.” She acknowledged that there is a double standard when it comes to men who do the same thing.

She then went on to say that she was very up front with Teddy [Forstmann] who is “no longer with us” and he was very supportive of her, even when they found out the child wasn’t biologically his. He was with her every step of the way and was even in the delivery room when Krishna was born.”

Dr Oz: Connecting Memories & Food

Dr Oz then wanted to talk about Padma’s book and how she correlated meals with memories of her life. Padma explained that there is a scientific reason that we associate test with certain emotional memories. Most of taste is actually smell, and the parts of the brain responsible for smell and the parts responsible for memories are very close to each other. She stated that’s why food is so emotional.

She shared that while she was pregnant, all she wanted to eat was egg in a hole. She also shared a photo of her nursing Krishna while getting ready for Top Chef. It was a moving time in her life, because as Krishna was at the beginning of her life, Padma’s lover was at the end of his life. She found herself taking care of the two most important people in her life. They both loved cinnamon and sweets, so she would often make them both cinnamon applesauce, for which you can find the recipe in her book.