If you’re struggling with weight loss and find that shedding those pounds feels like a constant nightmare despite your best efforts, you’re not alone. Many people experience that frustrating cycle where diets and intense workouts don’t seem to make a difference.
This endless loop of trying to lose weight without visible results can be exhausting, and even Indian celebrities have opened up about it. The battle is often even more difficult for women with PCOS, where weight loss can be particularly challenging.
Bollywood’s favorite diet?
However, it seems like the folks on social media have found a way to break out of this cycle, with something called an “anti-inflammatory diet” that’s getting a lot of attention.
This happened when actress Vidya Balan shared her experience in a now viral videoexplaining how this diet helped her achieve the weight loss she had been looking for for years.
In a conversation with Galatta Plus‘, she revealed: ‘You know, all my life I’ve struggled with being skinny. I dieted and exercised relentlessly. Sometimes I lost weight, but it always came back. Then early this year I met a nutrition group called Amura (Amura Health) in Chennai. They told me it’s just inflammation, not fat. So they put me on an anti-inflammatory diet, and it worked great; the weight just fell off because they took away food that didn’t suit me.”
Vidya also said that she hasn’t exercised at all this year, but the anti-inflammatory diet has shown remarkable results.
Similarly, Samantha Ruth Prabhu recently shared her experience with a similar approach. During a Q&A on Instagram, she said she also follows a “strict anti-inflammatory diet.” This came after people commented on her weight and urged her to ‘pack on’.
Photo: A screenshot from Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Instagram.
Samantha responded with, “One more comment about weight. I saw a whole thread about my weight. If you must know, I follow a strict anti-inflammatory diet, which is essential to managing my condition. It keeps me within a certain weight range that works best for my health (myositis). Let’s stop judging people: live and let live. It is 2024 after all.”
Both actresses emphasize that weight issues sometimes have less to do with fat and more to do with inflammation, especially in people with underlying conditions.
But what is this diet and how do you do it right? We asked experts.
What exactly is an anti-inflammatory diet?
Debjani Gupta, a nutritionist and wellness expert from Mumbai, says India today that to understand an anti-inflammatory diet, we must understand what causes inflammation in our bodies.
She explains that inflammation is a defense mechanism that is present in every living thing – not only in humans, but also in plants and animals. “We all have a built-in response system that responds to external stimuli that can harm us. This could be an injury, illness or some other foreign agent that disrupts the health of the body,” she says.
Debjani adds that there are several ‘triggers’ for inflammation. A common cause of internal inflammation, aside from illness or injury, is a poor diet. Long-term unhealthy eating habits, combined with stress from long work hours and lifestyle compromises, can lead to inflammation.
Stress causes hormonal changes that can increase blood sugar and insulin levels, causing people to crave foods high in calories, fat and sugar. Photo: Unsplash
Another cause of inflammation is stress hormones such as cortisol.
“It disrupts insulin function, affects blood sugar levels and ultimately affects other hormones, especially the thyroid, which regulates metabolism. As a result, when the body goes into an inflammatory state, we need to take steps to counteract it,” says them further.
To eliminate this inflation, an anti-inflammatory diet is now being introduced. This is possible, “once we have identified the cause of the inflammation,” says Debjani.
What does the anti-inflammatory diet look like?
We asked several experts for their idea of what an anti-inflammatory diet plan looks like and according to them, it means adding certain foods to your diet and cutting out some completely.
For example, Parmeet Kaur, principal and chief dietician and nutritionist at Marengo Asia Hospitals, Gurugram, tells us that an anti-inflammatory diet is rich in fruits, such as berries, and vegetables, such as spinach, turmeric and ginger. reduces inflammation.
Long-term unhealthy eating habits can lead to inflammation. Photo: Unsplash
“Eat whole grains, such as brown rice and millet, healthy fats from nuts, seeds and olive oil. You should eat more Omega-3 rich foods. Omega-3 is the most powerful anti-inflammatory agent, such as flaxseeds, chia seeds or fish, which is the best source. Other aromatic spices have strong anti-inflammatory properties, so be sure to include them in your diet, turmeric and garlic,” she adds.
Debjani agrees. She says other anti-inflammatory foods include pre- and probiotics, such as pickles, fermented foods and cottage cheese. To follow this diet, Debjani says, you should also avoid processed foods and junk food. and of course sugar.
‘Diet should be adapted to one’s needs’
Dr. Archana Batra, a dietitian and certified diabetes educator, explains that an anti-inflammatory diet often needs to be tailored to the body, and this is best done after the cause of the inflammation has been discovered.
“These diets are also specialized to a person’s needs. For example, if someone is gluten intolerant, he/she should eliminate gluten. Otherwise, it is not important to eliminate a particular food group or something like gluten or lactose from the diet. if she has problems with these things, you just need to eliminate them. Certain oilseeds are also considered anti-inflammatory, just as oils with a higher Omega-6 ratio than Omega-3 are considered anti-inflammatory,” she says.
How do you know if you are ‘inflamed’?
Although Dr. Batra says anyone can opt for an anti-inflammatory diet as it has no side effects (if done right)are there simple ways to check if someone is ‘inflamed’.
She explains that inflammation can be acute or chronic. Acute inflammation occurs when there is an injury or trauma, which is very normal. Acute inflammation is there to heal the area and speed up the healing process. For example, when a mosquito bites, that part swells, so in a way it helps. However, chronic inflammation, if prolonged, can cause health problems.
She explains that if you are someone who is having trouble losing weight and has persistent fatigue due to ‘unknown causes’, or if you have gut problems and you don’t seem to know the reason behind it, it could be due to inflammation in the body.
Experts suggest that sugar causes inflammation. Photo: Unsplash
If you regularly get sick and occasionally get an infection, signs of inflammation may appear and in this case you can follow an anti-inflammatory diet.
Debjani says you can also do tests like high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), vitamin D, and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), which can be key indicators of inflammation.
In short
Unlike other diets, such as calorie deficit, keto or Mediterranean dietsThis approach appears to work effectively if it is carried out carefully and under professional guidance. So check with a healthcare provider before starting an anti-inflammatory diet.
Published by:
Dristi Sharma
Published on:
November 7, 2024