How to do an anti-inflammatory diet for weight loss like Vidya Balan Samantha

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How to do an anti-inflammatory diet for weight loss like Vidya Balan Samantha

If you’re struggling with weight loss and find that shedding those kilos 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 struggle is often even harder for women with PCOS, where weight loss can be particularly challenging.

Bollywood’s favourite diet?

However, it seems like the people on social media may have found a way to break free from this cycle, with something called an ‘anti-inflammatory diet’, which is gaining a lot of attention.

This happened when actress Vidya Balan shared her experience in a now-viral video, explaining how this diet has helped her achieve the weight loss she had been seeking for years.

In a conversation with Galatta Plus, she revealed, “You know, all my life, I’ve struggled to be thin. I’ve dieted and exercised relentlessly. Sometimes I’d lose weight, but it would always come 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 beautifully – the weight just fell off as they removed foods that didn’t suit me.”

Vidya also mentioned she hasn’t worked out at all this year, yet the anti-inflammatory diet has delivered remarkable results.

Similarly, Samantha Ruth Prabhu recently shared her experience with a similar approach. During an Instagram Q&A, she mentioned she’s also on a “strict anti-inflammatory diet”. This came after people commented on her weight, urging her to “bulk up”.

Photo: A screengrab from Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Instagram.

Samantha responded with, “Another weight comment. I saw an entire thread discussing my weight. If you must know, I’m on a strict anti-inflammatory diet, which is essential for managing my condition. It keeps me within a specific weight range that works best for my health (myositis). Let’s stop judging people – live and let live. It’s 2024, after all.”

Both actresses highlight that sometimes, weight issues may have less to do with fat and more to do with inflammation, especially for those with underlying conditions.

But what is this diet and how to do it right? We asked experts.

What exactly is an anti-inflammatory diet?

Debjani Gupta, a nutritionist and wellness expert from Mumbai, tells India Today that in order to understand an anti-inflammatory diet, we need to understand what causes inflammation in our body.

She explains that inflammation is a defence mechanism present in every living being – not just humans, but plants and animals as well. “We all have a built-in response system that reacts to external stimuli that might harm us. This could be an injury, illness, or any foreign agent that disrupts the body’s health,” she says.

Debjani adds that there are various ‘triggers’ of inflammation. One common cause of internal inflammation, apart from any illness or injury, is a poor diet. Long-term unhealthy eating habits, combined with stress from long working hours and lifestyle compromises, can lead to inflammation.

Stress causes hormonal changes that can increase blood sugar levels and blood insulin levels, causing people to crave foods high in calories, fat, and sugar. Photo: Unsplash

Another cause of inflammation is stress hormones like cortisol.

“It disrupts insulin function, affecting blood sugar control and ultimately impacting other hormones, especially the thyroid, which manages metabolism. As a result, when the body enters an inflammatory state, we need to take steps to counteract it,” she further says.

Now, to remove this inflammation, an anti-inflammatory diet comes in. It can be done, “once we narrow down the root cause of the inflammation”, Debjani says.

What does the anti-inflammatory diet look like?

We asked various experts about their idea of what an anti-inflammatory diet plate looks like and, according to them, it means adding certain foods to your diet and removing some of them completely.

For instance, Parmeet Kaur, the head 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, which lowers 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. One should include more Omega-3 rich foods. Omega-3 is the most powerful anti-inflammatory agent, like flax seeds, chia seeds or fish, which is the best source. Other aromatic spices possess 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 like pickles, fermented food, and curd. To follow this diet, Debjani says, one should also avoid processed and junk food, and, of course, sugar.

‘Diet should be customised according to one’s needs’

Dr Archana Batra, a dietitian and a certified diabetes educator, explains that an anti-inflammation diet often needs to be customised for the body, and can be done best after finding out the root cause of inflammation.

“These diets are also specialised for one’s needs. For example, if a person is gluten intolerant, then he/she should eliminate gluten. Otherwise, it is not important to eliminate any particular food group or anything like gluten or lactose in the diet. If he or she has any issue with these things, then only one needs to eliminate them. Certain oil seeds are also considered inflammatory, like those oils which have more Omega-6 ratio than Omega-3 are considered inflammatory,” she says.

How to know if you’re ‘inflamed’?

Even though Dr Batra says that anyone can opt for an anti-inflammatory diet as it doesn’t have any side-effects (if done correctly), there are easy ways to check if one is ‘inflamed’.

She explains that inflammation can be acute or chronic. Acute Inflammation happens whenever 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 issues.

She explains that if you’re someone who is having difficulty losing weight, and has persistent fatigue due to ‘unknown causes’, or if you have gut issues, and you can’t seem to know the reason behind it, then it can be due to inflammation in the body.

Experts suggest that sugar causes inflammation. Photo: Unsplash

If you fall ill frequently, and get infections every now and then, there can be signs of inflammation and one can go on an anti-inflammatory diet in this case.

Debjani says one can also take 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.

Bottomline

Unlike other diets, such as calorie deficit, keto, or Mediterranean diets, this approach seems to work effectively if done carefully and under professional guidance. So, do contact a healthcare professional before starting with an anti-inflammatory diet.

Published By:

Dristi Sharma

Published On:

Nov 7, 2024

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