How to make an anti-inflammatory diet for weight loss like Vidya Balan, Samantha?

If you struggle with losing weight and find that losing kilos feels like a constant nightmare despite your best efforts, you are not alone. Many people have that frustrating time where diet and vigorous exercise don’t seem to make a difference.

This endless loop of trying to lose weight without visible results can be exhausting, even Indian celebrities are open about it. The battle is often even more difficult for women with PCOS, where losing weight can be very difficult.

Bollywood’s favorite food?

However, it seems that social media personalities may have found a way to break free of this habit, with something called the ‘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 helped her achieve the weight loss she wanted for years.

In conversation with Galatta Plusshe revealed, “You know, my whole life, I’ve struggled to be thin. I have been eating and exercising regularly. Sometimes I would lose weight, but it would come back. Then, early this year, I came across a nutrition group called Amura (Amura Health) in Chennai. They told me it was just swelling, not fat. So, they put me on an anti-inflammatory diet, and it worked well – the weight came off as they eliminated the unhealthy foods.

Vidya also said that she hasn’t worked out at all this year, however the anti-inflammatory diet has produced good results.

Similarly, Samantha Ruth Prabhu recently shared her experience in the same way. During an Instagram interview, he said he was still on “strong anti-inflammatory medication”. This came after people talked about his weight, encouraging him to “bulk up”.

Samantha replied, “Another weight comment. I saw a whole thread about my weight. If you must know, I eat an anti-inflammatory diet, which is important for weight management. My condition. It keeps me at a healthy weight. Let’s stop judging people. It’s 2024, really.”

Both studies highlight that sometimes, weight problems may not be related to fat but are more related to inflammation, especially in those with lower levels.

But what is this food and how can it be done correctly? We asked the experts.

What exactly are anti-inflammatory foods?

Debjani Gupta, a Mumbai-based nutritionist and health expert, says India Today that in order to understand anti-inflammatory foods, we need to understand what causes inflammation in our bodies.

He explains that inflammation is a defense mechanism that exists in every organism – not just humans, but plants and animals as well. “All of us have a built-in response system that deals with external stimuli that may harm us. This can be an injury, illness, or any foreign agent that disrupts life. physical beauty,” he says.

Debjani adds that there are things that cause inflammation in different ways. Another common cause of internal inflammation, apart from any illness or injury, is a poor diet. Long-term unhealthy eating habits, combined with the stress of working long hours and compromising lifestyle, can lead to inflammation.

Another cause of inflammation is stress hormones like cortisol.

“It disrupts the action of insulin, affects blood sugar control and ultimately affects other hormones, especially the thyroid, which controls metabolism. Therefore, when the body goes into a state of inflammation, we should taking steps to counter it,” he continues.

Now, to get rid of this inflammation, anti-inflammatory foods come into play. It can be done, “once we reduce the cause of inflammation”, Debjani says.

What does an anti-inflammatory diet look like?

We asked different experts about their idea of ​​what an anti-inflammatory food plate should look like, and according to them, it means adding certain foods to your diet and eliminating others. in detail.

For example, Parmeet Kaur, head and chief dietitian and nutritionist at Marengo Asia Hospital, Gurugram, tells us that anti-inflammatory foods are high in fruits like berries and greens like spinach. , turmeric and ginger, reduce inflammation.

“Eat whole grains, such as brown rice and millet, healthy fats from nuts, seeds and olive oil. One should include more foods that contain Omega-3. Omega-3 is a the most powerful anti-inflammatory, such as flax seeds, chia. Seeds or fish, which are the best source of other aromatic spices have strong anti-inflammatory properties, so be sure to include them in your diet, turmeric and garlic.

Debjani agreed. He says other anti-inflammatory foods include pre- and probiotics such as pickles, fermented foods and curd. According to this way of eating, Debjani says, one should avoid processed and unprocessed foods, as well as sugar.

‘Food should be tailored to individual needs’

Dr. Archana Batra, nutritionist and certified diabetes educator, explains that anti-inflammatory diets often need to be adapted to the body, and can be best done after finding the cause. inflammation.

“This diet is also specific to the needs of the person. For example, if a person is intolerant to gluten, then he should eliminate gluten. Otherwise, it is not important to eliminate any food group or anything else. such as gluten or lactose in food. If he has a problem with these things, he only needs to eliminate them.

How can you tell if you are ‘bloated’?

Although Dr Batra says anyone can choose to eat an anti-inflammatory diet as it has no side effects (if done well)there are simple ways to check if someone is ‘swollen’.

He explains that inflammation can be acute or chronic. Acute inflammation occurs whenever there is an injury or a very common infection. The intense 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, in the long run, can cause health problems.

He explains that if you are someone who is struggling to lose weight, and you have constant fatigue due to ‘unknown causes’, or if you have a bowel problem, and You don’t seem to know the reason for this, it may be so. due to inflammation in the body.

If you are sick frequently and get infections every now and then, there may be signs of inflammation and one can continue to eat anti-inflammatory foods in this case.

Debjani says that one can also do tests such as High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein (hs-CRP), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), Vitamin-D, and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), which may be important indicators. of inflammation.

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Unlike other diets, such as calorie deficit, keto, or the Mediterranean diet, this method seems to work effectively if it is done carefully and under the guidance of a professional. So, consult a health care professional before starting an anti-inflammatory diet.