Slim, not shady: What is the anti-inflammatory diet that celebrities are now following for weight loss

“Inflammation” is the new buzzword ever since Vidya Balan spoke about it. Pic/Ashish Raje

If you are a celebrity who has recently undergone a weight transformation, the Internet has two guesses: you are on Ozempic or following an anti-inflammatory diet. The second one could be the easier and healthier option for you.

In an late-October interview with Galatta India, Vidya Balan credited an anti-inflammatory diet for her weight loss. Balan further claimed that she had not worked out for the whole year for the first time in her life, adding that Amura, a nutrition group based in Chennai, helped her figure out how to manage her weight. She is not the only celebrity to follow this diet; Samantha Ruth Prabhu has endorsed its benefits too. In the West, Jennifer Aniston and Tom Brady have advocated for it.

Nutritionists, hormonal health experts, and Ayurvedic experts too back this diet.

Recently, Vidya Balan revealed that an anti-inflammatory diet was to credit for her recent weight loss; In the West, Jennifer Aniston and Tom Brady have advocated for an anti-inflammatory diet. Pic/Getty Images

Of course, inflammation is not new. Health experts have been aware of it, and how it shows up in the body - as acute or chronic inflammation. The first is when your body has a fever or swelling due to an injury, while the second occurs in clinical conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, exposure to toxic pollutants, or due to an unhealthy diet, smoking, stress, sleep problems, and lack of exercise.

"It is like the new buzzword," says Saleha Bawazir, a clinical nutritionist, "But honestly, inflammation has been there in our bodies since man existed."

As for why it seems to affect us now more than ever, Bawazir ascribes it to the modern-day lifestyle, which includes sedentary jobs, air pollution, processed food intake, and high stress. According to a review published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, lifestyle diseases, also called non-communicable diseases (NCDs), are responsible for 52 per cent of fatalities in India. So, prevention must be taken seriously. But is that why this diet is getting popular now? "I think there is a shift in the medical field in the way that they consider food. Food is not just sustenance anymore," says Bawazir, "You realise that modern-day diseases such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, thyroid, and others cannot just be cured with medicine alone - treatment needs to be supported with lifestyle changes. And, if you are already on an anti-inflammatory diet, these diseases are preventable, as you won't go into a state of inflammation," she continues. Bawazir adds that children too can follow this diet as a preventive measure.

Rajeshwari Shetty; Jiahjeet Kaur; Dharmishtha Dagia; Amrita Kaur Rana; Saleha Bawazir

A quick Google search is all you need to know the list of inflammatory foods. These commonly include refined grains like white rice, wheat, refined flour, red meat, processed meats, processed sugar, fried foods, sugary drinks, and alcohol, among others. But what exactly do they do to your body?

Rajeshwari Shetty, Head of Department - Nutrition and Dietetics at SL Raheja Hospital in Mahim, explains that inflammatory foods disrupt the gut microbiota, and change hormonal levels, which leads to weight gain. She emphasises the importance of identifying food sensitivities and allergies. "Before following this [diet], you have to do a food intolerance test or an allergen test to know which food items are responsible for inflammation," she says, adding that different foods affect each individual differently.

Shetty further explains: "These [inflammatory] foods are cut out and select food items which will reduce the inflammation are prescribed in the diet. Certain diets, known as Mediterranean diets, are anti-inflammatory because they focus on fresh foods. Such diets already have extra virgin olive oil, fatty fish rich in omega-3, and nuts and seeds. An anti-inflammatory diet doesn't focus on one food, it's different food items acting together to reduce the inflammation."

Globally, several health organisations like the World Health Organisation, American Heart Association, United Kingdom's National Health Service, and American Diabetes Association, all recommend a Mediterranean diet. This type of diet has been proven to prevent cardiovascular disease and stroke, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Additionally, Shetty says that an anti-inflammatory diet helps prevent early Alzheimer's, improves cognitive functions, boosts mental health, and improves sleep.

The ghosts of diet trends like keto, paleo, calorie deficit, and intermittent fasting still linger. The "no sugar, no maida, no fried foods" advice sounds like every other diet we have tried before, no? In contrast to those diets, though, the anti-inflammatory diet might be more tailor-made and complementary to medication, and those who practise it note several other benefits too. "I think the first thing I noticed was that my skin began to improve. I tend to have dry skin because of my time in the kitchen," says Chef Aditi Keni, who has been on the diet for the last nine months, and adds that she also saw a spike in energy levels.

Jiahjeet Kaur, popular as The Painless Period Coach on Instagram, is a clinical nutritionist who follows what she preaches. "This diet is not a plan to be followed for a few months, I think it's a lifestyle change," she points out, adding that she sends out a prep sheet to her patients before they begin this diet. The prep includes cutting out alcohol, getting the right amount of prescribed sleep, and curbing stress using tools like yoga, meditation, and journaling prompts. Kaur adds that when she first read about the diet, she tried it as an experiment, and the benefits convinced her to keep at it.

To track progress and to test the re-introduction of some foods like those that contain gluten, she encourages patients to take photographs. "We generally ask them to take pictures of their face, nails, hands, and their problem areas where they previously had rashes or irritation. They can compare any sort of bumps or redness. We ask them to track how well they slept, as well as their mood in the day," she says, adding that the diet has proven to improve overall health. Kaur, who suffers from PCOS, says that she has noticed this diet improved her hormonal and menstrual health as well.

Ayurveda, too, has mentions of how dietary habits, environment, and lifestyle impact inflammation, along with recommendations on how to curb it. Amrita Kaur Rana, a content creator and follower of Ayurveda, began researching this diet through a scientific lens some years ago. As a creative cook, she stirs her modern diet with Ayurvedic principles and has managed to find a balance. "There was a time when I was overweight and my lifestyle was different. At that time, I used to have bloating, belching, and feel uncomfortable. Those are also inflammation signs in our body, along with excess flatulence and acidity. But when I started listening to my body, I understood how to balance my diet," she says.

Rana recommends adding herbs and spices to the diet and eating hyper-local meals, but she says she also adds barley, quinoa, avocado, and tahini to her meals. To her, it's what keeps her diet interesting and allows her to cook creatively.

Chef Keni, who runs Additive Consulting, has cooked for several celebrities on an anti-inflammatory diet and says that this is one diet that is easy to cook. Keni learned the principles of cooking for this diet at Hinterland Village Eco Resort in Kerala. "One of the biggest things is that you need to know where your ingredients are coming from. This diet has quicker cooking methods, but you are better off buying produce that is seasonal and from a farmers' market. It requires you to make a mental shift and not only eat but also buy mindfully," she says.

Keni says that if one wants to follow a more Western diet, they can eat raw foods, avocados, and berries. But an Indian version of the diet is easy to cook as well, as it includes buttermilk, pachadi, and curd rice, among others. She adds that as this is a Mediterranean diet, one can cook fish, and eggs, and eat more fruits as well. And, if you are eating out, Keni says that brown rice biryani, whole wheat tandoor roti, salmon or tuna sushi sans sauces, miso soups, seaweed salad and stir-fried vegetables with no soya sauce are some of the options you can pick from.

The switch was an easy fix for Dharmishtha Dagia, a public relations professional who was put on this diet after her weight would not budge. But as the diet is turning into a fad, she emphasises the need to consult a nutritionist instead of blindly following what celebrities do. "Anyone can tell you about a certain diet but there are certain nutritionists who can figure out whether [your case] could actually involve inflammation or some other issue. Everyone needs to go to a nutritionist first," she concludes.