Why dieting made us fat: On weight loss, metabolism and why food is not the enemy

In the last three decades, trends in health have come and gone, but Rujuta Diwekar’s advice remains unchanged: eat local, traditional, whole foods, exercise regularly, and get to bed on time. “We have known each other for 15 years since your first book. And I admire the fact that your messaging hasn’t changed at all,” says Shonali Muthalaly, Editor of The Hindu MetroPlus, The Hindu Weekend, The Hindu Cinema, who was in conversation with the celebrity nutritionist and writer, at a session titled hy Dieting Made Us Fat: On Weight Loss, Metabolism and Why Food is not the Enemy. 

In response, Diwekar says that it is more important than ever before to “speak about local, seasonal, traditional, because everyone can see that time and again, the messaging of the weight loss industry, the food industry and now even the pharma industry and beauty industry keeps changing. They want us to adhere to a new standard every single day,” she says, pointing out that this has left us more confused than ever before. Also, less healthy. Part of the problem, she strongly believes, is social media, which is filled with Instagram influencers “who have no clue” offering health advice. “And we are like cattle, being fooled by a herd mentality. We are just following one trend and another, and as the title of this talk says, getting fatter.” 

The session also saw a discussion on other aspects of health: Instagram filters warping the way we see ourselves, the influx of videos about skincare routines (something Diwekar clearly doesn’t think much of), how the quest for thinness often shrinks our minds and lives, the issue with the ongoing protein craze, the continued relevance of age-old cultural practices around food and why it is more important to ask big questions about health rather than worry about just weight loss.

“This whole belief that we have that it takes discipline and willpower to get fit is a misunderstood one, coming out of privilege and not really understanding,” she insists, adding that real health comes when there are better policies, such as those that help protect everyone from air pollution, improve maternal health, ensure gender equality and regulate junk food, alcohol and tobacco. “That is the stuff that improves the health of a nation, and not gyms, protein shakes and probiotics,” she says. 

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