Dr Anjali Hooda On The Gut Health Mistakes We’re Unknowingly Making In 2024

What can we do to make our gut healthier? What foods should we eat or avoid? Dr Anjali Hooda gives us the tea on how to hack our gut health. Read on...

Jan 5, 2025
  • Anjali Hooda Gut Health Master Class

    Medical science has, over these last few years, discovered that gut health is the secret to unlocking vitality. And not just that, but taking care of one’s gut bacteria can prevent chronic diseases around immune function, cardiovascular health, hormone levels, and weight.

    Perhaps this new revelation in the medical world is the reason we’ve been seeing such an immense rise in Kombucha drinks and conversations about what probiotic and prebiotic food items to add to our diet in recent years.

    Gut Health, Anjali Hooda
    Image Credit: Pexels

    Internal Medicine expert Dr Anjali Hooda, who is gearing up for a special masterclass at the upcoming FDCI Manifest Wedding Weekend, gave us some insight into what we can do to maintain gut health and more. Take a look...

    Manifest:How important of a role do you think gut health plays in maintaining a healthy physique?Anjali Hooda:Gut health is crucial for maintaining a healthy physique. A well-balanced gut microbiome aids in efficient digestion, nutrient absorption, balancing of micros and macros and metabolic processes, all of which are essential for the overall physical well-being of an individual.

    M: Studies have proven how important gut health is for one’s mental health as well, what are your thoughts on this?

    AH:Gut health significantly impacts mental health through the gut-brain axis. A healthy gut can produce neurotransmitters like serotonin which is a happy hormone and reduce inflammation, contributing to improved mood and cognitive function.

    Gut Health, Anjali Hooda
    Image Credit: Pexels

    M: What is an underrated lifestyle change that all your years of experience as a functional medicine practitioner have taught you?

    AH:An underrated lifestyle change one can make is prioritizing sleep and balancing micronutrient intake. Quality sleep is vital for overall health, as it allows the body to repair, regulate hormones, and maintain a healthy immune system. Balancing micronutrients is also very important as it maintains the overall well-being of an individual.

    M: What are some small but impactful lifestyle changes one can make to elevate their gut health?

    AH:To elevate your gut health, incorporate more fibre-rich foods, stay hydrated, manage stress, and avoid excessive use of antibiotics which can adversely affect your gut immunity. A good sound sleep and being consistent in physical activities are also crucial.

    Gut Health, Anjali Hooda
    Image Credit: Pexels

    M:What are some super easy and accessible food items we can all add to our diet to improve our gut health?

    AH:Incorporate gut-friendly therapeutic food items like yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, and other fermented products, as well as high-fibre foods like low glycemic fruits, vegetables, whole grains, probiotics and legumes to improve gut health.

    Gut Health, Anjali Hooda
    Image Credit: Pexels

    M: Can you please expand a little on the main points your masterclass at the FDCI Manifest Wedding Weekend will cover?

    AH:The masterclass will cover topics such as the science behind sustainable and effective weight loss and minor lifestyle changes that can make big differences in the effectiveness of one’s weight loss journey. It will also include practical tips for maintaining a healthy weight before the wedding.

    M:  What do you think will be the greatest takeaway for people attending the masterclass?

    AH:The greatest takeaway will be understanding the importance of a functional, integrated and mindful approach to weight loss and useful nutritional balancing tips.

    Dive into a masterclass with Dr Anjali Hooda at the FDCI Manifest Wedding Weekend and learn more about how to approach your gut health to feel your best before your wedding and more at 5 pm on August 3, 2024, at the Taj Palace, New Delhi. Write to us at fmww@rpsg.in to register for the masterclass now.

    - Avarna Jain,
    Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media

    For Manifest to become one of Cambridge Dictionary's most viewed words of 2024 — 1,30,000 hits and counting — it means some of us must have Googled it at least once. I know, I hit that search button over and over again
    because each time I looked at it, I saw a new meaning.

    - Avarna Jain,
    Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media

    Putting together a homegrown title at a time when the demise of print has been long announced may seem surprising...
    ...but it has long been a dream of mine to give India a magazine it deserves. A magazine that is the country.

    - Avarna Jain,
    Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media

    And nothing, absolutely nothing, represents India more than our weddings.It is a time when families are brought together. Traditions come alive as they are adapted to each couple's beliefs. And lives are joined in a way that the romantic in me still enjoys.

    - Avarna Jain,
    Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media

    The fact that it comes with band, baaja and baraat — what's not to love?And that is the reason our first issue celebrates:
    THE NEW BRIDE.

    - Avarna Jain,
    Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media

    If you look at
    'Curate Beautiful, Create Happy'individually, they are powerful but when you put them together, they become a promise. While each section is dedicated to a word, I hope you will see this as your first of many handbooks for happiness.

    - Avarna Jain,
    Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media

    Curate
    Where we give you a fast-paced look into everything you should wish list when you start to think about marriage. What to buy and how to dress, along with modern mithai and the homegrown fragrance makers to bookmark. Make special note of the feature on alta.

    - Avarna Jain,
    Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media

    Beautiful
    It has everything you need to make your wedding special. From the big comeback of red and pink in bridal wear to how the cool kids are wearing corsets to the celebration, there is only one way to get ready for a wedding —with enjoyment.

    - Avarna Jain,
    Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media

    Create
    This section is a building block, a step to a better life. A place where we have all the answers. Or at least the beginning of a great conversation.

    - Avarna Jain,
    Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media

    Happy
    This needs very little description. It has travel with a special focus on incredible India, and a collection of wedding albums, sourced randomly, but collected with abundance because happiness has no limits.

    - Avarna Jain,
    Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media

    This first issue has a lot more, including a carefully edited address book of everything you need to make your wedding perfectly 'gramworthy! But it doesn't stop there. Each issue will be different because each one of you is unique.
    Because we manifested this difference, now we will celebrate you.

    - Avarna Jain,
    Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media