Before becoming a dietitian, Rakhi Roy Chowdhury aspired to be an actor, but eczema flare‑ups stood in her way. “I had a patchy, map‑like rash covering my entire body,” the 36‑year‑old told Themoneytimes. The red blotches on her face, hands, chest, back, elbows, and behind her knees made it difficult to attend auditions for TV and film roles.
Chowdhury has battled eczema since she was about six months old. She described her outbreaks as so severe that, at age 12, her parents relocated the family from New York City to Florida on a doctor’s recommendation, believing the new location had fewer environmental pollutants and drier winter weather that could trigger symptoms.
Although she felt better, Chowdhury still experienced flare‑ups and tried topical treatments like steroid creams. When she stopped using them, she began noticing side effects. “My skin was thinning,” she said. “I almost looked like a burn patient.”
In her early 20s, she consulted a dietitian at her allergist’s suggestion—a solution considered more “outside the box” at the time. Chowdhury was advised to eliminate potential inflammatory triggers, such as ultra‑processed foods, and to diversify her diet overall with more fruits, vegetables, grains, and healthy fats.
She reported seeing significant improvement within about six weeks. While she still experiences flare‑ups from triggers like dust, pollen, and cat dander, she said reducing inflammation greatly cleared her skin.
This experience motivated Chowdhury to change careers and become a registered dietitian, now focusing on gut health and anti‑inflammatory foods. She shared the three dietary habits she follows to reduce inflammation—without feeling overly restricted.
Fiber‑rich, diverse meals support her gut health
When she first started changing her diet, Chowdhury noticed the biggest improvement after increasing the variety of plants she ate.
Now she understands that eating a wider range of plant foods can support a more diverse gut microbiome. That diversity helps maintain good bacteria and produce compounds that support the immune system, which may help reduce chronic inflammation.
She aims to eat 30 grams of fiber a day, which also supports gut health. An easy way to reach her goal is to snack on fruits, she said, such as kiwis, which have even more fiber when eaten with their skins on.
In the morning, she usually has oats, switching out the fruits she tops it with—sometimes raspberries, sometimes blueberries. She also pairs it with a protein source such as eggs or Greek yogurt.
For lunch, she loves bean soup, even in the summer, which makes it easy to pack a variety of beans. She’ll top it with avocado, a rich source of both fiber and healthy fat.
Including more fiber and plant diversity is also the advice she gives her patients when they first start addressing their diets. Often, “they actually do see an improvement without doing a lot of these crazy diets that exist now,” she said, such as extreme elimination diets.
She’s selective with her prepared meals
For dinner, Chowdhury keeps it simple when cooking at home: “I’m always having some kind of protein with rice and then some variety of sheet‑pan veggies that I can pop into the oven.” When cooking for herself, it’s easier to avoid overusing ingredients like sugar, sodium, and saturated fat that can lead to inflammation.
If she’s in a pinch, she looks for to‑go meals with fewer processed ingredients. She likes Kevin’s Meals (she has no affiliation with the brand), which don’t use as many heavy artificial preservatives or highly processed stabilizers.
She follows the ’80/20 rule’ with alcohol and sugar
With most of her patients, Chowdhury usually starts by suggesting they cut back on alcohol and ultra‑processed foods, which are inflammatory triggers.
However, she doesn’t necessarily believe you need to cut them out entirely.
Personally, she follows the 80/20 rule, in which roughly 20% of the time, she lets herself have alcohol and sweets.
“The majority of the time, I am not having ultra‑processed foods or alcohol, but I think there’s also a balance in when you’re out to eat with friends and family, especially if there are weddings,” she said. “I think that is absolutely okay to have in moderation.”
This article is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your qualified physician or healthcare provider.