Quarantine! a word that suddenly became a part of our lives from nowhere. What is this? From where did it come? Why is it? Before we could understand it, we were totally under its control. Even learning to pronounce it took us a lot of time. But is it so bad as it seemed when attacked? Or it has some good aspects also? Numerous questions, different answers but some things are the same for all, the quarantine rules.
The effects of this quarantine may vary from person to person, but the rules remained the same for all. In between these all, an effect which is similar in many people’s lives is weight gain. Let us discuss it in detail.

Quarantine weight gain has become a common problem now. It is because of many reasons. In Quarantine, the most common reasons are staying home continuously, unable to step out for a walk or gym due to lockdown rules, sitting continuously for long hours to work from home, and earn a livelihood. Moreover, eating food properly was a dream while living our normal lifestyle.
Proper and balanced eating is good, but when your body is habitual of improper eating patterns, so changing it takes some effort. Now, if we see for all these reasons, we will find that quarantine gave us a combination of some healthy and unhealthy habits.
For healthy habits, we should be thankful to Quarantine like:
- No Packaged Foods, only fresh homemade food
- Proper sleep, no late night parties
- Washing hands regularly and reducing infections
- Choosing fresh fruits and vegetables over Dead Food
- More Family time than social platforms
- Maintenance and care for Real life Long-term Relations
But, not allowing stepping out of home showed a drawback especially for the city people, where homes are small and people have to go to a park or gym for workouts and exercises. Good Eating patterns need some physical workout and exercise to digest that food properly. And, as it is said that when the food is homemade and tasty, and above that we eat with our loved ones, family, we always eat more.
It is good that during quarantine, we have learned the need for fresh food and proper eating patterns, but also we need to take care of its proper digestion. Otherwise, these healthy eating habits can also be the reason for diseases without a healthy lifestyle.
Here, an ancient saying gets proved, which is:
“Excess of Anything is Harmful, whether it is of the best things.”
Likewise, in the case of food, what matters is the quality of food in a proper quantity. Excess eating always leads to health problems. But, now what, most of us have got a chance after a long time to have fresh and healthy food and thinking that it will soon be again normal, have taken us to this stage. Things are becoming normal gradually, but we have now become habitual of more eating and less working. So, it is again time to eliminate the negative and make it completely positive. Let us maintain the healthy habits of eating by improving our digestion so that it can never harm us.
Overweight is the biggest cause nowadays, for the initiation of any diseases in the body. So, keep it at bay if you want to stay healthier and protected against the health problems in the long period of time.
Ayurveda, which is not only an ancient system of medicine but a way of healthy life for centuries always tries to aid in such situations. It believes that prevention is better than cure, also works accordingly. But, it is also capable of providing effective treatment, if the health problem already exists.
For this treatment, it does not only recommend good food and lifestyle but also some natural herbs that can quicken the recovery and helps in rejuvenating health. The most beneficial herbs that can help you in restoring your natural weight and maintain it forever are described below:
#1 Ajwain
(Trachyspermum Ammi) – Ajwain is a good absorbent and pain reliever. It is a very vital spice, which is being used daily in Indian kitchens for centuries. It is well-known for its ability to relieve abdominal cramps and acidity, even during menstruations. It absorbs the essential nutrients well and improves digestion, which in turn helps in avoiding the accumulation of fats in the body.
It is also a great detoxifier by which it acts as a metabolic booster and burns calories at a good rate. Ajwain can be consumed daily in any convenient way, but to have effective benefits, it is good to take 1 tsp of Ajwain with 2 pinches of Black Salt on an empty stomach in the morning with lukewarm water.
#2 Black Pepper (Piper nigrum)
Black pepper is also one of the most common species which is widely used in Kitchens not only in India but in various other countries. It is really good at the taste and helps in preventing the accumulation of fat and bad cholesterol in the body due to the presence of Piperine as its major compound. The herb is well-known for its wonderful effects on all digestive disorders.
Moreover, it enhances the digestive fire and maintains a healthy metabolism. Consequently, this whole process leads to the management of weight. Additionally, it is an ingredient which can be consumed in moderate quantity in place of green chili and red chili, even by those who have to restrict spices in their diets due to some severe health issues such as Ulcerative Colitis, etc.
#3 Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis miller)
Aloe vera, an all-rounder herb which rarely has any side effect or does not suit anybody. Usually, it is the most commonly used herb for skin, hair, and eye care products. It is good for external applications as well as internal consumption. Daily intake of aloe Vera juice, tea, or pulp does not only detoxifies the body but also cleanse the skin and boosts our immunity. Being a rich source of Vitamin B, it accelerates the conversion of fat into energy and helps in weight management. It is also helpful in burning the already existing excess fat and restoring fitness.
#4 Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Ginger is considered a great antioxidant, anti-inflammatory herb. It balances the blood sugar levels, checks cholesterol, and burns extra calories of the body. Being hot in nature, it helps in the rapid burning of fat and stimulating digestive fire. Ginger also works well to suppress the appetite and give the feeling of fullness. As a result, its results in managing healthy eating patterns promoting weight loss.
Mostly, in the winter season, people prefer to drink ginger tea and in summers, ginger-lemon lukewarm water with a pinch of black salt in it is a great choice for maintaining your digestive health and controlling weight.
#5 Garlic
(Allium sativum) – Garlic is also a very important herb, especially in Indian and Chinese kitchens. Garlic-ginger paste is the choice for all while preparing tasty food. It does not only increases the taste of the food but also helps in the proper digestion of food by preventing the formation of toxins. It aggravates the digestive fire and metabolism which in turn rapidly converts the food into energy. This whole process does not leave more space for undigested food and assures the prevention of fat accumulation. Therefore, becomes one of the best remedy for weight loss.
#6 Punarnava (Boerhavia diffusa)
Punarnava is a potent herb that has more medicinal uses than general ones. It is diuretic in nature which helps the kidneys and urinary system to function properly and flush out the toxins from the body. It absorbs the essential nutrients and minerals and ensures healthy functioning of the whole digestion process. It is also a well-known herb that supports healthy kidneys and promotes their health. It possesses anti-obesity and antihyperlipidemic properties which allow it to be effective at reducing weight and detoxifying the body.
#7 Garcinia (Garcinia cambogia)
Being highly rich in Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA) that maintains healthy metabolism in the body and stimulates the digestive fire. Generally, Garcinia’s peel and fruit are consumed well in raw form as well as by preparing sauces and adding in curries. There is another way also to have it in a tastier and healthier way. For this, prepare Garcinia chutney or have Garcinia powder and mix in fresh buttermilk.
These both food ingredients together will help you to cut off the excess body fat and keep you fit. For convenient use, Garcinia capsules prepared from the pure extracts of Garcinia and filled in gluten-free vegetarian shells are also a better choice.
Hence, if you are also at a stage where it seems difficult to maintain your healthy weight and restore your fitness. Then, don’t sit back and give the above remedies a try, these will not only help to make your body fit but will also aid in maintaining it for a longer period of time along with the prevention of diseases.
All the above-described herbs are commonly found in our kitchens and have wonderful effects on our health; we just need to ensure their use in our daily diet in the required quantity. By optimum utilization of these general herbs, we can have a perfect and healthy body without any extra efforts.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan (MD-Ayurveda) is an expert Ayurvedic Doctor based in Chandigarh, India, and doing his practice in Mohali, India. He is spreading the knowledge of Ayurveda – Ancient healing treatment, not only in India but also abroad. He is the CEO and Founder of Planet Ayurveda Products, Planet Ayurveda Clinic, and Krishna Herbal Company.