Meet the Instagram food star who chose living over existing.

It is not uncommon to come across a plate on Instagram that is laden with delicious looking food. But this plate is different. You will most likely find three or four chapathis, a sabzi, a dal, a salad, some seasonal fruits and a cup of rice. There will be an elaborate caption that will describe everything on this plate, along with simple instructions to recreate these dishes.  This is thegutlessfoodie’s plate.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd2pcNPlv10/

With over 93K followers on Instagram, there is hardly anything that I can tell you about Natasha Diddee, aka thegutlessfoodie that hasn’t been told before. Eight years ago, she underwent a complete gastrectomy due to multiple tumours and bleeding ulcers. Since then, she has taken on a unique food journey of her own. “I had to re-learn how to eat, and I had to understand food all over again. You are taught by your parents or by your family to eat a certain way. Suddenly you realise that you cannot eat the same way because it does not suit you. At that time, there was no one to guide me. I had to take on this journey for myself,” said Natasha recollecting her days, post-surgery.

That Interview With The @gutlessfoodie- Done! Click To Tweet

Her food journaling first started as a Facebook group, where she began sharing simple recipes that helped her re-connect with food. ” The group was also called The Gutless Foodie. It’s not there anymore. I took it down because there was so much negativity in the group. The minute I would post a recipe, there would be discussions over its authenticity and whether this is the right way to make it,” added Natasha. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcUv-fMl6lT/

A friend suggested moving to Instagram, and before she knew it,  thegutlessfoodie’s plates and her story – both had gone viral. Through her posts, Natasha articulates her food struggles and her love for good food. The fact that she manages to echo these contradictions with so much honesty makes her feed even more remarkable than it already is. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbUfF7nlTxj/

Today, Natasha Didee has gone beyond the moniker of a “Chef without a Stomach”. She has authored a book called “Foursome” – a fiction novel, Diddee shared, which is heavily based on facts. “Fiction is based on one’s own experiences in life. My book revolves around four characters. They are very strong characters,  and I am a sum of these four alter egos,” said Natasha. 

But this is The Yellow Turmeric so we steer the conversation back to food from fiction. Not that it requires much of an effort with Natasha. Food is, after all her favourite subject. “I am very partial to vegetarian food. I love potatoes and rice, but I cannot eat them regularly,” said Natasha. But if she really had to pick one favourite, in quintessential Natasha Diddee style, she picks the humble dal! “It is one of the most underrated ingredients. If you give the same dal to ten different people, they will come up with ten different ways of making it. Dal is nutritious and hearty, and you can twist and turn it to a recipe of your convenience. It is a thread of commonality among various cuisines.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw7BdgTBvfp/

Reflecting on her Instagram journey and how thousands of people appreciate her posts and her honesty on a daily basis, Natasha shared that food is her medium to express her thoughts. “My posts are just not about the recipes. I also share why I choose to cook something on a particular day. Sometimes it is philosophical, sometimes it is funny. But in the end, the food is an honest portrayal of my thoughts.”

So do numbers on social media matter to her? She admits that they do, simply because she has witnessed the impact this medium allows her to create. Natasha has received many invitations to speak at public events about food, of course, but also about finding a way to work through life’s struggles. For an audience, Natasha picks the younger generation, although foodies are welcome for sure. ” There is so much pressure on them to be a certain way. So I am really interested in reaching out to them and telling them, that they are who they are. I really want them to understand their uniqueness.”

More power to you thegutlessfoodie! Cannot wait to see more of your work.

All Images Courtesy: thegutlessfoodie Instagram Page

 You May Also Like:

Bhuli-Uttarakhand