About Me

I am Indira Shyju and I currently live in Connecticut, USA with my loving husband and two wonderful kids.  I am a pharmacist and worked as a health economist/researcher for 15 plus years. In January 2017 I decided to quit my stressful job and follow a healthy and stress free lifestyle in order to manage my RA. In 2018, I became certified as a Nutrition Therapy Practitioner (NTP) by the Nutritional Therapy Association (NTA), Washington, US. And in March 2020, I became an AIP Certified Coach. I also published my first cookbook ‘AIP Indian Fusion‘ in 2021! This book has 114 Indian inspired AIP recipes that will help you to implement the AIP diet in your life!

I was diagnosed with severe Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in the summer of 2015 with the disease affecting my hands, shoulders and knees. All of a sudden I went from active, ‘super’ mom to someone who needed help with even the littlest of things! Read more of my struggle with RA in this story that was published on the Autoimmune wellness website. I am currently taking immunosuppressant medications to control my symptoms but I am also actively following dietary and lifestyle changes to help control the disease.  Being a pharmacist I am well aware of the side effects of the RA medications and so I would like to control my disease by eliminating all inflammatory foods, eating anti-inflammatory foods and through lifestyle changes like yoga and exercise. Although this disease has made everything harder for me, I continue to cook, bake and blog with the help of my supportive husband and children. I hope to motivate all other RA patients who have similar interests in cooking  and baking as me to ‘remain positive and keep at it’. My deep faith in God has allowed me to overcome a lot of my physical challenges and I continue to move forward with my healing.

I have been also following a Paleo diet, specifically the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) that has been developed by some experts who used this diet to reverse or control their autoimmune diseases.  A Paleo diet is a ‘nutrient dense’, grain free diet that focuses on fresh vegetables, fruits and good quality meats like wild caught fish and grass fed beef and chicken.  Additionally, an AIP diet tries to eliminate further some of the other potential inflammatory foods from our diets which include  nuts, nightshades, spices and eggs for a period of time after which we can try to re-introduce these one at a time to see if it is inflammatory to our body. So to summarize,  the Paleo Autoimmune diet eliminates the following from your diet: all processed foods, including refined sugar and flour, dairy, gluten and all grains, nightshades (tomato, peppers, eggplant and potato), all nuts, eggs, soy and cane sugar.

I currently follow the AIP diet with some reintros like spices and potatoes occasionally. Interestingly for me the Paleo diet was one where I finally began to feel at home!  Paleo promotes use of coconut and coconut oil as well as root vegetables like cassava (tapioca), yams and taro root etc and those being so intrinsic to Kerala and Kerala cuisine (which is where my family hails from in India), I feel quite at home with it! There are so many Kerala recipes that I can adapt to embrace my new Paleo lifestyle!

I cook paleo and AIP for myself but I also cook regular healthy meals for my family. however, I strive to always cook and bake clean and healthy recipes. By clean I mean avoiding the use of all processed foods like white sugar, white flour, vegetable oils and all other ingredients that contain preservatives or dyes. I also try to limit the use of sugars and dairy in general, but  having young kids at home means to allow for some occasional indulgences 🙂

Below are some useful websites and resources for Paleo and AIP that will give you detailed information including the science behind it as well as recipes and tips if you would like to follow this diet:

What is the Autoimmune Protocol?

https://www.thepaleomom.com

http://autoimmunewellness.com

www.phoenixhelix.com

 

DISCLOSURE: The recipe posts on my blog may contain one or more affiliate links. Sometimes when you click a product link on this blog , it’s an affiliate link. This means that if you decide to buy it, I get a small commission. Your price stays the same, but your purchase helps to support this blog at the same time.

Copyright Notice

The contents of this website belong to me(Indira Pulliadath). You’re welcome to mention my recipe posts elsewhere as long as you link back to this website and include my name and the name of my blog (Indu’s International Kitchen). Please don’t copy entire posts/articles or reblog entire posts without linking to my site. THANK YOU!

 

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https://cook2nourish.com/aip-indian-fusion

196 Comments

  1. Hi,
    I purchased your book and love the recipes! I’ve made an adaptation of your Spinach Paratha recipe from your book that uses half Himalyan Tartary Buckwheat flour, a superfood flour, and I’m wondering if I may post it (assuming I link to your page and credit you, of course) in the private bookclub group for Dr. Kara Fitzgerald’s book, Younger You?

    Reply

    • Hi Kim, Thanks for reaching out! I am so happy to hear that you like my book! You can definitely share your improvised recipe of the spinach paratha in your group. I will appreciate it if you could also share bout my book and about my website! Thanks for checking with me!

      Reply

  2. […] Indira started looking into healing diets six years ago to control her severe and debilitating Rheumatoid Arthritis when medications alone were not enough, she was severely disabled and for a period of two years was in a lot of pain. Indira tried several alternate diets and therapies. Finally, AIP helped her tremendously to reduce her pain and inflammation which in turn motivated her to switch careers and become a nutritional therapist. You can read more of her story here. […]

    Reply

  3. […] Indira started looking into healing diets six years ago to control her severe and debilitating Rheumatoid Arthritis when medications alone were not enough, she was severely disabled and for a period of two years was in a lot of pain. Indira tried several alternate diets and therapies. Finally, AIP helped her tremendously to reduce her pain and inflammation which in turn motivated her to switch careers and become a nutritional therapist. You can read more of her story here. […]

    Reply

  4. Dear ma’am, I am Jayesh from Kochi, a medical journalist would like to publish your success story over RA in an international journal. No cost for you. We were searching for good success stories, luckily we got details about you from google. Could you pls share your contact details to have some words. Requesting Whatsapp number. My mobile is 9349011309. Expecting that you can share your contact details very fast. I am from Kochi. My mail Id is jayesh.nivas@gmail.com

    Jayesh

    Jayesh

    Reply

  5. Hello Indu,

    You have a great blog with some great recipes and a great story. I am reaching out to you from https://bachelorrecipe.com an online food community for passionate cook, professional chefs and homecooks. It is a community of about 200 food bloggers with hundreds of recipes and counting. You might find some fellow bloggers from India and abroad as well on our platform. It is developed by someone like you who is a Indian mom/wife/daughter who is passionate about technology and in need of quick and easy recipes for busy days. This platform is aimed at addressing the love for food by creating:

    Share and discover food that is easy to prepare and does not take much time or money.
    Perfect cooking community for upcoming chefs and Homecooks.
    Create a democratic platform for home cooks to get noticed, appreciated and rewarded.
    Share the creative ways people are exploring Homemade food.

    In fact going by number of food blogs it’s quite evident that the real fun in Indian food is happening in the kitchens of homes and not in star restaurants & cooking schools.

    Therefore, we also want this to be a platform for home cooks to get together and share ideas. We believe this platform would truly democratize the Indian food blogger community and give an equal opportunity for everyone to succeed.
    The current services are just a beginning and we will be adding additional functionalities that will truly make this a global platform for easy food.
    We hope you like what we are presenting and would join our growing community of food lovers. Don’t wait and join today. Our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/bachelorrecipeapp/ is frequently updated with food related news and some exciting recipes of our members so stay connected via facebook as well.
    If you face any challenges in registering please contact us at info@bachelorrecipe.com

    Thank you and looking forward to having as part of Bachelor Recipe community.
    Please ignore this email if you are already a member.

    https://bachelorrecipe.com

    Reply

  6. Hi Indu ,
    great recipes, I like especially the Indian veganized ones, thank you 🙂
    But something seems to be wrong with your website.
    Sometimes it looks weird, I think you better have a look.
    Best, Erika

    Reply

    • Hi Erika thanks for letting me know. Can you describe what exactly are some weird things you see? Is it not loading entirely? I moved to self-hosting a few months ago and ever since that I think my site has slowed down. Appreciate your feedback.! I will investigate further on my end. regards, Indu

      Reply

      • thank you. I do post a lot of vegan recipes since I eat a lot of vegetables and I am dairy free. However as you may have realized, I have been following a Paleo diet lately and I eat a lot of fish/seafood. So you will see a lot of those recipes too! thanks for swinging by!

        Reply

  8. Hi Indu!

    Great recipes! I recently tried your cabbage in coconut oil with urad and chana dal. It turned out really delicious. Thanks.

    I had a quick question about the iron kadhai you have used in this recipe. It looks just the right size and shape. Can you please let me know where to purchase a kadhai like that.

    Regards
    Shilpa

    Reply

  9. Hi Indu, I was unable to comment on your Spinach/Carrot Idli recipe, hence, writing here.

    I loved those healthy and colourful Idlis and as a token of appreciation, I’ll be sharing it’s recipe link as the Recipe of the Day on our Facebook group ‘Recipe Repertoire’ (a group uniting food bloggers and food lovers). Congrats and do join and have a look at https://www.facebook.com/groups/703073099864104/

    Reply

  10. Hi Indu. This is a good cooking blog. I just thought it might help you if I suggest using the word ‘ Cocum’ for Kudampuli.
    We’ll done and keep blogging !!

    Reply

    • Hi Sherly. thank you for your comments! Your suggestion of using Kokum word is good although I had refrained from using it because ‘hokum’ is technically slightly different from the kodampuli that is unique to Kerala. Both Kokum and Kodampuli are related species but hokum has a slight reddish color and has a slightly different flavor. But your suggestion is good since many more people might be familiar with the ‘kokum’ word 🙂 Thank you so much for your comments and compliments. It means a lot to me when folks take the time to comment! I appreciate it greatly! 🙂

      Reply

  13. Hi Indira,

    We have gone through your blog/website and find many nice recipes on it. You are having amazing cooking skills and we appreciate your work and want to make it reach to the right people who love food and cooking. We don’t want to let such talent go unnoticed. So, let us help you in becoming more famous. We will be very much happy to have you on our website- Onfoodie.com.

    We would like you to upload your recipes on our website. All you have to do is, just sign up and add your recipes or if you want we can add your recipe on our website on your behalf (If you permit us) and will promote you and your recipes. You can also add variations in already uploaded recipes and can add YouTube video link along with your recipes. Rewards and offers will also be provided and added soon.

    If you face any problem in registering or in uploading the recipe, please contact us at support@onfoodie.com or you can write us back also. We will be very happy to help you. The current services are just a beginning and we will be adding other functionalities to make your experience amazing and wonderful.

    Your contribution will mean a lot to us.
    Thanks in advance.
    Onfoodie Team

    Reply

  16. […] Indu at Indu’s International Kitchen is a lovely food blogger whom I have known since I started my food blog, A Taste of Sri Lankan Cuisine in 2013. While her blog had a similar initial focus to mine of documenting my mother’s recipes, she soon diversified her blog focus to recipes from around the world as well as her original and fusion creations. Do visit her delightful blog and check out some of her Kerala and other recipes. […]

    Reply

  17. Hi Indu, so glad you found my blog as it led me to yours! We definitely do seem to have a common interest in wanting to share our family’s traditional recipes. Looking forward to following along on your journey! All the best to you 🙂

    Reply

    • thanks so much Marissa for stopping by! yeah we sure do have a few things in common 🙂 thanks much for your wishes. I look forward to following you as well.

      Reply

  20. You are a real inspiration to me. Loved your blog and all your wonderful healthy recipes. Am so glad to follow you and having stumbled upon your blog. huge hugs!

    Reply

    • thanks Nadia. I am doing Ok . I have been doing some diet restrictions like avoiding dairy, tomatoes etc and doing yoga. That is helping somewhat. I could not stand the side effects of the medications – they were making me too weak. So i am taking a break from them now. Let’s see. thanks so much for asking and for stopping by!

      Reply

  24. Hey Indu, thanks again for joining our community. It’s been really interesting learning a bit more about you and your blog. Admittedly, we do not know much about Kerala (although the pictures look like a small piece of paradise), but look forward to learning more about its cuisine and expanding our palate. We are definitely looking forward to your future posts and trying some of the many tasty recipes on offer!

    Reply

  25. Hey, Thank you Indu for dropping by and following my blog.. I came to your blog through ‘Mostly Blogging’ and it was an instant connection as I saw your mouth watering recipes. Wishing you all the best for your journeys ahead…Regards 🙂 🙂

    Reply

    • thanks so much Rajat. Nice to meet you. Yes I visited your blog briefly yesterday and liked everything I saw! I love travel and to learn about the different foods and the cultures so it is my pleasure to follow your blog 🙂

      Reply

  26. Hi Indu,
    Great blog! I landed her through Janice’s party. I’m looking forward to browsing through it at leisure, since I love Indian food – and all other food! Your recipes look delicious! I’m Greek, so if you need any recipes from there, let me know. My blog is about life in Greece, take a look if you have a minute. Lovely meeting you
    http://athensletters.com

    Reply

  31. Dear Indu,
    You have an awesome blog! I am nominating you for the Creative Blogger award! Cheers!

    Reply

  32. I loved reading more about you and your cooking journey! It’s funny how food is memories. There is so much we have missed about the states while living abroad, and the food is such a big part of that. So wonderful that you’ve had a chance to bring your traditions and cultures to your new home to pass down to your own kids. I look forward to following along and trying some of your delicious recipes along the way!

    Reply

  33. Thanks for the Saag Aloo Chicken! I could tell while making it that you are South Indian as you use coconut oil and no dairy products. The flavor turned out just like I remember when I lived in Tamil Nadu.

    Reply

    • thanks Chuck. So kind of you to leave feedback. I am intrigued that you lived in Tamil Nadu! Yes in Kerala coconut oil is mainly used and dairy in curries is not used. Instead coconut milk is used.thanks so much for visiting! 🙂

      Reply

  34. I used your biryani chicken recipe with cashews and coconut it was simply a spectacularly flavored meal. Thank You!

    Reply

  36. Hello Indu

    You have a great blog with some great recipes and a great story. BTW I used to live in Manchester,CT a few years back. I am reaching out to you from http://www.itspotluck.com a social platform for Indian/Desi food lovers. It is a community of About 300 flood bloggers with thousands of recipes and counting. You might find some fellow bloggers from India and abroad as well on our platform. It is developed by someone like you who is a Indian mom/wife/daughter who is passionate about technology and in need of new recipes. This platform is aimed at addressing the love for Indian food by creating:

    > A one stop shop for all Indian food related information.
    > Create a democratic platform for home cooks to get noticed, appreciated and rewarded.
    > Share the creative ways people are exploring Indian food – In fact going by number of Indian food blogs it’s quite evident that the real fun in Indian food is happening in the kitchens of Indian homes and not in star restaurants & cooking schools. Therefore, we also want this to be a platform for home cooks to get together and share ideas. We believe this platform would truly democratize the Indian food blogger community and give an equal opportunity for everyone to succeed.

    The current services are just a beginning and we will be adding additional functionalities that will truly make this a global platform for Indian food.

    We hope you like what we are presenting and would join our growing community of Indian food lovers. Don’t wait and join today. Our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/its.Potluck is frequently updated with food related news and some exciting recipes so stay connected via facebook as well.

    If you face any challenges in registering please contact us at comments@itspotluck.com

    Thank you and looking forward to having as part of itsPotluck community.

    Please ignore this email if you are already a member.

    itsPotluck.com
    http://www.itspotluck.com

    Reply

  37. Dear Indu,
    Thank you so much for visiting and following my blog. It is so nice to meet you! You have a great blog. I am a newbie at blogging. I hope to learn from you.
    Love,
    Sandhya

    Reply

    • thanks Sandhya for the return visit 🙂 I learn everyday from all the thousands of bloggers that are out there! In fact that’s my only motivation in blogging – to learn more! Welcome to the blogging world! It is a lot of fun 🙂

      Reply

  39. Thanks Indu for stopping by my blog…….explored you blog briefly……waiting to learn more & more recipes from Kerala and of course international too 🙂

    Reply

  43. Hi there Indu, thanks for exploring my blog – I quickly clicked to find out more about you too. :). I see you were from Kerala, it’s beautiful there, I visited a friend in Cochin once and she gave me the grand tour. I was born in India (my roots are Goan), but left India when I was 3 years old. I’ve lived in other countries since, and like you, now call USA my home. It’s nice to meet you, I enjoyed reading your 4th July post, my husband too is a die-hard soccer fan, not just for World Cup, but all the way through, he follows the English Premier League avidly (originally from England), and I have to admit, the World Cup games have been tres exciting, especially watching it with friends in a pub. Hope to cross paths again soon, Fiesta Fridays has opened up a whole new world since I’ve only just started blogging. Cheerio for now.

    Reply

    • thanks so much Loretta for your comments.!
      Looks like we have some things in common including our husbands’ love for soccer! thanks for stopping by and I agree FF is a great way to meet other bloggers.There is so much to explore and to learn! Cheers to you too! 🙂

      Reply

  50. I totally agree about the “love” part of cooking. I think on a subtle level, your feelings affect the food you make. I’ll enjoy reading about your cooking adventure!

    Reply

  52. Hi Indu,

    Have you heard of “My Writing Process blog tour”? I hadn’t heard of it before, but it sounds really interesting! It’s another way for us bloggers to continue to get to know one another and be introduced to other blogs.

    I’ve been invited to join the “My Writing Process” blog tour and have accepted for May 25, 2014. This tour rolls out across three new bloggers’ sites each week. So, I can invite three writers to carry the tour forward. I really admire your blog and think it would be interesting for more bloggers to hear about your writing process! I guess it’s essentially a chain letter of sorts, but a little bit more sophisticated!

    Your date would be June 2, 2014. Please let me know if you’re interested. If you choose not to participate, that is completely fine with me too. Please just let me know, so I can ask other bloggers.

    This is how it works:

    Follow the steps below and post to your blog on the date given. Acknowledge the person who invited you and mention that the post is part of the My Writing Process Blog Tour; answer the four questions provided below, nominate (ask) three bloggers to follow with short bios and blog links for all.

    FIRST: I’ll feature you on my blog on May 25, stating you’re next. Then it’s over to you to prepare your own blog post.

    STEP ONE: Acknowledge the person & site that involved you in the blog tour. That’s me! Here’s the link to my blog: http://foodieonboard.com (Of course you already know this! ☺)

    STEP TWO: Answer the 4 questions below about your writing process:

    1) What am I working on?
    2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
    3) Why do I write what I do?
    4) How does your writing process work?

    STEP THREE: Say who is on next week (your own chosen three) – give a brief bio and link to the website for each of them. Their date would be June 9, 2014.

    Here’s a link to the blog tour post from the person who nominated the person who invited me (boy, that was a mouthful…lol!) , so you can see how it works:

    http://morefoodpls.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/my-writing-process-blog-tour/

    Seems pretty easy!

    Please let me know if you’d like to participate ASAP, so I can ask others if need be. Thanks so much,

    Julianna

    Reply

  55. Hi Indu, Thank you so much for recently stopping by my blog. I am very glad to find yours. I completely agree with you about love being an important ingredient in cooking. I also like how you approach cooking scientifically. Best wishes to you in your cooking and blogging, and I look forward to seeing more of your recipes and learning about Indian cooking.

    Reply

    • thanks so much Shari for your comments. I really appreciate it. I am so glad that you stopped by too. I need to explore your blog more fully and will do so soon but it does look delightful at first blush! thanks so much! 🙂

      Reply

  58. What a lovely blog you have set up! I also love cooking as a stress-relief from a busy day and enjoy trying recipes from all over, good luck and I hope to learn new dishes from you 🙂

    Reply

  59. At last I found out some Kerala dishes after long time. It is interesting to see your blog. I will have to follow it because of the Kerala recipes. I keep coming back. Have a wonderful blogging journey. Thank you.

    Reply

  60. Indu, I’ve awarded The Dragon Loyalty Award back to you. For you, there are absolutely no rules for acceptance! It is simply my way of bestowing the honor back to you, as a thank you for your continued support, kindness and loyalty to me ☺ .

    Reply

  61. Hi Indu, Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a trace 🙂 I just loved reading through your blog and found so many things common between us – the Kerala recipes, coconuts, spices and so on 🙂 And yes, i agree in preparing food with love which instantly gives that delicious taste to the food!! Looking forward to more interactions with you…

    Reply

  63. Dear Indu
    I have nominated you and your blog, for the Sunshine Award!
    Congratulations!
    Please know that participation in purely optional, no hard feelings or unfollowings on my end! I do not expect any action to be taken, or for you to generate a post [unless you wish to pass on the award nominations]. Promise 🙂
    You can pick up your badge and information/rules on how to pass on the award at: http://feastingwithfriendsblog.com/2014/03/23/award-acceptance-wishing-for-spring/

    Reply

  68. Thank you for visiting today. So happy to have found your blog, wonderful recipes and love your “about”. I agree…a most important ingredient in cooking is ‘love”. That makes a meal delicious.

    Reply

    • thanks so much for your comments. I am so glad you agree with me about love making all the difference. Some folks may find that cheesy but I really believe that making your food with love makes all the difference.! Your blog is delightful as well and I am glad to be following it!

      Reply

  71. I am so glad to have found your blog through, Elaine! What a lovely and sweet introduction. I love your about page, especially the mention & dedication of your mom. So sweet. I look forward to connecting with you, and learning some of your kerala passed down recipes.

    Reply

    • Hi Abby, thanks so much for visiting and for all your lovely words. It took me a while after my mom’s passing to really come to terms with it and now finally with this blog I want to keep her alive always! thanks so much once again.

      Reply

  76. Indu, I’m so happy you decided to go “public” with your delicious blog! From the sneak peak I just treated myself to, you have a wonderful array of recipes. I’m so happy Fiesta Friday helped us connect. It’s such a pleasure to meet you, my new friend, I’ll eagerly await your next recipe!

    Reply

    • thanks so much! And I think all women are super women! We are born with multi-tasking skills.! 🙂 As for me, if I don’t have too much on my hands, I will feel very uneasy I am sure! …it’s just the way I am 🙂

      Reply

  81. Hi Indu,

    Thank you for stopping by my blog; it helped me discover your lovely blog.

    You echo my feelings when you say “My main inspiration for my blog is my amma – writing down the recipes I learnt from her makes me remember all the pleasant memories I had with her and that makes me feel like she is still with us.”

    It is very true for me as well. The compliment I cherish the most was my brother and father telling me “the taste is just like when Amma made it.”

    I look forward to being a part of this delicious journey of yours….

    Aruna

    Reply

        • thanks so much Fae for checking in and for your kind note on my other post. Hope you have been doing ok? I don’t get as much time to visit other bloggers’ posts as before now bcos of my disease …my hands are the worst affected so even being on the PC is not easy unfortunately. thanks so much for stopping by though! Hugs!

          Reply

      • Hi Fae, I just stopped by your blog and was pleasantly surprised to see your revamped and self-hosted site! Looks really really cool! I am so happy for you! I could not leave a comment there so I thought of messaging you back here! Best, Indu 🙂

        Reply

        • Your recipes opened my eyes to a whole new world in my sugar gluten and night shade free diet, but that is not the reason I am emailing. This is the only way I can see to contact you to let you know your cookbook did not download onto my computer properly and I cannot access what I paid for; please email me with a solution.

          Reply

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