Most people think that you can’t possibly eat Indian food in a weight loss diet. That is a fair point if you are talking about eating Indian food in restaurants. Many traditional Indian recipes involve either deep frying or the use of ghee which is clarified butter.
However, if you love Indian food then you don’t have to give it up completely in order to lose weight. If you make your own Indian recipes at home then it can still be part of your weight loss regime. It’s like any other food you just need to adapt it to a healthier version. Here are a few simple, general rules that can make a lot of difference to whether Indian food is very fattening or not.
Alternative choices for Indian food in a weight loss diet
Cooking methods
Avoid altogether recipes that involve deep-frying. This goes for any meal not just Indian. look for recipes that oven cooked or lightly fried.
If a recipe requires you to braise meat for a curry, use a good non-stick pan and a spray bottle of sunflower or vegetable oil. Lightly spray the surface of your pan with oil and that should be enough to prevent the meat from sticking while you brown it.
Healthier food ingredients
Substitute healthier alternatives where possible. If a recipe includes cream or coconut cream, substitute plain yogurt, and another flavoring to replace the coconut.
Tandoori recipes are great as part of a low calorie or low carbohydrate diet. Just marinate some fish, chicken,prawns or tofu in a homemade mixture. Mix together some low-fat plain yogurt, ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, crushed garlic, grated root ginger, and chili powder then marinate your chosen main ingredient for at least an hour. Grill, barbeque or oven cook.
Serve with mixed salad and wedges of lemon to squeeze over. Depending on how many calories you are allowing yourself you can also have a pitta bread, a baked potato, or some boiled rice with this. Choosing wholegrain rice, rather than plain white, will mean that the Indian food in your weight loss diet has additional health benefits.
You can still enjoy curry dishes preferably fish, chicken, tofu or vegetable based. Choose a recipe that is water or tomato based and add your favorite spices. This is a much better option for a weight loss diet than cream based sauces. Limit the amount of oil you use for frying onions and spices to an absolute minimum.
For vegetarians or those trying to cut down on meat, Indian cooking is ideal. There are so many recipes for vegetables and pulses which are really tasty that you won’t even know you’re on a diet.
Most Indian recipes like the Tandoori idea above or any curry can be based on a vegetarian base. Use tofu or paneer which is an Indian cheese as a protein source. Many other ingredients that you can include like lentils and other legumes are also a protein source.
You can definitely still enjoy Indian food in a weight loss diet if you incorporate healthier alternatives in both ingredients and cooking methods.
