What’s the first thing you do when dieting for weight loss? In India, most people would say – give up rice, switch to roti, use less oil in vegetables, and of course, avoid papads, pakodas and other greasy fried foods. This means, you not only disrupt your daily eating habit, but also make your food tasteless and less nutritious. After all, Ayurveda says that a quintessential Indian thali contains every nutrient your body needs to stay healthy. What if we say that you don’t need to compromise with what you eat, even if you’re on a weight loss diet? You heard us!
According to nutritionist Apoorva Agarwal, you just need to carefully control the portion of each type of dish in your everyday plate. “We don’t need to change what we eat, just to lose or maintain weight and stay healthy,” she says, “we just need to learn how to enjoy it without the guilt” of our desi food. How to put it on the plate”.
Also read: Going back to the roots: 8 health benefits of Indian thali
Why is it important to control portions of an Indian thali?
If you look closely at the Indian thali, you will find that it is much more complex than its global counterparts. This includes rice, roti, vegetables, pulses, meat, spices, curd and more – each of which has a unique role in your overall diet.
But nutritionist Apoorva explains that Indian food becomes more complex when we try to separate them in terms of nutrients. She further explains that dal contains both protein and carbs, whereas curd contains protein and carbs as well as fat. On the other hand, vegetables are rich in dietary fiber just like rice and bread.
Therefore, it becomes even more important to understand the portion size of whatever dish you are eating to maintain a healthy nutrient balance in the body.
Also read: How to control your food portions at an Indian wedding? watch viral video
A perfect Indian thali (Photo credit: iStock)
3 Smart Ways to Balance Indian Food:
Tip 1. For carb-rich foods:
Any type of carbohydrate-rich food including rice, roti, idli, upma, dosa, dal etc. should not exceed one-fourth of your entire plate. So if you are eating both dal and rice, balance them as per your wish, do not exceed the given portion size.
Tip 2. For vegetables:
If you pay attention, our daily diet includes some type of vegetable every day. Be it raw, cooked, steamed, baked or air-fried, half of your plate should be filled with it every day.
Tip 3. For protein rich foods:
Be it curd or cheese or chicken, fish and eggs, we include some kind of protein in our diet every day. Whatever you eat, make sure it does not exceed one-fourth of your total plate size. That’s it!
You may be wondering how to include fat in your daily diet. Don’t worry, cooking your food takes care of this automatically. “There’s oil used to cook lentils and vegetables and it’s thick!” Nutritionist Apoorva explains.
Now that you have the smart hack, we suggest carefully modifying your diet to get all the micro and macronutrients your body needs to stay healthy and full for a long time.
Eat healthy, and stay fit!
