Indian food offers a wide variety of nutritious and flavourful options that can support weight loss. In a May 21 Instagram post, fitness coach Raj Ganpath shared some ways to use Indian food for weight loss. According to him, by making mindful choices and focusing on whole, nutrient-dense ingredients, you can enjoy Indian cuisine while supporting your weight loss goals. Also read | Simple south Indian vegetarian meal can be ‘very healthy when balanced right’: Fitness coach explains how
In the video he posted, Raj said: “Here are four practical ways to make Indian food work for you with respect to weight loss and fitness.” He wrote in his caption, “#4 is controversial but it is what most people need.”
According to Raj, here’s what you can do to stay fit, shed those extra kilos and get in shape:
1. Balance your meal
“Your meals are probably high in carbohydrates, low in vegetables and even lower in protein. You can eat the same food, no problem. You just need to adjust the balance a bit, and that means you need to decrease the amount of carbohydrates that you are eating and replace that by increasing the amount of protein and vegetables,” Raj said.
2. More protein
He added, “Rethink your recipes to include protein because protein need not be a force fit to the Indian meal, it can be a seamless part of what you are eating on a daily basis. This essentially means that you need to learn how to include protein sources like paneer, tofu and meat in your regular food items like kootu, poriyal, sabzi, kozhambu or whatever it is that you eat.”
3. Less oil and ghee
Raj said, “Optimise fat consumption. Not that fat is bad for you, but Indian food in general contains a lot of fat even when it is not necessary. So, try and reduce the amount of oil and ghee that you are using in your cooking – trust me when I say this, this will not affect the taste or the experience.”
4. Change your mindset
He concluded, “Indian food is amazing, yes. But the traditional Indian diet is a solution to a problem that does not exist anymore. Back in the day, we used to move a lot, we needed a lot of energy, and so we ate a lot of carbs and fats. Today, we hardly move, we are overfed and undernourished. So what we really need is protein and vegetables. This change is absolutely necessary. So acknowledge the fact that times are change, accept it, and evolve.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
