With delectable flavors and fragrant spices, Indian cuisine is certainly popular around the world. In addition to its wide variety of rich flavors, a traditional Indian diet also boasts of a wide variety of nutrients in a balanced quantity.
We love our dal-chawal, roti-subzi, idli-sambhar, macch-bhaat. Not only is Indian food diverse but also changes every 10 kilometers. Enriched with different varieties of dals, sabzis, rotis, rice, and an infinite category of fruits, Indian cuisine is colorful in every aspect.
According to our ancient Indian science, Ayurveda, Indian food is complete and enough for our bodies. The dependence on foreign foods is not required as our legumes, beans, grains, fruits, and vegetables provide us with ample amounts of fiber, fat, carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins and minerals.
Despite the fact that we are predominantly a vegetarian nation, our foods are sufficient enough to make us nutritionally efficient. Even though we may be obsessed with our rice and roti, our traditional Indian diet composes of healthy ingredients. However, on the flip side, obesity and diabetes still continue to be significant public health concerns for India. The country is considered to be the Diabetes capital of the world and we are seeing people report problems such as heart diseases, weight gain, high cholesterol levels over the years. PCOS, PCOD, infertility are on the rise too. A detailed study done by the medical journal, The Lancet mentioned that Indians tend to consume more carbohydrates, sugar, less protein, and plant protein than what is recommended for a sample adult population base, despite having access to diversified dietary sources.
The burden of diseases and the health risks it brings forward makes one certainly question- is our Indian diet really that healthy as compared to the Western ones?
So, what really hurts our nutrient quotient, our grandmother’s recipes, or new modern living techniques? Let us find:
The staple Indian diet consists of roti, rice, dal, chutney, pickle, beans, and legumes along with meat or chicken, or fish. These can vary from region to region with the addition of several other components, but listing them here will be an impossible task.
Let’s look at the nutrient quotient of some of these everyday food items we consume:
– Roti: 85 calories per roti with a 6” diameter. Fat content – 0.5gms.
– Dal (urad) with tadka: 154 calories per 150gms. Fat content – 6gms
– Rajma/chana/lobhia: 153 calories per 150gms. Fat content – 5gms
– Average mixed vegetable: 142 calories per 150gms. Fat content – 15gms (based on oil usage)
– Average chicken curry: 300 calories per 100gms. Fat content – 15 to 35gms (based on oil and types of cut – skinless, lean, etc)
– Plain dosa: 125 calories per medium dosa. Fat content – 3gms
– Idlis: 132 calories for two. Fat content: 3gms
– Curd rice: 190 calories per 100gms. Fat content: 7gms
– Coconut rice: 368 calories per 100gms. Fat content: 15gms
By now, it is clear enough that an average day’s diet is mostly balanced with the proper amount of carbs, fats, fiber, and proteins. Curd, beans, lentils, chicken, fish, or meat not only provide essential amino acids but are also good sources of healthy fats and are low in calories. Therefore, it is safe to say that a typical Indian meal comprises of good carbs, healthy natural protein, and resistant starch which is beneficial in weight loss.
While we know how healthy Indian food is, where we often go wrong with is our over-indulgence in fried Indian snacks. These are usually consumed after 6 pm and result in bulging tummies and high-fat percentages. This is the first step towards all kinds of lifestyle issues like diabetes, thyroid, obesity, pcod, etc.