One common initial weight loss obstacle that most nuclear Indian families face is cooking the additional diet meal for the family member who is the weight loss aspirant. Since food is such an integral part of most Indian culture, for a lot of people shifting from traditional delicacies to boiled or raw fruits and vegetable diets are perceived as a huge sacrifice. Well, the truth is such a sentiment is not wrong after all our food tradition is an integral part of our culture and helps us feel connected with our roots.
According to Dietician and Nutritionist Avni Kaul, it very much possible to reduce weight and get healthy while having traditional food at home. In this blog, a few tips on how a person can lose weight while having a Punjabi Diet is shared:
Nutritionist Avni shares for most of us, the first thing that comes in the mind if someone mentions Punjabi diet is thick dal makhani, aloo paratha, malai chicken tikka, Amritsari Macchi and others. However, people often forget that these cuisines belong to a time when people of India endured tremendous daily physical activities like pulling water from well, walking, farming etc. In today’s time if you want a healthy body, bring little change to these cuisines as well as to your lifestyle. Here are some of the ways you can lose weight while having your daily Punjabi fat free diet.
1. Rotis and Rice
No Punjabi meal is complete without roti and rice but if you have to lose weight, make a shift from rice to whole wheat rotis and corn wheat roti (makki de roti) that are rich in fibers. You may take rice twice or thrice in a weak but take it in moderate quantities. To know the right quantity of roti and rice intake, consult an expert dietician and nutritionist.
2. Curd
No Punjabi meal is complete without curd or lassi. Do carry on taking curd but make sure that you prepare the curd from toned or low-fat milk. Also, avoid adding sugar in your lassi, you make take as Namkin lassi if you don’t have an issue of hypertension.
3. Low-calorie Dal Makhani
Dal makhani is the celebrated delicacy from Punjab. It is prepared with Rajma and whole urad that provides protein and calcium. You can have dal makhani and still lose your weight if you replace its two ingredients – cream and ghee with low-fat milk and tomato puree. (Rest the recipe remains the same).
4. Fat-free Butter Chicken
Butter chicken is a world delicacy and normally contains 600 plus calories and 30 plus grams of fat per serving. But this dish can be makeover to cut down its calories and fat by less than 239 calories and 7 grams by replacing certain fat ingredients and changing its cooking method. One of the famous fat-free butter chicken recipes is:-
1. In a pan boil some water and add ginger garlic paste, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, green chilies, crushed cashew nuts, red chili powder, coriander powder, low-fat milk yogurt, salt and by adding some water cook for 15 minutes on a low flame by closing the lid, and make a paste of it.
2. In another pan heat water to that add chicken pieces, garam masala, salt and cook for 4-5 minutes by closing the lid, to this add tomato paste and cook for another 10 minutes.
3. Finally, add Kasuri methi, and your butter chicken is ready
5. Water & Salads
Every day drink a minimum of 2-3 liters of water so your body can stay rehydrated and your metabolism can work smoothly. Good body metabolism is vital to stop weight gain and to keep your body healthy. Similarly, make a routine to take a fresh green vegetable salad with your main course.