Indian food is one of my favorite ethnic cuisines, but is it healthy? Yes and no; it’s all a matter of making healthy choices. Indian food can be deceiving. One would think anything vegetarian would be healthy, but this is not always the case. Take samosas for instances. Potatoes and peas normally a healthy choice that is until it is wrapped in pastry and deep fried.
A much healthier choice for a first course at an Indian restaurant would be mulligatawny soup. This hearty chicken, lentil and spice soup comes in around 230 calories per serving as opposed to a single samosa at 369 calories. The mulligatawny soup is also very filling so it is a perfect start to a meal.
Indian food from the north is generally higher in fat and calories then food from the South. The North prefers sauces and curries, many filled with hidden fat and calories. The Southern regions of Indian are partial to vegetarian dishes and lots of rice. Learn to recognize the dishes from the south and seek them out on the menu.
Northern Indians love their breads. Nan, roti, Gobi, the bread basket is hard to resist at an Indian restaurant. To save calories order the whole wheat tandoori roti and request it not be brushed with butter.
Tandoori cooking is pretty health overall. Look for menu items with Tandoori in the name. Tandoori chicken is a good choice, with chicken marinated in a spicy yogurt sauce, minus the skin, and baked in a tandoori oven with extremely high temperatures.
The paneers are another good choice. Paneer, Indian cottage type cheese is used in a variety of vegetarian dishes. I am partial to saag paneer, with spinach, looks awful tastes great. Or try Mutter Paneer, made with peas and spices. A serving of mutter paneer is 147 calories, with 13 carbs, 8.5 grams of protein and 8 grams of fat.
Dals are another staple of Indian cuisine. They also pack a lot of nutrition and are low in calories. Depending upon how they are prepared servings of dal can run between 50 to 300 calories. Use as a main course with a salad and a piece of whole wheat tandoori for a healthy low calorie, satisfying meal or as a side dish, either way dal is a good choice.
Basmati rice has such a great nutty flavor and at 150 calories per ¾ cup makes a good choice. Be carefully what curries or sauces are used on top or have the sauce on the side to eat more rice then sauce.
Vegetarian dishes are pretty safe unless as is the case with samosa. Vegetable Kofta Curry at 147 calories and Vegetable Korma at 88 calories are perfect examples.
Skip the high sugar high calorie desserts and choose a mango lassi. Made with yogurt and mangos this lassi comes in at 80 calories, and will satisfy ones sweet tooth.
Indian food can be deceiving, fill with hidden calories, but healthy choices can be made. It’s a matter of doing ones homework and making the right choices.
