When you think of going on a diet, the thought itself makes you want
to eat more, but compared to the North Indian greasy fattening oil-
ridden food, a South Indian diet plan just might assist you in
achieving your ideal body weight. Lifestyle changes are permanent
and fortunately the South Indian everyday meal plan suits the taste
buds and benefits the body when eaten in the right moderation.
Having a well balanced diet is important when it comes to aiming for
weight loss.
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South Indian food is often rich in fiber and fibrous
foods can prevent metabolism dysfunction which leads to obesity.
The thought of consuming a southern Indian cuisine can bring delight
to oneself with the aroma and different delicacies also allowing you
to enjoy your meal without the restraining thought that you are
currently on a diet. The best diet plan should always be associated
with an exercise plan and should contain the 5 major food groups.
For instance - fruits and vegetables, pulses and cereals, meat and
dairy products and fats and oil.
A south Indian diet is all about fruits like coconuts and lentils with
unpolished brown rice creating a tempting yet appetizing flavor to
your liking. What is common among the five south Indian states'
cuisines is the presence and use of rice as a staple food, the heavy
use of lentils and spices, dried red chilies and fresh green chilies
and of course coconut. The native fruits and vegetables include
tamarind, plantain, jackfruit, snake gourd, garlic, and ginger.
The famous Idli is considered the healthiest breakfast by WHO,
while containing only 39 calories. Due to it being steamed and
fermented, Idli is tasty and easy on the tummy, Along with it a bowl
of Sambhar would pair perfectly as it retains authenticity yet
providing a mouth watering taste for the layman. Ensuring that the
authenticity of the food remains, you should stick to the various
recipes involving health conscious food items, playing safe and true
to the aromatic cuisine of South India.
Every state in South India has its very own tradition. Ragi
dominates the Karnataka diet with its ragi idlis, ragi dosas, korri
rotti etc which is full of vitamins, proteins and calcium. Kerala gets
dominated by coconuts which are rich in healthy fats like omega -3
and fiber. The typical kerala meal is called sadya that just
emphasizes the tastiness of Kerala cuisine. Appam, thoran and
grated coconut can be included in a fat loss plan.
Tamil nadu has lentils and legumes in their Sappadu (typical tamil
nadu meal) which is good to add in your diet plan for weight loss. So
a lunch involving a small bowl of brown rice and sambhar made of
horse gram and dal can be had making a very delicious meal for
weight loss.
A sample diet plan would involve –
Breakfast - idlis / ragi dosas or upma with coconut chutney, tomato
chutney etc
Snack – fresh fruits and one glass buttermilk or one bowl of yoghurt
Lunch – one small bowl of brown rice or two small ragi rotis,
sambhar, one cup rasam and roasted pappadam for flavor and taste
along with one protein made in a south Indian style with moderate
amount of oil
Snack – yoghurt or buttermilk with chia seed, cucumber with curd
dip, salad bhel with peanuts. No fried sugar or maida (refined flour).
Dinner – baked chicken, fish or egg, (proteins) spinach curry, avial
curry , thoran (cabbage mix) and brown rice or wheat rotis.
MEAL IDEAS AND RECIPES –
AVIYAL –
An easy to make dish to have with your brown rice for lunch.
For the vegetable filling add – yellow pumpkin, white pumpkin,
drumsticks, carrot, potato and brinjal.
Cook these vegetables in turmeric powder, ground masala and salt.
Add grated coconut mixture – which involves grated coconut, jeera,
green chili, small onions and curry leaves.
Switch off the flame
Add beaten curd, curry leaves and coconut oil for flavor.
PUTTU -
Red rice flour puttu with either egg roast for protein or banana if
having as a snack. It can also be had with veg stew or kadala stew
(chickpeas)
This is made in a healthy way with mix of millets like Ragi flour,
which is rich in iron and calcium along with Red Rice Flour for its
richness of thiamine , fibre and the Vitamin B .
It is steamed and sprinkled with Coconut �� on top and layered in
between for its omega 3 fatty acid complimented with a high quality
protein black Channa.
Healthy almond flour waffles –
With 2 eggs����, raisins, raw honey �� blueberries �� , cardamom
almond flour and almond milk a healthier and tastier form of waffles
can be made. With the same batter you can make delicious pancakes
that are more beneficial than pancakes made out of refined flour.
it is Vegan, Gluten Free, ZERO refined sugar, yet sweet and yummy!
�� You’ll find yourself craving for a stack of these.
Oats dosa –
Method of preparation:
1 cup oats
1 /2 cup sama or Rawa roasted for binding
1 cup curd
Required amount of water
For the Masala:
1 small onion
2 medium green chilly
coriander 1 hand full
3/4 inch ginger
Salt as required
Put all these ingredients in the blender and churn it for half a
minute till the consistency is smooth.
Black pomfret maza ( also called Halwa )
Mostly consumed by local Maharashtrians and Malayalees.
It is rich in
- low fat protein
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin B1
- Calcium
.
Therefore “Halwa” is a fat fish which is not only good for weight
loss but also great for hair , eyes and skin .
This fish tastes yummy, when fried. It tastes great prepared as red
masala fish curry and the combo with red rice would be yumm !!
Red rice flour “Ada”
It is a concoction of
Ghee
Coconut
Jeera and black til roasted ( for calcium)
Jaggery ( for its Iron and Vitamin B6 properties )
Sambhar
This is a south Indian lentil and veg mixed stew. It is loaded with
vegetables, spices and herbs making you full for a longer time. It
goes well with idli, dosa or brown rice.
Make sure to add, okra , tomato, carrots, brinjal, drumsticks, red
pumpkin in your sambhar.
A spice powder also known as sambhar powder is the key to a good
and tasty sambhar stew, which can be bought at any local grocery
store.
Uttapam –
Made from the same batter as idli, it has but only a slightly thicker
consistency. Add chopped vegetables like onions, capsicum, tomatoes
and green chillies to add more nutritious flavour to its fibrous
content.
When eating fruits and vegetables one should –
Eat plain fresh fruits like grapes, pears, pineapples etc but
avoid regular canned fruits and fruits with jaggery.
Eat vegetables cooked with minimal oil or stir fry vegetables
but avoid fried potatoes and creamed or fried green
vegetables.
Food items to eat more
Steamed idlis
Upma
Poha
Raw vegetables
Natural spices
Liquids to drink more
8 glasses of water a day
Buttermilk
Unsweetened lime juice
Food items to avoid
Food rich in sugar like cream biscuits, chocolates, aeriated
drinks
Food rich in fat like fried items, cheese, mayonnaise, cashew
nuts, cream or milk
Trans fats like margarine and processed food
Refined oil such as sunflower oil, soya bean oil etc
Refined grains like white bread and white pasta.
All whites to avoided like maida, refined flour, white sugar,
white pasta, white bread, white rice, white milk.
Tip
Have more small quantity meals rather than few large meals.
Rather than 3 large meals have 5-6 small quantity meals.
when eating south Indian cuisine one would know that brown
rice is preferred over white rice
Try to minimize salt consumption, meaning eat food with
moderate salt.
Having freshly prepared meals is always a good choice
Your breakfast should be wholesome
Your breakfast should be taken within 30 minutes of waking up
Your dinner should be light
Your dinner should be taken at least three hours before
bedtime. Have an early dinner.
Remember that moderation is key
Always try eating more fruits and vegetables as snacks instead
of chips and fried items.
Avoid zero carb diet and or starvation when trying to lose
weight
Eat plenty of fiber and fibrous foods due to the reason
mentioned above.
Along with the low calorie diet you decide to follow, one should
consider exercising often and regularly, like try running,
swimming, jogging etc for at least 45 minutes. It balances your
lifestyle maintaining your balanced diet allowing a more
permanent weight loss for you. Drinking sufficient water is
important to maintain your healthy lifestyle. Finding your ideal
diet plan may seem tiring as it has to pertain to your needs of
taste and health, though fortunately the south Indian cuisine
in general is filled with the combination of taste, aroma and
healthy culture. With the right diet plan you can have a
nutritious meal not compromising on taste. It is also important
to remember that stress plays an important factor in weight
gain, hence one should have a minimum of 7 hours of sleep to
produce serotine.
With the right amount of dedication and will power, you can
achieve your ideal body weight with just the simple outlines
mentioned above to be kept in mind. When sticking to a south
Indian diet plan, one should keep in mind that moderation is
key. There is no point or need in starving yourself when you can
eat all the tasty food of the southern Indian cuisine that
serves its purpose of being healthy and yet tasty despite the
two words not being associated with each other often.
Experimenting with different south Indian cuisines can be fun
also fulfilling the main purpose of weight loss. It is not
necessary to compromise on taste when trying to lose weight as
eating healthy food can be tasty too. Also don’t deprive
yourself of an occasion to eat out, you can still go out once a
while on occasion but remember to follow the guidelines on
what to eat and what to avoid when stepping outside. Avoiding
the 5 white foods is important as it’s very easy to gain back all
the lost weight if indulging in junk fatty food items. Be firm
and rigid with the mindset of achieving your ideal weight and
motivate yourself to stick to the rules or eating the right
health conscious food items not being discouraged when you
see others eat what you desire to have because remember that
once you achieve your body weight with the routine you have
created a lot of your health problems and stress related
problems will disappear. Moreover you need to be dedicated in
this journey of achieving weight loss allowing yourself to think
and be positive throughout the ride.