When it comes to losing weight, there are ample fat diets that promise quick results. If you are specifically looking for the Indian Diet Plan for Weight Loss. Here you go.
A Guide to Indian Diet Plan for Weight Loss
When it comes to losing weight, there are ample of fad diets that promise quick results. But such diets often limit the nutritional intake and can be unhealthy in the long run. Compliance is often poor over time. The key to attain and maintain a healthy weight is a long term commitment that involves lifestyle changes like mindful eating, regular physical activity, and managing stress.
It does not have any short term objectives to be fulfilled, on the contrary, it is an on-going process. Maintaining a healthy and ideal body weight prevents many chronic lifestyle disorders and slows down the process of aging.
If one is looking to gain or lose weight, there has to be the right balance in the amount of energy intake and energy expenditure to achieve the desired goal. To lose weight, the calorie intake should be less and physical activity should be more. Physical activity increases the number of calories the body uses for energy and thus helps in maintaining a negative energy balance.
Why you need an Indian Diet Plan for Weight Loss
We’ve all seen how in recent times the prevalence of obesity has increased to alarming rates. There are many causes of this. Some of the major causes include – environmental factors, genetics, and lifestyle factors. Amongst these, the only reversible factor is a lifestyle and thus it gets a great scope to bring in healthy eating habits and physical activity.
As one age, the body composition changes and there is an increase in fat mass and proportional decrease in the muscle mass. This causes slowing down of the metabolism, making it easier to gain weight.
The good news is that weight gain can be prevented by choosing a lifestyle that includes healthy eating habits and regular physical activity. By preventing weight gain, a lot of chronic and metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiac diseases, certain types of cancer, can be kept at bay.
The bitter truth remains that there is no magic weight loss pill that one can pop in and expect miraculous results. It requires efforts and a lot of commitment but is equally rewarding. Indian diets are typically high in carbohydrates, sugar, and fat.
The protein content is moderate to poor. Also, Indian diets have a lot of sentimental value, and refusing food is like a taboo. Forceful feeding is considered as a sign of warmth and hospitality. To top it all, exercise is selectively done.
No single food gives all the calories and nutrients that a body needs. Hence there is a need for a balanced diet that has macro and micronutrients in the right quantities. The best Indian diet for weight loss is an amalgamation of different food groups – fruits and vegetables, whole cereals and pulses, meat and dairy, and fats and oils.
The main challenge is to know how much to consume from each food group and what to avoid.
Nutritional Needs & Indian Diet Plan for Weight Loss
As the nutritional needs vary according to age and activity levels, it is essential to tailor-make a diet plan for each individual as per his or her needs.
A good diet plan for weight loss includes the right balance between macronutrients and portion sizes. Indian diets are carbohydrate-based as the majority of the Indian population belongs to the working class or the labor class, requiring energy from carbohydrates. Indian diets are primarily vegetarian or lacto-vegetarian.
A wise thing to do is keeping the same kind of diet, we can interchange the carbs for more fiber. Since there is also a sentimental value attached to food in India, it is not right to make it westernized and give options that are not native to India and do not have traditional Indian foods.
So how does one choose a healthful eating regime that will help in maintaining weight or losing weight with the Indian diet? Let us know more about it.
So, What makes the best Indian Diet Plan for Weight Loss?
Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it gives the day a kickstart. If done right, it boosts the energy levels and gives pumps the body with nutrients that it requires for throughout the day. Typical Indian breakfast includes Poha, Upma, Idli, Dosa, Paratha, Bhakris, and so on based on regional differences.
They are mainly high in carbohydrates. So the smart thing to do here would be to add fiber and protein sources to increase satiety and thus avoid hunger. Fiber can be increased by adding vegetables to these dishes and protein by adding sprouts, pulses, peas, beans, eggs, paneer to the standard breakfast dishes. It is important to strike the balance between sticking to the traditional diet and also increasing nutrient density that will help in weight loss
Lunch
Most of the working class people carry a simple packed lunch and it usually consists of something like chapati and sabzi, rice and dal or sabzi. Again the key here is to increase the fiber and protein content of the meal and thus adding fullness. This can be done by adding a bowl of salad that consists of raw vegetables, sprouted, or boiled pulses.
This keeps it basic and does not deviate too much from the routine diet. Portion control of carbohydrates and increasing fiber and protein in each meal is a simple yet, a very effective method that aids in weight loss
Evening snack
Evening snacks is the favorite time of the day for most Indians and nearly everyone eagerly looks forward to having a piping hot deep-fried snack with a cup of tea. This is the cheat meal of the day and this is where it takes more effort to bring in discipline and mindfulness.
For a person looking to lose weight, this evening snack has to be turned around into something healthier. The options could be puffed rice chaat – popularly known as bhel, boiled sprout and pulse chaat, some besan or gram flour chillas, fruits, or roasted peanuts. These options increase satiety and provide protein along with fiber
Dinner
Dinners are family meals and they are more elaborate than other meals in India. Some of the ways to make dinner healthy are to include a serving of salad or a bowl of soup, increase the intake of curries, sambhar, dals, and limit the portion of rice or chapatis. Another tip for weight loss is to have an early dinner around sunset or at least a couple of hours before bedtime to avoid sluggish metabolism and weight gain
Exercise
Weight loss is incomplete without exercise. Exercise does not only render physical benefits, but it also helps in relieving stress and increase energy levels along with enhancing mood. Simple exercises like brisk walking, jogging, climbing stairs, cycling, or playing a sport of one’s choice, dancing can be done. Exercise need not always be associated with fancy gyms and trainers. They can be simple outdoor activities that often do not require any equipment. Physical activity increases the body metabolism, causes fat loss and helps in increasing the muscle mass
Other recommendations and guidelines for Indian Diet Plan
Whole grains
Include whole grains and pulses in the diet. Options like brown rice, multi-grain flour, millets can be healthier alternatives to white polished rice, maida or wheat flour
Protein
Increase the consumption of protein by including whole dals, pulses, paneer, eggs, curd, buttermilk, nuts, and seeds. Try to include one portion of protein in all the major meals
Omega – 3 fatty acids
Opt for healthy fats like omega – 3 fatty acids that are derived from flaxseeds, walnuts, and fish. Use a combination of oils like rice bran oil, soya bean oil, and groundnut oil. Ghee is native to Indian diets and in the right quantities, it is good for the body. Avoid deep-fried snacks when striving to lose weight
Fruits and vegetables
It is recommended by National Government bodies to include 4 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in the entire day in both raw and cooked forms to provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals that will help in weight loss and overall wellbeing
Mindful Eating
Practice mindful eating by being in the present moment while eating a meal and paying attention to feelings of hunger and satiety. This is one of the most important ways to achieve healthy body weight and maintain good health in the long run
Spices
Indian diets make use of abundant spices that add flavor to the food. These spices also have nutritional benefits and some help in weight loss – like cinnamon, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, turmeric, and pepper. They help in boosting metabolism and can be added to tea, coffee, soups, lemon water, buttermilk, etc
Water
Drinking adequate water can help in reducing acidity, decreases hunger pangs, and removes impurities from the body. Consuming about 2 to 3 liters of water helps in weight loss and improves overall health
Sugar-laden and salty foods
Choose wisely while eating out and read nutrition labels of packaged foods if consumed, although it is always advisable to make minimum use of processed and packaged foods. Cut down on sugar-laden and salty foods. Have more wholesome and home-cooked meals
Sleep
Focus on good quality sleep as sleep deprivation can cause hormonal imbalance and result in overeating and bingeing
Conclusion
One does not need to make massive changes in diet that are difficult to follow and require a lot of resources to make it work. Simple healthy alternatives that already exist and increasing physical activity, reducing stress, mindful eating is some of the effective ways to achieve promising results. It is about time to go back to our roots and traditions and ‘un-westernize’ our diets
