Mighty India Nutrition Boomerang

Is Indian food healthy?

IS INDIAN FOOD HEALTHY?

Indian food is known for its spices, flavor, aroma, and whatnot. From east to west and north to south, Indian food is widely known for its great diversity. One can find a change in taste and spices every few km, and You can cook a single dish like- rice in many different ways giving them different flavors. Traditional Indian food is not only healthy and tasty but has lots of health benefits too. But, lately, it is criticized for being unhealṭhy because it has high sugar and high-carb content. However, this is not true because by changing a cooking method, you can change its nutritional values to some extent and turn them into a healthier dish. Let’s look out for the reasons why is Indian food healthy and unhealthy?

Facts about our Indian Food:

IS INDIAN FOOD HEALTHY?

  1. Rich in spices: Our Indian food is rich in spices and has many health benefits. Cinnamon lowers blood sugar levels, turmeric to fight inflammation, ginger to relieve nausea, garlic to boost heart health, cloves to treat tooth problems, cumin, and black cardamom to deal with digestive issues. Pick any of them to solve your health-related issues. These colorful spices aren’t only good for health but also magnify the flavor of food. So, Indian spices can make Indian food super healthy and tasty.
  2. Variety of cooking oils: Cooking oils can significantly change the taste and nutritional value of the food. So, the variety of cooking oils provides an excellent opportunity to choose from, depending on our preferences and health. Fats are not evil, make sure you use them wisely. There is coconut oil, groundnut oil, mustard oil, ghee, peanut oil, sesame oil, gingelly oil, til-oil, etc. So, choose these flavor enhancers according to your preferences. Though, the processing can bring a considerable change in their nutritional value. Earlier, the way they were processed was much healthier than they are processed today.
  3. Salt variety: Add some salt, according to your taste. Even the most common ingredient in the food is available in diverse forms in India. Black salt, pink salt, and rock salt were native to India. Gradually, we moved on to processed salt, and this change reduced the nutritional value of our food. So, if you can use any of them in cooking, swap the processed ones and enjoy the benefits.
  4. Lots of grains: We have some of the most healthy grains that can be a part of our diet and help us stay fit and healthy. Some of the most nutritious grains include- Amaranth, bajra or pearl millet, ragi or finger millet, kuttu or buckwheat, barley or jau, maize, jowar or sorghum, sabudana or pearl sago, broken wheat or Dalia, etc. These whole grains are a great source of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Indian food has them as flour, bread, or cereal. Pick any of them, and you’ll find the fantastic health benefits attached to them. The Indian food from east to west and north to south has almost all of them in their traditional dishes. Include these flavor and health boosters in your diet.
  5. Pulses: India is the largest producer, consumer, and importer of pulses in the world. Also, this data indicates the importance of pulses in the Indian diet. Pulses being a great source of protein, carbs, and dietary fiber, are a staple food for most Indians. The low-fat content and a good amount of dietary fiber can help maintain weight and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Chickpeas, black-gram, green-gram, peas, lentils, etc., are some of the nutritious pulses that are part of Indian food. They are not only delicious but have many exceptional health benefits attached to each them.
  6. Indian Pickles and chutneys: Make them with the right amount of salt and oil, and a pickle will enhance your meal’s flavor and health benefits. They are a good source of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, and they also improve immunity and digestion. Have it with your meal and get the benefits. Be careful about the salt and oil content because they both can create health problems. Also, Indian food is incomplete without chutneys. Chutneys are made with ground leafy greens that are super healthy and refreshing. Try making it yourself.
  7. Use of dairy products: Few Indian dishes have yogurt or other dairy products in them. The use of fermented milk in Indian food helps to keep the digestive tract healthy. With lots of calcium present in them, they help in getting healthier bones and improve overall fitness.
  8. Indian curry: Indian curries become super healthy if you cook them with the right amount of spices, oils, and other ingredients. The Indian curry made with tomato, onion, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, etc., has many health benefits. Cook them right and according to your taste and preferences.

How to enjoy your food?

Designating something as unhealthy or healthy depends on our cooking methods. We can change the nutritional value of our food and turn them more beneficial.

  1. How you cook something largely determines the nutritional value and the health benefits of the food. You can turn any of your dishes into a healthy Indian dish if you use the right ingredients.
  2. Control the number of spices and oil you’re adding, as most of the time, they are the ones to be blamed. Controlling them is in your hand, so do that carefully.
  3. The Indian food you consume in restaurants or on special occasions uses more oil, spices, and food color(sometimes) to make them look tempting and cook them quickly and enhance their taste. People often refer to them as hot, oily, spicy, fatty, etc. Thus, the food you get in those restaurants is high in calories, and their health benefits are also less in comparison to traditional Indian food.
  4. Cuisines all over the world are contributing to human needs. It’s how we cook and our portion size that largely determines a particular food’s health benefits. Respect the food on your plate and cook them right according to your health requirements.
  5. Also, check out our cooking tips to increase the health benefits of your favorite food. So, cut calories and not flavors. 🙂

Let’s celebrate our Indian food!

IS INDIAN FOOD HEALTHY?

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16 Comments

  • Reply
    Sandy N Vyjay
    May 2, 2022 at 5:35 am

    I think traditional Indian food is healthy and there is a lot of scientific thought behind it. It is only the changing cooking styles and mediums that have added the unhealthy quotient to it.

    • Reply
      Meenakshi Kaur
      May 7, 2022 at 4:52 pm

      Wonderful post really loved the way you compiled it. In my opinion every food can be healthy if we make it in a healthy way.

  • Reply
    PanchTatwa Girl
    May 2, 2022 at 4:16 pm

    Indian food I feel is a perfectly balanced meal. We try to incorporate all elements in the required proportions along with scientific reasons too. the spices, herbs, pulses even the variety of flours are all healthy foods.

  • Reply
    Anjali Tripathi
    May 2, 2022 at 8:04 pm

    Traditional Indian food, in my opinion, is healthy. The way we cook something greatly indeed influences its nutritional value and health benefits. Very well penned about our Indian food.

  • Reply
    Alpana Deo
    May 4, 2022 at 9:38 pm

    Indian food is a proper blend of all the nutrients. And not just this, the way it I cooked, vessels we use have their reason and health benefits. No doubt that it gives a wide range of choices. I sometimes say Indian food is so versatile that we can have 365 dishes.

  • Reply
    The Champa Tree
    May 4, 2022 at 11:51 pm

    Honestly, any food can be made healthy if you know better alternatives. I can make rice healthier and yummier and even the parathas by replacing the normal wheat flour with multigrain flour.

  • Reply
    Ranjeeta Nath Ghai
    August 28, 2022 at 12:35 am

    Being a food blogger myself I can say that Indian food is nothing if not healthy. It is not only tasty but also nutritious and filling. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Indian food is also a good source of protein and fiber. It can help you lose weight, improve your digestion, and even reduce your risk of heart disease.

  • Reply
    Samata
    August 29, 2022 at 11:21 pm

    The food that suits our body and keep us healthy is good as per me. 2nd thing the way your body is habituated to accept food is a determining factor too to call any style of cooking be it Indian or other good for you. choose your ingredients wisely and in correct proportion based on your health condition and every food will be good.

  • Reply
    Meenakshi Kaur
    August 30, 2022 at 10:25 pm

    I love Indian food. Wonderful post really loved the way you compiled it. In my opinion every food can be healthy if we make it in a healthy way. So always be wise while selecting ingredients 🤗

  • Reply
    Kriti
    August 31, 2022 at 12:59 am

    I really loved the way you compiled it it’s written in a concise manner and you have touched all point’s of importance of a well balanced Indian meal
    Thank you for sharing this

  • Reply
    Saania
    August 31, 2022 at 4:02 am

    I am always health consious and curious about foods nutritional content. Thank you for this post. It is mindful to know about this since Iike indan food.

  • Reply
    Khushboo
    August 31, 2022 at 4:10 am

    I agree Indian food is blend of nutrients. I travel a lot and wherever I go I prefer to eat Indian food because it is healthy and satisfies me.

  • Reply
    Jeannine
    August 31, 2022 at 5:48 am

    I truly believe it’s all about the balance! A dish may be made of carbs but paired with some spices and healthy vegetables, then, it turns out to be a healthy one. It’a always about being mindful of what you eat that counts instead of focusing more on the type of food you eat. Let’s be honest, the most enticing dishes are the ones that ain’t good for our health, if not always but most of the time.

  • Reply
    Sweety Joshi
    August 31, 2022 at 11:39 am

    Amazing post Vandana! I believe Indian food is the combo of taste and health. I find both these qualities in the food. They are rich in vitamins and also so tasty.

  • Reply
    Amy
    August 31, 2022 at 12:47 pm

    Though western people call indian food unhealthy because of oils and sweets, I completely disagree and your posts exactly states that. We use variety of oils, spices, grains, pulses which makes it balanced diet. ❤️

  • Reply
    Manisha Garg
    August 31, 2022 at 5:05 pm

    I agree with you that Indian cooking isan healthier option. The usage of spices and oil is in our hands, we just need to create a balance of it.

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