There are many ideas to enjoy some light Indian food. If you have roti and sabzi make sure that the roti is not laden with ghee and the sabzi is smartly made in a non-stick pan with use of minimal oil. In fact, go ahead and have a bowl of skim milk yogurt, some dal and a bowl of brown rice. What about the salad – have it with a dash of lemon! So you can judge for yourself that is easy to have a balanced meal of light Indian food.
In case you are looking at skimming off calories through the day here are some tips:
Replace one cup of full cream milk with either half a cup or better still replace with same quantity or lesser of low-fat (skimmed) milk.
-> Snack on an orange and a banana instead of something fried
-> Have steamed vegetables once in a while instead of sautéed ones.
-> If you are about to reach for a handful of caramel chocolates, look at dried fruit instead. When making a sandwich, use two slices of whole wheat bread instead of two slices of white bread.
-> The nightcap of whole milk hot chocolate can be replaced with skimmed milk flavored with a dash of elaichi.
-> Cut back on sampling during cooking. All “tastes” have calories!
-> Snack on a papaya instead of a packet of biscuits.
-> On a hot day, quench your thirst with a glass of ice water with lemon or mint instead of a can of cola.
-> Use one cup of fat-free cottage cheese instead of regular cottage cheese.
-> Have a single scoop of ice cream instead of a double scoop.
-> A good sandwich spread is made with mustard paste or green coriander chutney. So why use mayonnaise or butter?
-> Once in a while, one can have fried foods but there are possibilities of creating tastier versions using the grill, microwave or methods of steaming or baking.
-> In case of cutlets and croquettes, which are deep-fried, ensure to drain them well and then keep on absorbent kitchen paper. This helps in removing the top oil.
-> The list of wafers, chocolates, cakes, pastries, and biscuits as snacks can be replaced. I suggest that once in a while you also try out fresh fruit, dry fruits, breadsticks or vegetable sticks whenever hunger pangs strike you in between meals.
