From my lifelong experiences as an Indian-American and fitness advocate, I've learned that it's an uphill battle to make Indian foods macro-friendly while respecting the dish's cultural integrity. Given Indian food's high carbohydrate and fat content, it's challenging to create a balanced plate that follows the 1:10 protein-to-calorie macronutrient ratio (if you're curious about the 1:10 ratio, check out my post explaining it).
If possible, I recommend making your plate or dish as low-calorie as possible and substituting lean protein sources throughout the day to ensure you hit your protein goal while staying at or below your calorie goal for fat loss.
Through experimenting with lean protein sources and cooking techniques, I've found innovative ways to cherish Indian foods while ramping up protein and cutting down calories. Here are some strategies I've used:
Strategy 1: Blending Low-Fat Cottage Cheese or Paneer into Sauces/Gravies
Given the regional significance and religious influences surrounding certain Indian dishes, I had to be careful with strategies to incorporate leaner protein sources while respecting these paradigms. For example, if I'm making a vegetarian dish like Chana Saag, I can't just add tandoori chicken to balance the macro ratio.
One vegetarian-friendly strategy I typically use is blending cottage cheese into sauces. For example, when making Punjabi Kadhi Pakora, a yogurt-based curry with gram flour pakora fritters, I add low-fat cottage cheese into the mix while reducing vegetable oil by half. Cottage Cheese? Yes, I had the same skepticism originally. However, I promise you can almost not even taste it in the curry you are making, as the stronger flavors in the spices and other ingredients will mask whatever faint cottage cheese taste there is. The cottage cheese brand I use is "1% Milkfat Small Curd Cottage Cheese - 24oz - Good & Gather."
Here is an image of the low-fat cottage cheese I use, as well as the nutritional info.
Cottage cheese has a great protein-to-calorie ratio (12g of protein per 80 calories). Adding 5-6 servings to my batch of Punjabi Khadi transforms the macronutrient profile significantly. Without cottage cheese, the dish has roughly 550 calories and 15g of protein per serving. With cottage cheese and reduced oil, it has 380 calories and 30g of protein per serving, making it easier to maintain a calorie deficit and have high protein for weight loss.
Here is a picture of the low-fat cottage cheese-infused Punjabi Khadi I make. 380 calories and 30g of protein per serving. Stay tuned for the recipe coming out soon!
Strategy 2: Using Cornflakes Instead of All-Purpose White Flour
A lot of Indian foods taste so good not only because of the spices involved but also because they are coated in flour and fried in vegetable oil. Both flour and oil are extremely calorie-dense foods. I never realized how calorically dense flour is until a few months into my journey—455 calories per 100 grams! I still wanted to enjoy these crispy battered Indian delicacies but had to find a way to make them lower-calorie.
One strategy I have used is incorporating cornflakes instead of flour. Cornflakes have 357 calories, approximately 100 grams, so already off the bat, from a weight standpoint, you are saving 100 calories. However, the volume of cornflakes is much higher than that of white flour, meaning a lot fewer cornflakes in terms of weight can go much farther. I only have to use about 60 grams of cornflakes when coating my homemade chili chicken dish for meal prep. Additionally, I swap out chicken thigh meat for chicken breasts to further lower the calories and increase protein.
Once I season the chicken in spices (spices are zero calories!) I spray the pieces lightly with olive oil and roughly coat them with ground-up cornflakes. Once prepared, the chicken still has the nice crispiness that I enjoy in typical flour-based chili chicken without all the extra calories. An original chilli-chicken dish with chicken fried with flour has about 500 calories per serving. My lower-calorie version has only about 250 to 300 calories per serving while still maintaining the protein content of the food. Getting Indian foods closer to that 1:10 protein-to-calorie ratio is always a win in your weight loss journey.
Here is an image of my lower-calorie Chilli Chicken. About 275 calories per serving and 30g of protein.
Strategy 3: Blending Split Peas or Chickpeas into Sauces
This strategy is not useful in boosting the protein-to-calorie ratio; rather, it is used to help you eat smaller portions overall. I have used high-fiber foods, such as split peas and chickpeas, in sauces and stews in order to substantially increase the volume of the dish as well as fiber content. Fiber enhances satiety by slowing digestion and increasing feelings of fullness, which can help manage appetite and support weight control. Fiber also has tremendous benefits for gut health. My strategy is that if I bump up the fiber content, then in turn, it will cause me to eat smaller portions, hence, fewer calories. For example, if I am making Chicken Korma or malai kofta, when making the cream-based sauce, I will add a cup (145g) of split peas into the mix, which adds 8g of protein and a whopping 38 grams of fiber! When blending the ingredients together, I add a little bit extra salt, garlic, and water, and with the resulting dish, you can't even taste the added peas.
Strategy 4: Air-Fry Everything, I Mean Everything
Throughout my weight loss journey, I have learned that the air-frier is my best friend. For any recipe that requires frying or grilling with oil, I replace it with air-frying with a light oil spray. This process saves me hundreds of calories per meal. For example, with my chili chicken recipe, after coating the mix with the cornflakes, I simply bake it air-fried with no added oil, and the result is a crispy spice chili chicken mix that resembles what I grew up eating. Using the air-frier overall is the key to making all Indian recipes lower calories. The majority of flavors in Indian food come from spices, so regardless of how you prepare the food, you will still enjoy the Indian flavor!
So there you have it—some strategies to make cooking Indian food lower calories and higher in protein, making it easier to achieve your weight loss goals. If you couple this strategy with the recommendations I made in my earlier post, "South Asian Foods and Weight Loss: Can they Coexist? "on adjusting your portion sizes and plate, you will be able to cut body fat effectively while still enjoying your favorite foods with friends and family. Do you have any unique strategies yourself? Feel free to share in the comments section below, as I am always trying to improve!
References:
Fatima, I., Gamage, I., De Almeida, R. J. R., Cabandugama, P., & Kamath, G. (2023). Current Understanding of Dietary Fiber and Its Role in Chronic Diseases. Missouri medicine, 120(5), 381–388.
Comments