INDIAN STYLE DIET

Six Golden Rules

1. Eat every two hours: Dont wait till you get hungry. It is important to consciously eat at
the right time for your bodys metabolism to work optimally.
2. Control your portion size: Get your portion size right by charting it out depending on
your weight loss goals, etc. Here are some common measures: One serving of fruit
equals to a tennis ball sized fruit (you can include more than one fruit if they are smaller
in size). One serving of rice is one-third cup cooked rice.
3. Avoid anything that has saturated fats: Switch to things which are low-fat. Say no to
buffalo milk which is full fat. Have only 2 tsp of oil/ghee per day.
4. Shun sugar: They just add empty calories to your body. One can get enough natural
sugar from seasonal fruits and dry fruits. If you want to sweeten something, add stevia
as it a natural sweetener. Though honey and jaggery have other good properties, if you
are on a weight loss diet, you should stay away from them as they too add empty
calories.
5. Drink enough water: Keep yourself hydrated by drinking enough water every day. A
simple way to find this out is by checking the color of your urine. It should be pale yellow
in color. If it is lighter or darker than that, it may indicate that you are not drinking
enough water.
6. Junk Food: Stop taking food from outside. Always try to prepare fresh homely food or
available at home and eat as much as early you can after cooking. Hot serve is
preferable, avoid cold foods.

Healthy Diet Menu (Indian Style)

Breakfast (between 7.30 to 8.30am)

a. Home-made rava idlis with sambar (no coconut chutney)
b. Whole green moong chilla with mint and dhania chutney
c. Oats upma made with vegetables (try using steel cut oats for added fibre)

Mid-morning snack (Around 10.30am)

a. Chaas made with 1/3 cup low fat dahi add fresh dhania, rock salt, and jeera powder
b. Mango milkshake mango + cup (125 ml) low fat milk (NO added sugar)
c. Fruit chaat 1 cup mixed fruit (use fruits with higher fibre apple, pineapple, guava, pear.
Add chaat masala + a pinch of rock salt)

Lunch (Between 1.00 to 1.30pm)

It would be best to incorporate 4 food groups. See the table below and mix and match to
ensure a well-balanced lunch meal:
STARCH

VEGETABLE

PROTEIN

Phulkas 2

Start with 1 cup salad all raw

vegetables

Dal cup moong, toor

Brown rice cup cooked

Plus cup cooked sabji

Chowli (black-eyed peas)

Lapsi rava (broken wheat)

cup cooked

Focus on green vegetables

Rajma (kidney beans)

Jowar rotis (made with 3.5

tbsp atta)

Chole (Chickpeas)

Methi/palak rotis

Low-fat paneer 50 grams

Aloo/potato cup cooked

Moong sprouts
Waal (White beans)

Mid-afternoon snack any one of the below (Between 4.00 to 4.30pm)

a. 1 uttapam made with less oil + roasted tomato chutney
b. Home-made Bhel:

1 cup murmura
cup roasted chana
cup plain roasted peanuts
cup mixed tomato + onion + dhania
Green chutney made from pudina and dhania

c. Steamed methi muthiya (Gujarathi/Rajasthani snack):

Made with combination of bajra, whole wheat, and besan atta

Use fresh methi

Dinner
It should be the lightest meal of the day. Choose from the following options:
a. Bowl of soup Rasam/palak/dudhi
b. Bowl of sprouts salad:

1 cup cooked sprouts chana, moong

1 cup all raw vegetables cucumber, tomato, onion, carrot
Dressing of lemon, salt, and pepper to taste

Remember these items

Flaxseed (alsi)
Called alsi in Hindi, the seed comes out with an outer coating which makes you feel fuller
than normal and hence curbs your tendency to eat. Its also a rich source of omega-3 fatty
acids which is good for your heart. Simply crush flaxseeds and add to foods like soups,
cereals, oats, chapatti and since theyre naturally bland, they wont change the taste of your
dish.

Green Tea
Green tea has gained immense popularity as tool to facilitate weight loss and millions are
switching from coffee to green tea because of its high antioxidant capacity. Research also
suggests that it boosts metabolism, burns fat which makes it a perfect drink for people who
want to lose weight. Also, its not supposed to be drunk with milk or sugar which reduces
the calorie intake.

Cinnamon
The herb that makes things Christmasy, helps activate insulin receptiors and enzyme
systems involved in carbohydrate metabolism. This helps regulate your blood sugar levels,
increase metabolism and reduce bad cholesterol from the body. You can simply sprinkle
some on your breakfast cereals, coffee or tea for that added flavor!

Black Pepper
Hot things usually help you lose weight and black pepper is no different. The piperine in it
acts as a digestive while it also helps prevent the formation of fat. Also, spicy food items
tend to people more active which will help with weight loss. The best thing is that pepper
can be added to almost anything youre eating from salads to meats.

Turmeric/Haldi
Recently studies have shown the immense health benefits of turmeric and scientists are
even researching methods to see if it can be used to fight cancer so no wonder it helps in
weight loss as well. Studies have shown that it helps metabolise fat and also reduces the risk
of developing diabetes. The great thing about turmeric is that its already part of our eating
habits and can be added to veggies, rice, curries, dals, etc.

Ginger
Another herb which can help because of its digestive properties is ginger which is
thermogenic. This basically means that it helps raise the bodys temperature by burning fat
which makes it perfect for people looking to lose weight. Researchers also found that it has
a satiating effect which means you tend to eat less and this further helps the cause. Ginger
can be eaten either by powdering and mixing with rice dishes or veggies or by mixing a
tablespoon of it with water.

Also remember the below points (especially for reducing stomach)

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)

Cut down salt

Eat more fibre
Focus on potassium-rich foods
Stay hydrated
Avoid digestive stress
Ditch artificial sweeteners

Please note:
These home remedies for weight loss wont help you magically lose weight, it will just help
make your efforts more effective. Trainer is not responsible for any kind of side effects to
the trainee because of these diet schedules. Thanks for your understandings!
At laststrictly follow the above diet for 30 days, you will surely get the benefits/results (at
least some improvements!)remember SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING.
Best Wishes

Ajith Kumar Kallayil

ajith.ajiknair@gmail.com