healthy indian food

Posted on :2011-12-15

When you are thinking about eating healthily and making sure that your body is getting everything that it needs, you may be surprised that one of the choices that you have in front of you is going to be Indian food!  We all know that Indian food is delicious, but there is also a prevalent belief that it is bad for you in terms of calories.  The truth of the matter is that it all depends on what you eat.  Think of it this way; you wouldn't say that all American food is fatty and bad for you.  The key is to look for the dishes that are particularly good for you and to know what the real benefits of Indian food is.

In the first place, when you are eating many different kinds of Indian food, you are eating food that has a significantly lower percentage of red meat.  Possibly the two most common meats found in Indian cuisine are chicken and fish, with goat running a distant third.  When you get away from eating pork and beef, you'll find that the problems associated with those ingredients go down as well.   Even goat, when prepared correctly is a very lean and very nutritious meat to use in cooking. You'll also find that when you are looking at Indian foods, there is an emphasis on fresh foods and foods that are prepared without using preservatives.  Have you ever noticed how much better fresh fruit right off the branch tastes than fruit that was shipped weeks ago over land?  These are the benefits that a lot of Indian food has.  You'll find that getting food that is prepared like this, and that uses ingredients of good quality, is something that can make Indian dining much more healthy for you.

Another great advantage of Indian food is the fact that it is very vegetarian friendly.  Lot of people find that they have problems with vegetarian cuisine because it is boring or not as flavorful as meat dishes, but the problem with this is that too many vegetarian dishes are meant to mimic meat dishes.  With Indian food, on the other hand, you are going to find that vegetarian food is very much intended to be enjoyed as it is.  Whether you are looking at the lovely potato dish, aloo chat, or you are curious about the lentils and tomato dish, dal makhani, there are lots of great tastes to explore.

It is very true that there are some Indian dishes which are going to be less healthy for you.  Remember that a lot of the food that we see in Indian restaurants are festival foods, and when you think about it, the foods that we get at our own county fairs aren't necessarily all that great for us.  Make sure that you consider what goes into each dish; be careful of how much butter goes into your  meal.  A great deal of Indian cooking uses ghee, which is clarified butter, and it can really pile on the calories when you're not looking!

Indian food is delicious and it is completely possible to eat healthily with it.  Take some time and really consider what your options are when it comes to eating healthy with this delicious cuisine.