A certified fitness and nutrition coach provides advice on how to make traditional Indian lunches healthier by cutting back on rice and steering clear of fried foods. Here are some suggestions: cut the starch in half, take out the fried ingredients, double the amount of vegetables, and increase the protein.
Keep eating whatever type of starch you typically eat for lunch. It might be roti, naan, dosa, idli, or rice. It doesn’t matter. Just cut the amount in half while still eating the same thing. Make two chapatis if you typically eat four. Make it a single cup of rice if you typically have two. Reduce it as much as you can if you can’t get rid of it entirely. Anything that is fried, greasy, creamy, or rich falls under this category. It makes no difference what kind of vegetables you eat—sabzi, avial, poriyal, steamed vegetables, or salads. Just double the amount. If there isn’t any protein in your meal, add some. If your meal already contains protein, increase it. 20 to 40 grams of protein should ideally be included with your lunch.
