Low fat food

Hi,

I know that this may seem like a stupid question, but I was wondering if it is possible to follow a low fat diet when in India. If so, what are the best things to eat.

Its just that I have a weight problem that I have been trying to sort out for some time and I want to continue with my weight loss program in India.

I am sorry if this seems stupid to you, but please advise me.

I don't have a weight problem, but I always lose a few kg's when in India (which I don't actually want!). I usually eat the Indian vegetarian food, like a combination of rice, vegetables, dal (lentils) en maybe some curd. I eat that for lunch and dinner. In the mornings, I drink many chai (tea) and maybe some puri's, bread, fruit or whatever.

If you don't want to eat too much fat, avoid food which is made with (too much) ghee (clarified butter). That usually is very fat.

I am 100% sure that if you eat the standard vergetarian thali, you will lose weight. Of course, you can eat Western for a change, if you like.

Also, in the heat you will eat less. At least, that's my experience.

And your question is not stupid at all! In India, many people from the middle class have weight problems, and I noticed that some of these women hardly move! They take a rickshaw for less than 5 minutes walking. So walk! Move! Enjoy!

Mirjam

Just eat regular Indian food, and lay off the sweets and snacks. You'll probably be pretty active if you're travelling, and in the heat you'll burn quite a few calories. Also figure from time to time you won't want to eat due to queasy stomach etc. I eat like a pig in India and always lose weight.

I think the main problems you are going to have with Indian food are sugar and cooking oil or ghee (clarified buttter).

Indian tea is made very sweet for most peoples tastes. I drink a lot of it but my weight has been steady for many years. If you have a weight problem you may have to ration yourself to a certain number of cups per day.

I would also say stick to Indian vegetarian food but also note how much oil is being used in the cooking. It would be better to eat in thali ( full meals) places, especially South Indian or Gujarati restaurants, rather than in small eating places where the food is often very oily. Thali places are also generally good value for what you pay. A good snack for the middle of the day could be a South Indian massala dosa and different varieties of fresh fruit are always available. You might also be wise to avoid fried breads like puris because of the oil content and stick with chappatis.

I hope you don't have a sweet tooth otherwise you are going to be tempted by the many kinds of Indian sweets on offer!

If you're a big tea drinker, carry artificial sweetner tablets and order your tea without sugar. (I will be doing this because I have developed diabetes since my last visit to India, and that much sugar will be really hard on me.)

I hope you manage to lose weight, or at least to maintain your weight. On my last visit to India, I wasn't sick for more than one day, and much as I do NOT love Indian food, I never lost an ounce, even considering the increased activity level, the heat, and seldom finishing my meals.