We all talk about a balanced diet, portion sizes and eating wholesome meals. Everyone at home has a fixed cultural meal pattern, and what if you can make your traditional meal complete just by making a few additions and subtractions in your diet?
Below listed are few suggested meal combinations:-
Breakfast Meal Suggestions
- Option 1 - Whole cereal (Oats Groat/Dalia) + Milk + Nuts + chia* seeds
- Option 2 - Poha + peanuts + ghee + lemon**
* Chia seeds offer fibre and omega-3 fats
** Lemon juice offers vitamin C and helps in the absorption of iron.
Lunch Meal Suggestions
- Option 1 - Whole wheat mixed millet atta chapati + legume/egg/paneer curry + Vegetable + dahi/miso soup.
It makes a great combination of complex carbs with protein, vegetables provide fibre and curd acts as probiotics.
- Option 2 - Dosa + sambar + coconut chutney* + buttermilk
*Coconut chutney is optional for good fat content.
Dinner Meal Suggestions
- Option 1 - Chicken/Paneer + Baked Potato + Grilled Vegetables
Protein clubbed with complex carbs and vegetables providing fibre and nutrients
- Option 2 - Veg Khichdi cooked in ghee.
Rice is easy to digest at night, best clubbed with vegetables and lentil that helps lower the glycemic index of the meal. Ghee adds flavour along with good fat that also assists better absorption of nutrients.
As it can be seen that the meal suggestions above are balanced as they are a good combination of complex carbs, protein and fat. Also, micronutrients coming from vegetables and fruits can be taken in between the meals which are again a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Our cultural diets are designed in a way that they offer us balanced meals. Also, maintaining proper portion control is important to maintain weight, metabolism and health. Such sustainable diets can even be followed when one has to lose weight by cutting down on some protein size coming from carbs to lose