Your reason for going on a low-carb diet may vary. Perhaps you’re considering weight loss or to reduce the risk of other conditions such as diabetes.
That said, you’d still need to supplement your diet with the macronutrients that carbs usually add to your diet.
Cutting down on carbs is essentially depriving your body of one source of energy.
Here are 4 essentials to add to your low-carb Indian diet.
Tofu or Paneer
One of the most important aspects of planning a low-carb diet is ensuring that your meals are filling enough and don’t actually make you hungry so often that you end up snacking more frequently.
Tofu and paneer are the perfect ingredients to remedy this. They satisfy your hunger, contain a lot of nutritional value, and can be prepared in many ways.
Tofu contains only 1.9g of carbs per portion and paneer contains 3.2g of carbs.
While tofu is considered the healthier option because of its low-calorie count, paneer being a dairy product will add some calcium to your diet while also being low in carbs.
You can sauté these with low-carb seasonings like coriander, mint, and ginger and pack multiple portions of these for various meals throughout the week.
Walnuts
Nuts can be a great in-between snack option and also be a part of your breakfast each day. Be careful which dry fruits or nuts you pick, as some of them can have a considerable percentage of carbs.
Walnuts are relatively low in carbs compared to cashews and almonds.
They are rich in antioxidants, great for cardiovascular health, and also boost brain power.
We’re sure that many of you would relate to having elders in the house insist that you have your daily dose of walnuts. Well, there’s great wisdom in that advice.
Broccoli
Like many leafy and green veggies, broccoli is a low-carb ingredient that you can add to your diet. A 100g serving of broccoli contains only around 6g of carbs.
Whether you steam them or air-fry them, you can enjoy a bowl of broccoli for lunch or dinner.
Make a low-carb salad mix with basil, chilli powder, and pepper to add some flavour.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms, in general, have very little carb quotient, around 3g per 100g, which makes them ideal for your low-carb diet.
But that’s not all! They are known to lower cholesterol, contain protein and fibre that is essential for your body, and boost your immune system.
Whip up a cheesy mushroom dish that is not just mouth-wateringly good but wholesome too!
Cheese usually has as little as 1.3g of carb, so you can use it to mix up all sorts of low-carb vegetables and herbs to create unique dishes.
Going on a low-carb diet can be extremely tough, considering how limited options you have to choose from for each meal.
If you are a non-vegetarian, you can eat a variety of different seafood and meats to make your meals more fulfilling.
Use ghee, olive oil, cheese, butter and other herbs and spices to prepare dishes for your diet. These all have minimal carbs only.
With some meal planning, you should be able to use low-carb ingredients like the ones mentioned above in several different ways so you never truly tire of eating the same thing day in and day out.
Our specialty Indian filter kaapi is a must-have accompaniment for your meals. Skip the sugar to avoid adding more carbs to your diet.
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