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Home » How to lose weight safely » Is it possible to eat parathas and still lose weight? – Firstpost

Try to imagine a proper paratha for breakfast, and you will inevitably think of an indulgent food experience: the crispy flour shell glistening with a layer of butter or ghee, the stuffing spiced and chock full of flavours, and a finger-licking spread of pickles, chutneys, curd and lassi to go with it.

Now, imagine you are starting a weight loss plan to become truly fit and healthy. You are trying to cut all the food items that are excessive from your diet.

Representational image. Image source: Getty Images.

Do these two pictures go together?

Actually, they can. Parathas are traditionally delicious and indulgent, but you can also give them a healthy twist and turn them into the perfect addition to your weight-loss plan.

The first thing you need to do is to break down that paratha breakfast into all its separate components. The things you need to make a good paratha are a flour dough, spiced stuffing, and oil, ghee or butter. The next step is substituting some of these ingredients for healthier options which are easily available at local markets.

To get you started, we put together some options you can explore to have parathas (occasionally) as part of your weight loss plan:

1. The flour:Most of us know that whole wheat flour has more dietary fibre, vitamins B1 and B9, and minerals like phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc than refined flour or maida. But whats even better for making healthier parathas is buckwheat flour. Colloquially known as kuttu atta, it is a gluten-free option popular in north India. High dietary fibre, protein as well as minerals such as manganese, magnesium, iron and copper make paratha made with this flour waist-friendly and heart-healthy.

Of course, some people love the taste of kuttu atta and others despise it (youve probably tried it in Navratra food, so youll know which side of the kuttu-divide youre on). For those who cant stand buckwheat flour, another good option is multigrain parathas. You could buy ground flours and mix them at home, or ask your local miller to grind you a batch of healthy grains like whole wheat atta, sorghum (jowar), finger millet (ragi) and pearl millet (bajra). If youre feeling super-healthy, add a bit of rajgira atta (amaranth) for its high calcium content. Because multigrain flour is a blend of grains, its nutritional value is higher than any one type of flour - this makes it a great ingredient for healthy parathas.

2. The stuffing:Its best to use fresh and seasonal produce for the filling. One actionable health hack is that if you are pre-cooking the stuffing, dont fry it. This will only make the stuffing richer and unhealthier.

Now, we all know about the paneer (cottage cheese), daal (lentils) and gobhi (cauliflower) paratha options. Here are three healthy, yet unusual, paratha stuffing options you can try out to keep your taste buds excited.

3. The cooking agent:You will need a little bit of oil to cook your healthier parathas. Health hack: invest in a silicone oil brush to spread the oil really thin. Just enough to get the crisp flaky layers that are synonymous with good parathas.

There is also a range of good oil choices, from soybean oil to olive oil and coconut oil. Canola and sesame are also said to be heart-healthy. Make sure to check the labels on whichever oil you pick: try to avoid anything with hydrogenated fats or trans-fats.

Cooking the parathas dry and then applying ghee on top is also a good idea. If you are taking this route, try cooking your paratha on a low heat to ensure that it is cooked through. Ghee, when consumed moderately, has some health benefits too: it contains omega 3 fatty acids such as linoleic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are said to improve heart health and actually help with weight loss!

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health. For more information, please read our article onGhee: Benefits and Side-effects.

Updated Date: Dec 04, 2019 15:12:46 IST

Tags : Beetroot Paratha, Food For Weight Loss, Health Foods, Healthy Paratha, Healthy Recipes, Mushroom Paratha, NewsTracker, Weight Loss

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Is it possible to eat parathas and still lose weight? - Firstpost

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Home » How to lose weight safely » Is it possible to eat parathas and still lose weight? – Firstpost