Indian food not flooded with oil, fat and calories. - Diet & Nutrition Message Board

Brian L · 03-12-2007, 12:36 PM

Every so often my wife and I go out for a family meal at an Indian restaurant and it has taken me many many years to persuade my wife to eat something there other than an omelette.
She has discovered that she likes Korma but that presents a problem because her doctor recently discovered a problem with her liver and she has been told to lose weight and take more exercise.
So, does anyone have any idea if there is any food in an Indian restaurant that is not as high in fat and calories as Korma?

Ding · 03-12-2007, 01:53 PM

Its difficult....india restaurant food can be pretty unhealthy. BUT, a few tips that I try and live by if I go to one

- pick a vegetarian dish - has lots of fiber, nutrients, protein from things like chick peas and beans that are often in indian vegetarian food. Plus no meat saves on calories and fat.

- stay away from any fried appetizers.

- get a side salad to help fill you up

- by all means, order something you love, but just only eat a little of it. make trips to restaurants a treat.

- make your own at home! plain, brown rice. baked chicken with spices sprinkled on before its cooked, mixed with fresh steamed vegetables, homemade vegetable curry etc. Home made indian food can work out to be very healthy, as you can control the amount of fat and experiment with all kinds of pulses, spices and vegetbles.

Lenin · 03-13-2007, 08:33 AM

I LOVE Indian food but between the salt and the grease, it's hard to make "dietetic" choices.

More basmati rice and less curry is a way 'round the problem.

Tandoori dishes, which are basically broiled/roasted meats are good, especially chicken. I find them a bit too dry but that means less fat.

Some curries can be naturally lower in fat unless they add a ton of ghee. For example a Shrimp Vindaloo would be less greasy than a Lamb Vindaloo.

If you go to a BUFFET (which I adore), you can pick the curries that seem to have less or no oil floating on the top.

And, as DING said, amplify the Vegetarian and shy clear of the deep fried samosas and fritters. But wow, is there ANYTHING so tasty as a meat samosa smothered in that green coriander/mint sauce.

Chamach · 03-23-2007, 07:08 AM

Just a small point, but both paratha and naan breads are made with fat, so if you're having bread with the meal, maybe get a few chapatis instead (and specify "no ghee/oil").

Lenin also makes good point about tandoori foods. To moisten them a bit, you could ask for some curd/yoghurt and pickle (though the pickle is usually preserved in oil).