Everyone who loves to explore food wonders why South Indian food is healthy as it is also a type of fast food. Along with delighting our palate, South Indian snacks have long dominated our taste buds owing to their simple yet exotic flavour and health advantages. Not only Indians, but people all over the world are fans of South Indian snacks.
Considering its regional and global appeal, where people crave for South Indian delights, this regional cuisine has actually shown us what it means to win with simplicity. So for those who love eating South Indian snacks but aren’t aware of their health benefits, we are going to tell you the health benefits of some very popular South Indian cuisines.
Why South Indian food is healthy
Compared to other cuisines in the country, South Indian snacks are light, simple to digest, and packed with nutritious benefits. The South Indian breakfast offers the most health advantages, with the primary nutrients being vitamins, iron, protein, magnesium, zinc, and folate.
1. Idli
Idlis are regarded as one of the healthiest breakfast options. It is among the most popular South Indian snacks. It is not just a favourite dish in our country but also a dish that is well-liked abroad. They are low in calories, nutritious, and flavorful when made with a batter of rice and lentils. It is digestible and light. Idli don’t have any fat, cholesterol, or saturated fat. The process of steaming ensures that your meal is free of
oil.
- Low in calories
Idli are often steamed, and they have few calories overall. If you are concerned about the excessive rice content, you can simply experiment with the components, such as adding pulses and vegetables as additions, to make the batter nutritious.
- Keeps full for long time
Idli’s high protein and fibre content keeps you fuller for longer and helps you avoid overeating. In the end, this aids in weight management.
- Good for digestion
The fact that South Indian snacks are simple to digest is one of their best qualities. The key is in the fermentation process, which naturally facilitates digestion in the body. During the process, the body’s vitamins and minerals are broken down, which aids digestion.
- Contains iron
Idli is a dish that is high in iron since it contains lentils. Experts claim that eating idli regularly can help people meet their daily requirements for iron, which are 8 mg for men and 18 mg for women.
- Contains carbs
Health professionals claim that pairing steamed idli with citrus juice, such as that from oranges or grapes, burns fat and inhibits the body from storing carbohydrates.
2. Sambar
Sambar is a South Indian vegetable and lentil stew. It is made using pigeon peas, lentils, tamarind, and a special spice mixture called sambar masala. It is a common meal in South Indian families and is adored by many people. One bowl of sambar is filled with a lot of health benefits.
Sambar can be eaten with South Indian snacks like uttapam, dosa, or idli. It is the most popular dish and offers many advantages for good health. There is nothing else you need to prepare in addition to it because it is a great meal. The sour, spicy, and calming tastes of sambar make it a popular food across the country.
- Rich in protein
Pulses are used to make sambar. The vegetarian dish dal is a great source of protein. There are usually few protein sources available to vegetarians and vegans. In the absence of eggs, fish, or meat, sambar can be a dependable and delicious source of protein. Proteins are the building blocks of the body. They are essential for both weight loss and muscle growth and repair.
- Full of fiber
Pulses used in sambar are rich in fibre. Several veggies that are high in fibre and antioxidants are used to make sambar. Traditional sambar recipes include various fiber-rich vegetables. The longest to digest is fibre. They make you feel full and stop you from overindulging on other unhealthy foods. Foods high in fibre are healthy for cholesterol and the heart.
- Antioxidants
Iron, zinc, folate, and magnesium are among the vitamins and minerals that the dal-based stew is rich in. Sambar has several health advantages along with the pulses and vegetables because of the unique combination of herbs and spices.
The health advantages of all the ingredients include improved immunity, weight loss, and improved digestion.
- Weight loss benefits
Sambar is a wonderful dish that is suitable for weight loss because it is filled with proteins, fibres, and is readily digestible. You can boost the stew’s vegetable content and cut back on the salt to maximise the benefits of weight loss. Water retention can result from too much salt.
3. Dosa
A dosa is one of the most popular South Indian snacks with a thin batter foundation that is produced from a fermented batter primarily made of lentils and rice. Rice and black grams are the key components, which are combined into a thin, smooth batter with a sprinkle of salt and then fermented. Dosas are a typical South Indian dish that has grown in popularity across the entire Indian subcontinent. By tradition, dosas are usually served with chutney and, more recently, sambar. A fine paste made of groundnuts, coconut, and lentils is called chutney.
- Rich source of carbohydrates
Dosa is a fantastic source of nutritious carbs. Your body is consequently given the energy it needs to keep you energised throughout the day. Therefore, if you want to shed pounds, dosa is the best alternative for breakfast.
Completely cutting down on carbohydrates from your diet will leave you feeling drained of energy and, in many circumstances, depressed. Because of this, it is best to obtain your supply of carbs from healthy sources.
- Rich in proteins
Another crucial ingredient your body requires to keep you energetic all day long is protein. However, it might be challenging for vegans to consume enough protein. You must add dosa to your diet for this purpose.
When creating the batter, you can mix more dal and less rice to give it a more nutritious twist.
- Easy Digestible
Dosas are easy on the digestive system in addition to being a feast for the taste buds. Dosa is a fermented breakfast dish made from rice and lentils that is easy for your body to consume and digest. Oats or rawa are two nutritious alternatives to rice that you can use to change the flavor and caloric content of dosa. Dosa also helps you feel fuller for longer because it is a healthy supper.
4. Upma
One of the tastiest South Indian snacks, called upma, is cooked with cream of wheat or rava.
Cooking roasted rava in water flavoured with ghee (or oil), cashews, urad dal, chana dal, onion, ginger, and other herbs and spices is the traditional method for making this meal. For a dish that is both savoury and moderately sweet, add sugar. By substituting oil for the ghee in this scrumptious breakfast dish, it may be made vegan. This upma is really delicious and is full of warmth and flavour.
- Low calorie and cholesterol
A nutritious breakfast recipe is upma. When accompanied by nutritious vegetables, a bowl of upma is notably high in fibre, vitamins, and healthy fats. It is a healthy breakfast for a balanced diet because it is low in calories and cholesterol. It has been observed that rava upma contains between 192 and 205 calories per 100g.
- Good for weight loss
Upma is helpful for losing weight. This is especially true when healthy options like quinoa upma, ragi upma, oats upma, etc. are used in place of rava upma. When certain veggies are included in upma, it creates a healthy dish.
- Rich in fiber
Upma contains various vegetables like tomatoes, onions, capsicum, carrots, etc. This makes it rich in fibre and easy to digest. Now you know why South Indian food is healthy as most of the snacks are made with little or no oil and they are filled with loads of vegetables. Now, the interesting fact is that out of all the South Indian snacks, Idli is the healthiest.
So, if you’re a Mumbaikar looking for some authentic, tasty, and fresh Idli, look no further. Visit Naadbramha Idli restaurant. Here, you will get Maharashtra’s No. 1 Idli throughout the day. The best part is that they serve hot and fresh idli with delicious sambar and coconut chutney to every customer.
Visit your nearest Naadbramha Idli restaurant now.
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