6 Healthy Indian Breakfast Recipes For Weight Loss

Are you running out of healthy ideas for the most important meal of the day? Is weight loss striking out most breakfast options for you? Well, read on to find some healthy breakfast recipes for weight loss and kick start your day.

As it is the most important meal of the day, breakfast deserves more than just a thought. In fact, it is always best to plan your breakfast a night prior to avoid any morning rush or confusion, especially if everyone in the family has to go out.

Even for those on a weight loss diet, what you eat at breakfast remains a key influence on what, how and how many times are you going to eat the rest of the day.

Why Is Eating Breakfast Important?

Your breakfast is the first meal of the day after almost eight to 10 hours of a gap. Therefore, it is the meal, that lends your body essential nutrients to kick start the day. One must never skip breakfast because if you are looking at weight loss, skipping breakfast pushes you further away from your goal. When you miss your first meal, you end up craving food by midday and poor food choices are easy to make as you binge eat. Either you can have an early breakfast or can have an early morning snack before you have a filling breakfast to get your metabolism going. Make an effort to have something to eat within the first half an hour of getting up.

What Is The Perfect Breakfast?

Indian food offers some very healthy breakfast alternatives. However, when sifting through some healthy Indian breakfast recipes it is important to remember that a perfect breakfast is one that includes four key elements - proteins, calcium, carbohydrates, and vitamins.

Proteins - It is best to include a source of protein in your breakfast as proteins leave one feeling satiated for long. As a result, if you are on a weight loss diet, you won’t binge eat at the start of the day.
Calcium – Start your day with a calcium rich food to boost your bone health. Milk, cheese, and yogurt are great choices.
Carbohydrates – Carbs are a great energy source and much needed at the start of the day.
Vitamins – Fruits, veggies, and juices are a great source of vitamins and it’s always better to give your body a dose of these at breakfast.

6 Healthy Indian Breakfast Recipes For Weight Loss

Here are some great and easy breakfast recipes Indian kitchens offer. Be it South Indian breakfast recipes or North Indian breakfast recipes, you are sure to love them all. So go ahead and try them out!

1. Chana Dal Pancake

Image Source: tarladalal.com

Ingredients:

Method of preparation:

Besan – 100 grams
Chopped Fenugreek (dhania) – 100 grams
Chopped capsicum – 50 grams
Chopped spinach - 100 gms
Grated Carrots – 50 grams
Grated Ginger – 5 grams
Curry leaves – 5 leaves (optional)
Olive Oil – 1-2 tablespoon
Chopped green chilies – to taste
Salt, red chilly powder – to taste
Water – 100 ml for mixing into a fine paste of running consistency

Mix besan with water in a bowl and stir continuously till both mix well to form a fine paste of running consistency.
Now add the rest of the ingredients and stir again till all have mixed well. Take a non-stick pan and heat it well.
Pour a teaspoon of oil in its center and make sure the pan is well greased.
Now using a large serving spoon pour the chana daal batter on the pan, allowing it to cook well on both sides.
Make sure that you keep flipping the pancake to avoid over cooking on one side.

To Serve:
Serve hot with curd and chutney. You can team it with coconut, coriander or mint chutney to make the perfect combo with this easy Indian breakfast recipe.

2. Oats Idli

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Oats are a rich source of fiber that also helps control bad cholesterol and excessive fat. Mix them with vitamins and mineral rich urad daal to prepare these delicious oats Idlis and create a yummy twist on your favorite south Indian breakfast recipe.

Ingredients:

Method of preparation:

Rolled Oats - 250 grams
Urad Dal – 50 gms
Chana daal – 25 gms
Ground ginger - 1 tablespoon
Fine chopped green chilli - to taste
Oil to cook – 2 tablespoons
Salt – to taste
Water – 1 ½ or 2 cups

Roast the oats on a flat pan till they are light brown.
Roast the daal as well.
Cool them down and grind them together to powder in a grinder.
In order to prepare the batter, add the water to the powder and mix well to get pouring consistency
To this mixture add the ginger and chili. You can also add grated carrots for additional nutritional value.
Mix the batter well and add the salt as well.
Now cover the mixture and keep it aside to ferment for 45 minutes to one hour.
Meanwhile, grease your idli molds.
Once the batter has fermented fill the molds and steam cook your Idli in the steamer for 8-10 minutes.

To Serve:
You can serve them hot with sambar, mint chutney or coconut chutney.

3. Paneer Paratha

Image Source: Hungry Forever

A popular north Indian breakfast recipe, paneer parantha is a yummy treat that also helps with weight loss efforts. Low in sugar and cholesterol, it is also a rich source of calcium and proteins. Cottage cheese or paneer is actually a fat burning food and thus, helps one stay fit while also maintaining satiety throughout the day.

Ingredients:

Method of preparation:

Cottage cheese – 50 gms
Whole wheat dough – prepared from 2 cups of whole wheat flour
Coriander leaves – 1 bowl, fine chopped
Mint leaves – 8-10, fine chopped
Green chilies – 1 fine chopped/to taste
Salt - to taste
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Olive Oil

Prepare the whole wheat dough and keep aside
In a separate bowl mix all the other ingredients together to prepare the stuffing for the paranthas.
Now take a portion of the dough to make a thick chapatti.
Grease it with a few drops of olive oil. This will keep the batter from crumbling out when you roll the parantha.
Now place a portion (2 tablespoons) of the stuffing in the middle of the chapatti
Fold the chapatti from all sides and pull it together in the center like a pouch. Pinch the dough together to bind and set like a ball.
Dust it with dry flour and using a rolling pin start flattening your parantha to the size little smaller than a quarter plate.
Take care not to press too hard lest the filling pops out.
Now pour a tablespoon of oil on a hot flat pan and cook the parantha on it.
Make sure to flip on both sides for even cooking
Take it off when golden brown on both sides.

4. Spinach Toast

Image Source: tarladalal.com

Rich in iron, the spinach toast is one of the most healthy breakfast recipes for weight loss. Spinach offers the body a great supply of antioxidants, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins. The whole wheat bread used adds to the fiber content.

Ingredients: (makes 4 )

Method Of Preparation:

Whole wheat bread – 4 slices
Chopped spinach leaves – 250 gms
Oil/butter - 1 tablespoon
Onions – 1 small cup, fine chopped
Tomatoes – 1 small cup, fine chopped
Green chilies to taste
Salt to taste
Cottage cheese and parmesan cheese for garnishing – 5 to 6 cubes

Take a pan and heat the oil in it.
Now add the onions and sauté till they are golden brown. To it add the tomatoes, salt, and green chilies and continue to cook for about 5 mins.
Now add the chopped spinach to the mixture and keep cooking until the spinach becomes soft. It will take about 15 minutes.
Once done, take off from the flame and allow to cool a little.
Meanwhile, toast your bread to medium brown.
Spread the spinach mixture on the toasts and grate some parmesan cheese on them
Garnish with crumbled cottage cheese
Now place these toasts in the oven/microwave. Using the convection mode cook at 200 degrees for 10 minutes on the middle rack.
If you don’t have a microwave oven you can put some butter on a heated pan and toast the bread on it for 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Mixed Sprouts Poha

Image Source: thehealthsite.com

Another one of the easy healthy Indian breakfast recipes, mixed sprouts poha is also very delicious and nutritious. Great for your digestive health sprouts also help regulate blood sugar levels. Full of carbs, iron, and fiber, poha makes for an energetic breakfast option that keeps you satiated through out the day.

Ingredients:

Method Of Preparation:

Poha – 250 gms
Mixed Sprouts – 150 gms
Curry leaves – 8-10
Onions – 2 medium sized, chopped
Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
Green chilies – 20 grams
Mustard seeds – 1 tablespoon
Sugar – ½ tablespoon
Turmeric powder – 1 tablespoon
Coriander leaves to garnish
Oil – 1 tablespoon
Salt – to taste

Place poha in a large sieve to wash it lightly. Drain the water and let it rest for 15 minutes. Water makes the poha soft and fluffy.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan to it add the curry leaves and mustard seeds.
When the seeds crackle, add onions and chilies.
Sauté them till they appear golden brown in color.
Now put the mixed sprouts to the pan and continue to sauté for five more minutes.
Add sugar and salt and cook for two minutes more.
It is time to add the poha and lemon juice now. Mix it all well and cook for another couple of minutes.

To Serve:
Sprinkle coriander leaves to garnish poha. Serve it hot.

6. Sprouts Jalfrezi

Image Source: ndtv.com

A great twist on vegetable or chicken Jalfrezi; this healthy breakfast recipe for weight loss incorporates the many benefits of sprouts and veggies. Light on the stomach it teams well with paranthas.

Ingredients:

Method Of Preparation:

Moong daal sprouts – 2 cups
Assorted vegetables, finely chopped
Beaten yogurt – ½ cup
Chopped garlic
Chopped ginger
Chopped tomatoes – ½ cup
Ghee – 2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Chili powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Salt – 2 tsp or to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds to it
Add ginger, garlic, and tomatoes to the ghee and stir fry
Add all the masalas, salt and chili
Toss in the veggies as well as the sprouts and mix them well over and over again
Keep cooking and frying the mixture
Now add one-cup water to it and let it boil and simmer. Do not cover with a lid.
Once the water has reduced add yogurt to it and mix it well
Cook for five minutes till done.

To Serve:
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.

You may also consult a certified nutritionist to get a customized diet plan consisting of Indian breakfast recipes.