Make your low-carb diet healthy and tasty with these 3 tips from a nutritionist

Limiting carbs can offer great health benefits, particularly when it comes to reducing weight, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, as well as triglycerides. But, a low-carb diet doesn’t have to be boring, complicated, or make you give up on your favourite foods.

You can enjoy Indian foods even while observing a low-carb diet without compromising on taste. A lot of traditional Indian dishes are high in carbs. With just some minor tweaks to these Indian recipes, we can reduce the carb content significantly while retaining the taste. A thoughtfully planned low-carb diet can give you plenty of options to enjoy the delicious Indian dishes alongside cutting down the carbs. 

Here are 3 clever ways to make your low-carb diet easier and tastier:

1. Stick to the traditional way of cooking

A low-carb diet can be modified to suit the Indian palate with the aim to increase the fat context of a typical Indian meal. Traditional Indian cooking methods like the tadka involve using fats. Not only will it increase your fat intake but will also help add powerful flavour to your recipes and make your foods so tasty that you would hardly feel like you are on a diet. 

2. Choose low-carb alternatives

Swapping starchy and sugary carbs for fibrous carbs can be a great way of planning a healthy yet tasty low-carb Indian diet. Here are a few examples of healthy yet delicious low-carb alternatives:

• One of the most nutritious low-carb vegetables is cauliflower which is a great alternative to potato.

• Limiting carbs can be pretty challenging for us Indians who love our rotis and dal. But, swapping sprouts for dal or legumes can help you enjoy a sumptuous meal alongside cutting down on carbs. Sprouts contain fewer calories and are rich in fiber. Sprouts salad and mixed sprouts sabzi are some yummy recipes that you can try.   
• A low-carb lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to say no to rotis. Some of the tastiest and healthiest low-carb alternatives to conventional flours include coconut flour and almond flour. Both are lower in carbs as compared to wheat and grain-based flours and can be subbed for regular atta in traditional Indian flatbread recipes. Recreating the dishes you ate growing up can be a complete game-changer! Swap traditional Indian rotis or naan with coconut/almond flour rotis to pair them with yummy cauliflower curry for a scrumptious low-carb meal. 
• You can also use low-calorie sugar alternatives which can help you cut down carbs without giving up sweetness altogether. Stevia, erythritol, and xylitol are some safe sugar-free sweeteners that can satiate your sweet tooth without interfering with your diet. 

3. Spice it up!

Spices are one of the easiest ways to add excitement to foods without increasing their calories or carbs, particularly in Indian cooking. Spices like turmeric, black pepper, and cardamom not only enhance the flavours but also contain great medicinal properties! Some other interesting yet low-carb spice options include cinnamon, mint, basil, thyme, and coriander. You can also add cumin, oregano, paprika, and cayenne even though they are slightly high on carbs.

So, you see, a low-carb diet can be super fun and healthy at the same time!