Pocket-Friendly Nutrition: The Indian Way

Wholesome nutrition is often considered as the first step towards healthy living!

A nutritious balanced meal consists of these 7 essential element :

Carbs 🍞, Proteins 🍗, Fats 🧈,Fibers 🥬 🥕, Vitamins 🍋, Minerals 🍉 & Water💧

While the modern-day trends of consuming avocado, quinoa and green smoothies are great from a health perspective, they can often prove to be quite heavy on the pocket. Besides, the availability of these superfoods during the pandemic has been rather scarce.

To help you enjoy some affordable nutritious meals, here’s a consolidated list that you can refer to offered by the renowned Nutritionist Ankeeta Vaidya. For what they’re worth, all of these dishes can be easily created in your own kitchen!

Khichdi

When it comes to comfort foods, a vast majority of Indians will inadvertently pick khichdi! A mix of lentils and rice, seasoned with salt, some spices and a generous amount of ghee, this one-pot recipe is no less than an elixir for someone feeling uneasy or sick. Bustling with nutrients, a warm bowl of khichdi is best enjoyed with some fresh curd. Known as Huggi in Karnataka, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Puligam in Andhra, what makes Khichdi the chosen meal for all is its sombre taste, its soothing flavours and its mouth-watering aroma.

Aliv Ladoo

This one’s a dessert, so you can easily squeeze it into your daily diet! Made from the nutritional treasure called Aliv, also known as Halim or Garden Cress Seeds, these ladoos also pack some other nourishing ingredients such as Edible Gum Or Gondh, Dry Fruits, Coconut and Jaggery. The ladoos offer a distinct tangy and peppery taste, which makes them hard to resist. Good taste and great nutrition – now that’s what we call a superfood!

Kulith

Also known as Horse Gram, Kulith is essentially a super pulse native to the Indian sub-continent. This superfood is believed to help cure all lifestyle diseases. Affordable than most other dals, Kulith can easily act as a delicious, healthful alternative to simple sprouts and even dals. Guess one doesn’t have to depend on the more expensive superfoods after all!

Detox Water

It is no hidden fact that hydration is the key to a healthy body. While a vast majority of us rely on the good old plain water, detox water can prove to be even more helpful. Whether infused with chia seeds and mint, lime and mint, or just some fresh cucumber detox water is not only rich in flavour but also offers an easy way to add more nutrients in day-to-day life without much effort,.

Thalipit

A traditional dish from the state of Maharashtra, Talipit is so delicious that one can easily forget that it is consumed mainly for its nutritious value. Essentially made using a combination of multigrain flour mixed with finely chopped vegetables and an assortment of spices, this dish is a complete meal in itself. Extremely satiating, the ingredients for thalipit are easily available, and its preparation takes less than 10 minutes; and all of this while being truly affordable!

Nuggets

McNuggets is a modern-day dish! We Indians have been relishing our own version of nuggets or fritters, since hundreds of years now! Paneer, soya, chicken or simply a vegetable you love, regardless of the filling you choose, these nuggets when coated with seasoned flour batter and baked/roasted to perfection offer a flavourful burst of nutrients. Unbelievably delicious, this dish is loved by all age groups, making it an optimal choice for a teatime snack for one and all! To enjoy it as a complete meal, you can always team it up with fresh curd, or piping hot soup.

Now that you’re aware of these delectable, pocket-friendly dishes that offer great nutritional value, make them a part of your daily diet, and your health and immune system will thank you dearly! For more such nutritious tricks and health tips stay tuned with Nth Sense.

Ankita Vaidya

Nutritionist, Post-Graduation in FOOD SCIENCE and DIETETICS

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