Weight Gain on a Typical Indian Diet

A typical Indian diet is high in carbohydrates. Rice, Whole Wheat, Lentils, Pulses and Vegetables form a major portion of the diet. Again, Indian cuisine varies widely from region to region. I hail from a southern state in India  known as ‘Kerala” well known for it’s coconut trees. Grated Coconut, Coconut Milk and Coconut Oil have been used for a long time in Kerala cuisine. Seafood is also an integral part of Kerala cuisine. Rice and Tapioca (Yuca) are considered staples in Kerala cuisine. The main dish for lunch and dinner is boiled rice. One or more vegetarian and non-vegetarian side dishes are served along with rice. Keralites prefer parboiled rice known as “Kuthari” in Malayalam.

 

 

Though Kerala Cuisine is absolutely tasty, it is high in starch and can be a problem for people with diabetes. This high carbohydrate diet combined with lack of exercise can easily lead to weight gain. Moreover each meal is dense in calories leads to excessive calorie intake. The staples used in Indian Cuisine have a high glycemic index. After getting married, I have been trying to alter this high carbohydrate diet. It has been possible to some extent by replacing Rice with Chappathis, eating more lean protein instead of carbs at every meal, limiting rice to once a day, including  salads at every meal, reducing consumption of red meat and so on.

When my in-laws visited us, they stayed with us for 3 months and I let go of my healthy diet and lifestyle. We followed a typical Kerala diet for 3 months and in no time all of us gained lot of weight. Our typical day would involve around the following types of food:

Breakfast

1. Tea/Coffee with Milk
2. Idli with Chutney
3. Plain Dosa and varieties like Rave Dosa, Masala Dosa served with Sambar and/or Chutney
4. Uppumavu with Pazham
5. Puttu and Egg/Kadala Curry
6. Appam with Fish Molee or Vegetable Stew
7. Paratha with Chicken/Egg Curry
8. Kappa with Meen Curry

Tea time

1. Tea/Coffee with Milk
2. Biscuits and Rusk
3. Uzhunnuvada
4. Parippuvada
5. Unniyappam
6. Kozhukkatta
7. Pazham Pori
8. Achappam, Cheppappam, Cheeda
9. Ariyunda
10. Banana/Jackfruit Chips

Lunch and Dinner

1. Rice
2. Gravy like Thakkali Curry, Moru Curry, Sambar, Rasam
3. Thoran made out of vegetables like Cabbage, Carrot, Beans
4. Fish Fry or Fish Curry
5. Chicken Curry or Roast
6. Beef/Pork Fry
7. Prawns Fry
8. Chappathi (once in a while)
9. Kerala Porotta
10. Pappadam
11. Pickle

Dessert (occasionally)

1. Parippu Payasam
2. Semiya Payasam
3. Icecream
4. Cake

Special Dishes

1. Chicken/Fish Biriyani
2. Fried Rice
3. Chilly Chicken
4. Gobi Manchurian
5. Cutlet
6. Pidi and Chicken Curry
7. Kappayerachi

That is a typical Kerala Menu rich in calories! So, if you wondering why you are gaining weight on such a diet, it is simple. High Carb Diet and Calories lead to Weight Gain. 🙂

If you are underweight and want to gain a few pounds, then this diet is perfect for you. You can easily gain weight on a high carbohydrate and high calorie diet.