Typical Indian Meal vs. Modified Indian Meal
By Madhu Gadia M.S., R.D. CDE 
It's easier to eat healthfully if you had a road map. See the meal plan below or download the meal plan here.
A sample menu of a typical north Indian vegetarian and a non-vegetarian meal is given below. A typical meal is often high in carbohydrates and fat. The calculations are based on recipes from New Indian Home Cooking and The Indian Vegan Kitchen.
|
Meal Type |
Typical Meal |
Modified Meal |
|---|---|---|
|
Nutrition Values |
Calories: 2600 Carbohydrate: 350 grams (55%) Protein: 80 grams (12%) Fat: 100 grams (33%) |
Calories: 1600 Carbohydrate: 220 grams (55%) Protein: 70 grams (17%) Fat: 50 grams (28%) |
|
Breakfast |
1 cup chai (tea)/ whole milk 3 teaspoons sugar 1 potato paratha (potato pan-fried flatbread) 1 tsp pickle |
1 cup chai/skim milk No calorie sweetener 2 whole wheat toast slices 1 teaspoon butter 1 cup skim milk |
|
Lunch |
2 roti with 1 teaspoon ghee (flatbread) 1 cup rajmah_kidney beans (or Chicken curry) ½ cup spinach and potato subji ½ cup onion and cucumber salad 1 roasted papad (bean wafer) |
2 roti‐no ghee 1 cup LF rajmah_kidney beans (or LF chicken curry) 1/2 cup spinach vegetable ½ cup onion and cucumber salad 1 roasted papad (bean wafer) |
|
Tea Time |
1 cup chai (tea)/ whole milk 3 teaspoons sugar ¼ cup namkeen (fried snack) 1 laddu (sweet) |
1 cup chai/skim milk No calorie sweetener 1 oz (30 grams) mixed nuts 1 banana |
|
Dinner |
2 parathas_panfried flatbread 1 cup chole (1 cup kheema) 1 cup potato and pea vegetable ½ cup plain yogurt (whole milk) |
2 roti‐no ghee ½ cup chickpeas chole (or ½ cup LF kheema‐lamb) 1 cup cauliflower vegetable ½ cup FF plain yogurt |
|
Snack |
1 cup kheer pudding |
1 orange 1 cup skim milk |
Madhu Gadia, MS, RD, CDE, author of New Indian Home Cooking (Penguin Group 2000) and The Indian Vegan Kitchen (Penguin Group 2009). Both her books include nutritional analysis of the recipes.