IS FOLLOWING A VEGETARIAN INDIAN KETO DIET DIFFICULT?

You may be the quintessential multitasking mom, forever on calls dad, a career-oriented busy bee or a fitness lover. Secretly you all aspire to steal time from your busy schedule to get in shape and get healthy. Instead of doing random dieting, you should be aiming to follow a well-designed scientific diet plan. Keto diet is low carb, high-fat diet which drives the body towards a process where it starts consuming fat instead of glucose for energy generation. You can lose about 10% of body weight by following this 4-week diet plan. But is veto even a viable option for a vegetarian Indian.

But while cutting down the carbs in an Indian diet can be challenging, it presents all the more dilemma for a vegetarian as most of the information available about keto diet caters to non-vegetarians. What options does a vegetarian Indian keto diet plan have to enable you to stick to the principals of the keto diet and still not starve you?

What Are Your Options in a Vegetarian Indian Keto Diet?

Here is how you can play with the keto friendly vegetarian ingredients to get a sumptuous and healthy Indian meal and yet stick to the keto diet principals.

Have Plenty of Vegetables: Fill your plate with green, non-starchy vegetables as these will be the highlight of your meal going forward. Opt for cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, mustard greens, turnip, bottle guard and radish, etc.) and green leafy vegetables (spinach, fenugreek leaves, coriander, mint, etc.). Potatoes, however, are forbidden in a keto diet as they are full of carbs.

Substitute Grains and Cereals: Grains and cereals such as wheat, rice, ragi, corn, semolina have high carb content. It means that you will have to sacrifice your chapattis, rice, and bread. But worry not! You can get innovative and use alternative ingredients. For example, almond flour can be used to make chapattis and lettuce can be used for wraps. Use low carb panini and eggplant in place of bread and cauliflower rice can replace traditional rice.

Get Your Proteins in Moderation: Legumes and lentils are a good source of protein for vegetarians. However, they should be consumed in moderation as proteins slow down the fat loss process. Have portion-controlled servings of chickpeas, rajma, and other lentils. You should also include cottage cheese(paneer), tofu and soybean.

Butter, Cream, Ghee, Sour Cream: These are the four pillars of the keto diet. Enjoy unsweetened curd, sour cream, heavy cream, butter, and ghee because fats are essential to the keto diet. However, avoid milk as it contains lactose which has high carb content. Substitute milk with soy milk.

Consume Nuts and Seeds: Nuts and seeds are rich in micronutrients and low in carbs. Have plenty of almonds, walnuts pecans, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed. Consume cashews and hazelnuts in moderation as they are slightly high in carbs.

Befriend Avocadoes and Coconut Oil: Sweet fruits are a strict no-no in the keto diet. But you can have citrus fruits and avocadoes which is a near perfect keto fruit. Coconut oil, on the other hand, is perhaps the best keto food. You can replace all purpose flour (maida) with coconut flour in almost all preparations.

Bulletproof Tea/Coffee: Strange name but this can help you keep your morning ritual of drinking tea/coffee. Just avoid adding sugar and milk. Use heavy cream instead. So, bid goodbye to Starbucks and say hello to bulletproof coffee.

If you are an on-the-run person who loves variety or somebody who cannot innovate or cook, then there are experts like Food Darzee who fulfill your nutritional needs while delivering a variety of weekly keto menu.