Indian Food for lunch. HELP!

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  • DragonflyF15
    DragonflyF15 Posts: 437 Member
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    I would stick to the tandoori chicken for protein and that it's baked. I also like the aloo gobi which is made with cauliflower and potatoes with a spicy mix of tumeric, not very curry like, so lighter on the calories. Skip most of the appetizers and pastry ball stuff, they are usually fried. If the soup of the day is broth based, go for it, otherwise cream based probably means high calories. They too can be full of veggies and spices, esp Dal. If you see that, have it first to fill you up so you eat less of everything else. My favorite Indian restaurant, I love their palak paneer, but they do everything in a very healthy way where as some restaurants will make it very oily with too much ghee Same with naan, if it's oily, it's probably been glazed or soaked in the oils. Better to fill up on plain basmati rice. If you see oil sitting on it, probably best to avoid it. Are you going to a buffet? Usually they will have fresh fruits and veggies as options. I like the cucumber/carrot salad with some raita on it. If you are wanting a dessert, skip the syrupy stuff and ask for a lassi. It's mainly yogurt based with mango and less sugar than a typical smoothie. I would say about 300 calories per serving, so if you could split it with a co worker, it could be a nice treat without breaking the waistline budget :)

    If it's a buffet style place, I start off with my soup, then usually try to look over everything thing first, and fit everything on one plate. If ordering off a menu, try to stick to the tandoori section and if ordering veggies, stick to ones that say saag which means they have green veggies in them.

    Or you could just enjoy whatever you want and then cut back on your other days. Treat it as a treat day. Either way, Enjoy! :smile:
  • IamUndrCnstruction
    IamUndrCnstruction Posts: 691 Member
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    Thank you all :) It's nice to have some idea what to look for as this is a totally new experience for me.
  • 34blast
    34blast Posts: 166 Member
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    I usually get tandoori chicken or chicken tikka (NOT chicken tikka masala, which is in a rich sauce). are both yogurt/spice marinated chicken, baked in a tandoor oven, but tandoori is both light and dark meat, and chicken tikka is just breast meat. Lentil dal is also a good choice!

    This is the best advice, I usually do the chicken tikka plus some type of veggies, occasionally the tandoori chicken.
  • suziepoo1984
    suziepoo1984 Posts: 915 Member
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    Look in the menu and avoid cream based dishes. Ask for Roti/Phulkas, they are better than Nan (ask them to make them dry with no ghee/oil). As gravy order Dal tadka and some dry sabzi like Allo gobi or some chana masala, rajma, aloo tomato , mixed veg, saag paneer etc.They should also be ok. Cream based ones are Dal Makhni, Malai Paneer etc. Get raitha too on the side.

    Indian food is yummy(ofcourse i am indian, so biased :)). Just enjoy it. I eat these dishes(even cream based ones) regularly and still losing weight. Moderation is the key my friend.
  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    Indian Food for lunch. YAY!!!!!!

    there, fixed it for ya ;)
  • IamUndrCnstruction
    IamUndrCnstruction Posts: 691 Member
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    Indian Food for lunch. YAY!!!!!!

    there, fixed it for ya ;)

    You are awesome! I went, I ate, I enjoyed!!!!
  • live2dream
    live2dream Posts: 614 Member
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    My faves are chana masala (spicy chickpeas) or aloo gobi (spicy cauliflower and potatoes). Ask for light on the oil.
  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    Indian Food for lunch. YAY!!!!!!

    there, fixed it for ya ;)

    You are awesome! I went, I ate, I enjoyed!!!!

    btw, i'm glad you enjoyed yourself :) xoxo.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I woud eat all the food, work out later and eat a very small dinner, if any.
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
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    Indian is one of your safest bets! Stay away from anything "korma" or "tikka masala" which both have cream in the sauces. Limit your naan... try chapathi instead!

    Channa Masala, Shrimp or chicken vindaloo, baigan bharta (eggplant) and vegetable, shrimp or chicken curry are all very healthy bets. And choose one... do the rice or do the bread. Don't do both! Have fun. Report back and tell us what you had!
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    Everything you need to know about a typical Indian restaurant, what the cuisines are, how they're prepared, what tastes better where and what specifically to ask.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1087041-so-i-hear-mfp-likes-indian-food

    Good luck with your adventures :)
  • IamUndrCnstruction
    IamUndrCnstruction Posts: 691 Member
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    Alright! So I went to lunch....it was a buffet, not many selections. I did what someone suggested and started with the chicken soup they had, which was good. Then I had just a small amount of basmati rice (not a big rice eater in general) and two tandoori drumsticks. The chicken curry looked kind of heavy or oily so didn't try it. They had lamb saag, but lamb is not for me. I did have maybe too much of the aloo gobi which was wonderful I do love me some potato! The naan was cut into what looked like quarters and I had one piece, but could have eaten 4 :) I think I did ok calorie wise but all in all was not impressed with their buffet. I shall have to either order off the menu next time, or better yet try and take some of the wonderful suggestions from all of you and make them myself. I love to cook and think I could really enjoy some Indian food adventures!!!

    So yes, the title of this post should definitely be changed to "Indian Food for Lunch. YAY!!!!"
  • UrbanLotus
    UrbanLotus Posts: 1,163 Member
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    Alright! So I went to lunch....it was a buffet, not many selections. I did what someone suggested and started with the chicken soup they had, which was good. Then I had just a small amount of basmati rice (not a big rice eater in general) and two tandoori drumsticks. The chicken curry looked kind of heavy or oily so didn't try it. They had lamb saag, but lamb is not for me. I did have maybe too much of the aloo gobi which was wonderful I do love me some potato! The naan was cut into what looked like quarters and I had one piece, but could have eaten 4 :) I think I did ok calorie wise but all in all was not impressed with their buffet. I shall have to either order off the menu next time, or better yet try and take some of the wonderful suggestions from all of you and make them myself. I love to cook and think I could really enjoy some Indian food adventures!!!

    So yes, the title of this post should definitely be changed to "Indian Food for Lunch. YAY!!!!"

    Sounds like you did well! Not sure what the soup is (we generally don't do soups) but it sounds like you made good choices! Yeah buffets (of all kinds) are usually crappy so go a la carte next time!

    If you want to cook - this is a standard recipe you can use to make many things (North Indian dishes) - homemade Indian food is generally pretty healthy as it is mostly spices that provide flavor:

    Brown a lot of diced onions (low heat for a while) in a bit of oil and then puree them using an immersion blender. Then add crushed ginger and garlic and brown all of it together. This is your base, its called masala. Now add whatever protein you want to it - like chicken, chickpeas, meatballs, whatever. Season it with salt, red chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander powder, and turmeric (no curry powder!!). Add a little tomato paste and water, let it simmer for a while. If you want what we call curry (a protein dish with gravy) add more water and a bit more seasoning, let it simmer till the water creates a flavorful gravy. Serve with roti or rice.

    Sorry I don't have measurements, I learned by watching my parents cook - but use much more spices, onions etc than you would think, our food is very flavorful so don't be stingy. You'll get the hang of the quantities by cooking it more and tasting while you're cooking :)
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    I am currently living in south India and gained 6 pounds when I first got here in August. It is more difficult than one would think to eat healthy Indian food. Staying away from naan and rice goes a long way. Most Indians do not get enough fat or calories in their diet, so many dishes are rich with both, as well as salt.

    But in saying that, once and a while is not going to hurt for long.
  • sola24
    sola24 Posts: 334 Member
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    I find restaurent versions of indian food is wayy heavy.. that being said, when I am eating out, I try to eat tandoori roti with a chicken sidedish.. if while eating rice I limit the amount to 0.5-1 cup and have dal, saag , veggies, fish more instead..

    P.S I am an Indian so I know how hard it is to eat out indian food and stick to calorie goals. When I cook myself I just control whatever I am putting in the dish, its way lighter and healthier.

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