10 Healthy Indian Breakfast
India is such a vast country that when you start preparing any list be it about Indian Breakfast or anything, you often have resources so rich and wide that you find yourself flooded with information. For all Indians, breakfast is one of the most important daily diets and hence it has to be sumptuous as well as healthy. Here is a list of top 10 healthy Indian breakfast in no particular order with all necessary information on calories and other nutrient facts.
1. Idli- Delicious and nutritious
Idlis primarily is a South Indian dish but it has gained huge acceptance across all corners of India. Ready to eat Idlis are one of the fast-moving items in each general store plus it can also be prepared at the home. People like both. Idlis are made from rice, lentils, and salt and to make it more fiber-rich, once can substitute white rice with brown rice.
Idli is a light as well as a healthy Indian breakfast. It has approximately 40 calories. Every day one healthy urban male requires approximately 2000-2100 calories. So if you consume on an average 2 Idlis for your breakfast, it can supply you with almost 80 calories for the day.
Fats, Cholesterol, and Oil
Idlis are free of all saturated fats, oil, or cholesterol. This makes it a healthy Indian breakfast.
Proteins, Fibers and Carbs in Idli
One cake of Idli contains about 2gms of Protein, 8 grams of carbohydrates, and approximately 2 grams of Dietary Fiber. On average a healthy adult for healthy Indian breakfast requires 50gms of proteins, 28-34 gms of Fiber, and 225 gms of carbs daily.
Vitamins and Minerals in Idli
Idli is not so much of Vitamin or mineral-rich but it does contain traces of calcium, potassium, folate, and Vitamin A. Due to lentils, one Idli piece contains about 1mg of Iron. An adult male requires about 8mg of Iron every day while a female may require about 18mg of Iron daily.
2.Poha-Sumptuous and healthy
Poha originated from Maharashtra but now it is like a universal breakfast in India. The most exciting thing about this healthy Indian breakfast is that it can be custom made to suit your taste bud.
Fats, cholesterol, oil, and calories in Poha
Poha is a low-fat diet with oil added as per your taste. You can replace refined oils with desi ghee or coconut oil to make it a healthy Indian breakfast. Poha is full of antioxidants; it is gluten-free and very healthy for the gut.
Proteins, Fibers, and Carbs in Poha
Fibers, proteins, and carbs are naturally present in poha. Add vegetables, peas, peanuts, onions, or other nutrients to make it super healthy. Depending on your health requirements, you can customize your poha and power -pack it with protein, carbs, fibers, or can have a balance of all. Add peas/peanuts for more protein, add veggies which makes it a healthy Indian breakfast.
Vitamins and minerals in Poha
Poha is rich in Iron, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Vitamin A. Squeeze a lemon in your poha as that will add to the taste as well as help in absorption of iron.
3.Chilas- Easy to digest and tasty
This is one of the most popular and exciting breakfasts in India. Chilas can be made using besan or moong dal. Besan ka chilla or chilla is also known as besan ka puda. Both moong dal and besan chila can be stuffed with paneer, potato, peas, or as you like it.
Fats, Cholesterol and Oil in Chila
Chila or Cheela are generally made using very little oil and are fat and cholesterol-free.
Proteins, Fibers, and Carbs in Chila
Moong and besan both are power-packed with proteins. If you really want your morning meal to be rich in protein then chila is perfect for you. 3.2 oz of besan contains about 20gms of proteins and 100gms of moong contain about 24gms of proteins. You can definitely give a boost to your muscular strengths by consuming chilas regularly. Moong and protein also contain healthy carbs. 100 gms of besan and moong contains about 58 and 65 gms of carbs respectively. These both are rich in fibers too.
Vitamins and minerals in Chila
Chila is rich in both Vitamins and Minerals. It is rich in Folic acids, Vitamin A and Calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, etc.
4. Dalias-Light and great for health
There could hardly be any household in India, who would be unaware of this highly nutritious food. Dalia is a cereal made from broken or cracked wheat. There is a variety of ways to cook Dalia. In India, the most popular ones are sweet Dalia and Dalia cooked with Vegetables.
Fats, Cholesterol, and Oil
Dalia is helpful in losing weight and is fat-free. It has zero cholesterol and can be prepared in less oil. Use desi ghee to cook your Dalia if you are preparing vegetable Dalia.
Proteins, Fibers and Carbs in Dalia
100gms of Dalia may contain approximately 12gms of protein, 76gms of carbs, and 18gm of Dietary Fiber. You can further add to proteins, carbs, or Fiber by adding veggies, egg, or any other edibles as per your taste and health needs.
Vitamins and minerals in Dalia
Dalia is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B6 and Vitamin E. besides, it also has essential minerals like Iron, Copper, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Zinc, etc.
5.Quinoa- Protein-rich and fat-free
This is going to be even more popular. Slowly quinoa is getting space in health-conscious people’s kitchen. Quinoa is very high in protein and fiber. It is gluten-free, rich in Vitamins and minerals, and consists of all 9 essential amino acids.
Fats, Cholesterol and Oil in Quinoa
Proteins, Fibers, and Carbs in Quinoa
Quinoa is very high in protein, approximately 14gms in 100gms of it. If you add a few of veggies and peas to it, the protein, as well as fiber content, will go up significantly. Naturally, 100gms of quinoa have 5gms of fiber, which is 21% of daily intake. Quinoa is less in carbs hence it is helpful in weight loss.
Vitamins and minerals in Quinoa
Quinoa is power-packed with Vitamins and Minerals. It has Manganese (58% dv) Magnesium (30% dv), Folate: (19% dv) Copper: (18% dv) Iron (15% dv) Zinc(13% dv) Potassium (9% dv)
6. Uttapam– The ideal breakfast
Uttapam is a healthy, easy to digest and one of the delinquent delicacies from South India. It is made out of Rice flour and Urad Dal or also from Suzi. It can be eaten as breakfast or as evening snacks. It can be an ideal breakfast for all those who look for low-fat diets. Uttapam is generally made with onion, capsicum, tomato or coriander toppings
Proteins, Fibers, and Carbs in Uttapam
One medium-size Uttapam contains 170 kilocalories, 7gms of fats, 3 gms of proteins, 3 gms of Fibers, and about 24gms of carbs. But based on the toppings you can customize your Uttapam. For instance, if you want to increase protein in Uttapam, you can add paneer to it. If you want to increase the fiber content, add more veggies to it and so on.
Vitamins and minerals in Uttapam
This would depend on what ingredient you are using. For instance, a 100gms of Semolina Uttapam may have 5% of Vitamin A, 5% of Vitamin B6, 7.5% of Vitamin C. It is rich in minerals like Manganese, Phosphorus, Folate, and Magnesium
7. Oats-Power packed with energy
Oats has now become a very common breakfast dish due to its high nutrient content. Oats are whole grain, Avena Sativa, also known as common oat. Whole grain means the kernel has Barn, endosperm, and germ intact. Oats are high in carbs and protein and low in fats and that is the reason all health enthusiasts devour it in breakfast. Oats can be cooked in hot water or milk. It tastes great when combined with vegetables or fruits.
Proteins, Fibers, and Carbs in Oats
100gms of oats approximately contains 12 gms of carbohydrates, 2.4 gms of protein, 1.7gms of dietary fibers. You have the complete liberty to customize your Oats. It tastes great when you add vegetables of your choice and cook it in hot water. This also gives you an option to load this food with extra carbs, protein, or fiber. Oats are cholesterol-free diet, hence they are very heart-friendly.
Vitamins and minerals in oats
You might get tempted to consume oats in your breakfast more than ever after knowing the richness of its vitamins and minerals content. Oats are rich in Vitamin A (8% dv), Calcium (8% dv) and Vitamin B6 (15% dv). Oats are very rich in iron. One serving of 100gms can get you 33% of the required daily intake of iron. Oats are also a good source of magnesium too.
8.Sooji Upma– Tasty and nutritious
Sooji or semolina is used to make Upma, which is a popular breakfast in Peninsular India. Sooji is roasted in oil or ghee and various vegetables are added to suit the taste. It sometimes is also garnished with beans or nuts. Upma has its origin in South India but has occupied a place of prominence in many north Indian homes also
Sooji upma is very tasty, nutritious, and a very low-fat breakfast.
Proteins, Fibers, and Carbs in Sooji
Sooji upma has about 18 gms of carbs of which 3.0 gms is dietary fiber. It is rich in protein and has about 4.5gms of protein per serving. It has 0 cholesterol, making it very light to digest.
Vitamins and Mineral in Sooji
Sooji is rich both in sodium and potassium providing almost 7% and 5% respectively of your daily intake value. It is rich in Vitamin C, which almost is 56% of the daily required value. The calcium and iron further add to the nutritional value making this dish very special and healthy.
9.Muesli-The energy booster
Muesli is commonly available, ready to eat, healthy, and nutritious cereal breakfasts developed around 1900. Muesli can be fresh as well as packed. Fresh mueslis are freshly prepared using rolled oats or whole grain oats. Packed Mueslis are mixed with nuts and dry fruits and are mainly rolled oats or cornflakes. Muesli can be taken with Milk and is generally served cold.
Protein Carbs and fiber in Muesli
A cup of serving of Muesli contains about 290 kilocalories, 8gms of protein, 4gms of fat, 6gms of fiber, and about 65gms of carbs. But all these can be customized as per your requirements, for instance, you can add some additional fruits to eat to make it rich in Fiber.
Vitamins and Mineral in Muesli
Mueslis are packed with iron and is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. It is extremely rich in Vitamin B and contains B1, B2, B3, B6, and B12 approximately 52% of your daily-required volume.
10. Corn flakes
We all have grown up eating this tasty and nutritious cereal made out of flakes from corn. Did you know the famous brand name Kellog is after the founder of this product, John Harvey Kellog. Now, there are many corn flakes brands available on the counter for you to buy. Cornflakes are one of the healthiest breakfasts to start your day. It can be taken with milk and some people also add sugar to eat.
Protein Carbs and fiber in Corn Flakes
1 cup of corn flakes contains about 100 Kilocalories, 24gms of carbs, 0.1gm of fats, 0.9 gm of fiber, and 2.1 gms of protein. To make it a more protein-rich diet, you can add some peanut butter to it. To add this just heat the butter till it melts and then pour it to the flakes. If you are looking to make it more fibrous then add some fruits like berries, grapes, banana, mango, etc.
Vitamins and Mineral in Muesli
1 serving of Corn flakes can give you 30% of daily dietary requirements of iron, 11% of sodium, and 1% of Zinc. Corn flakes are rich in Vitamin B containing almost 25% of B1, B2, B3, B6, folate, and B12. Cornflakes also are a good source of vitamin A and Vitamin D
Hope this post solves your problem of thinking of a healthy breakfast. You can pick 4-5 from the list every week and remain healthy forever.
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