Samosa and fresh milk cream – this was my diet when I was vacationing at home. Eating one chapati extra while eating home-cooked food had become a routine. Soon I had to bear the consequences of over-eating. I had put on extra pounds in just two weeks. When I unsuspectedly weighed myself one day, I realized I was overweight and had to do something to lose weight.
I started walking daily, but it was not helping much as I had not changed my diet. I slowly reduced the number of chapatis, removed milk cream from breakfast, and added raita to my lunch. Indians find it difficult to eat simple salads as their taste buds are more used to eating spicy food. So, instead of having simple salads, I made delicious Indian raitas.
They are prepared by mixing fruits and vegetables with curd and a few spices. Curd and spices make the salad scrumptious and healthy due to the probiotics and vitamins present in the curd. The addition of cumin seeds not only adds flavor but also makes raita easier to digest. The fiber in the raita makes you feel full without needing to munch on anything extra, like cookies and chips. Raitas are very simple to make; one needs to mix the cut vegetables and fruits with curd. Spices like cumin seeds and chaat masala are optional, and one can make the raita salty or add sugar to make it sweet. The commonly prepared raitas are beetroot raita, cucumber raita, onion and tomato raita, and pineapple raita. You can always make a raita of vegetables and fruit of your choice. Since sugar adds to the calories, adding salt is a better option.
I checked my weight after two months of dieting, and hurray! I had lost the extra pounds without compromising on taste and feeling the hunger pangs due to insufficient food.
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