By Neelam Jain Last Updated:
As the cold weather sets in, shedding that extra flab becomes an extremely tough affair. All you want to do is curl up lazily in bed and savour the cosy and rich meals. After all who wants to follow that pale meal ideology when there are delicious dishes around? But then battling the weight loss is equally important.
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Fret not and don’t let that passion fade away. You simply need to have a low-fat approach and swap your calorie-laden food with these yummy and healthy winter recipes. These guilt-free foods will keep you hearty as well as healthy with its nutritional benefits.
When it comes to a super-delicious winter breakfast, nothing can be as good as oatmeal. When binge eating is at its peak, the oatmeal recipe comes as your saviour. It’s a hands-on recipe, healthy and full of healthy elements too. In fact, it is a powerhouse of nutrients, especially protein and fibre which helps build healthy muscles. Oats contain dietary fibres, protein, magnesium and other compounds which is good for lowering the cholesterol levels.
Just roast the oats in a pan. Add milk, sugar, cardamom, raisins, cashews and almonds. Let the milk boil for around 5 minutes. Keep stirring the mixture. Once it becomes thick, it is ready to eat. You can add fruits of your choice and have it either cold or hot.
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A good start to your winter-weather detox plan, chicken soup is neither high in fats nor sugar. Chicken soup is not only a good warm-up but also a soup with low calories. It is a satiating food and apt for those who are on a strict regimen with weight loss.
Chop the chicken and other veggies like onion, garlic and carrots into pieces. Put all in a pan and simmer with water. Heat it uncovered. Once the chicken and veggies are soft, strain the broth and keep it separate. Now season the broth with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Add the chopped chicken pieces and veggies to the liquid. Stir together and have it.
Here is another food for easy digestion and effortless weight loss. Sweet potatoes come across as the most reliable and friendly winter food. These are wholesome, suitable for consumption and satiating too.
Heat the oil in a pan. Add onions and spices. Stir in the lentils, sweet potatoes, stock and chopped tomatoes. Let it simmer for around 20 minutes until the lentils and sweet potatoes get tender. Season the curry with coriander leaves.
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Let’s replace your winter sweet cravings with a healthier option. You can have the munchies almond and pomegranate in form of a safe dessert. You can bank upon these delicious and healthy fruits for a smaller waistline. An amazing source of fibre and potassium, these can be the best snack option too for your brunch. You can also add these fruits to your kheer. These will hardly add to your calorie count.
Heat the milk and add custard powder as per the instructions. Once it forms a smooth paste, put it to cool. Later add pomegranate and grated almonds into the flavourful custard. Do same if you are preparing kheer.
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You can always opt for a pearl millet or bajra ki khichdi for that unwanted bulge. Bajra can be preferred over wheat in winters as they are high-energy food and have amino acids and phosphorous which do good to your body. It is a great detox food and a good lunch option during winters.
Soak some bajra, moong daal and rice overnight. Put it to boil in a pressure cooker next day. Also, add chopped vegetables as per your choice. Tomatoes, carrots, peas, potato and capsicum can be the great options to make it even healthier and tastier. After 5 to 6 whistles, put the flame to low and wait for another 2 -3 whistles. While your khichdi is being cooked you can prepare a tadka using oil, mustard seeds, onion etc.
Thanks to the season, this popular desi Punjabi recipe all of a sudden becomes an essential. Paalak Saag is not only delectable but also a healthy option during winters to be included in your diet. It’s flavour and nutritive value is known since ages. It’s an excellent source of Vitamin A, C and K. It’s also great for your body muscles, tissues and bone health.
You can add mustard leaves and bathua to spinach leaves and put them all to boil. Later cook the boiled green leaves as a vegetable adding onion, garlic and tomato puree for taste. You can have the healthy and delightful spinach recipe with chapattis or makki ki roti.
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You will not only love the flavours of baked bell peppers, capsicum and mushroom but you will also cherish it as a good cholesterol-fighting food. The vegetables when baked are not only delicious and comforting but also healthy for those who want to shed some calories.
Have a mix of vegetables like mushroom, broccoli, potato, onions and bell peppers and put it to bake in your oven. You can also throw in some lemon juice, coriander leaves and a little bit of spices for taste once the veggies are baked.
And last but not the least, here comes season’s favourite veggie carrots. Good source of Vitamin K, C, E, potassium and fibres, carrots are good for immunity, weight loss and organ-function. You can have it in the form of an awesome cuisine called carrot gojju.
Cook some chana daal with chopped or grated carrots, coconut, jaggery, tamarind and curry leaves. For the masala or tadka use coconut oil, ginger, cumin seeds, green chillies, coriander leaves etc. Add lime juice at the last for added flavour and taste. Gently mix and serve.
If you are someone who subscribes to leaner-the-better school of thought, here are the winter super-food options you need to look for. These healthy alternatives keep your weight in control and also tickle your taste buds keeping you happy and sumptuous during the cold season.
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