eating in india

this is more of a maintaining question than loss but most people look here so,  I am in india for 3 months traveling,  north to south,  please  i eat out breakfast lunch and dinner,  what food in india will not cause me to blow up.  One problem or great thing depending on your lifestyle is that for the cheapest price...around 75cents i can get a whole veg meal,,,,which they keep refilling which gives you tons of rice, 4chipati, 2 veg curries and a dal...lentil soupy dish....if i can limit myself to one serving and either eat the rice or chipati,  maybe this will work...but honestly bananas are the only healthy things i can see and idly..which are steamed..but they come smothered in a coconut sauce,  i guess maybe if i eat upmarket food at real restraunts and not snack bars....so much cheaper. i could ask for special things, but i need suggestions for everyday foods,  and yes samosas are evil,  and i wanna enjoy here,  i have 2 small milk teas a day.  i mean sugar and milk.  but gotta enjoy it a bit. my husband eats whatever which also leads us to eat wherever.  and yes we walk alot but we spend lots of time and days motionless on trains and buses and relaxing with down time, so suggestions are helpful.

From the veg meal, eat the vegetables, dal (lentils), yogurt. Go easy on the rice as the servings are huge. Half or one small chapati should be fine. If you want protein eggs and chicken are easily available . Go easy on the sweets and avoid anything deep fried like poories and samosas made with white flour.

Places like Kerala and Goa are places for fresh straight off the boat seafood. The variety is mind boggling and the preparation is simple and healthy served with unpolished rice. Yes, they do use coconut in their curries, but coconut is a good fat. You don't have to worry too much about it. So is ghee.

You can get the idlies or dosa with chutney on the side. Not every place serves them smothered in the chutney. 

Also you can stock up on organic peanut butter, nuts, peanut brittle, canned tuna, fresh fruits etc from a supermarket. I eat low carb so this list. You can get tons of healthy low fat but not low carb snacks too. The supermarkets shouldn't be difficult to find in big cities. You can even find steel cut oatmeal, but you'll need a stove to cook it, not sure if you have access to a kitchen. 

Another thing to do is try any of the open, outdoor markets, available all over India  and sample the variety of fruits and vegetables. Of course, wash them well first!

For everyday lunch and dinner I would choose 2 small chapatis (the ones without oil are called phulkas both made with whole wheat) with dal (low fat and high fiber) and a vegetable dish -  dry preparation would be healthier and I would avoid the gravies and curries. Plus raita or yogurt to end the meal. If I'm not counting carbs I would take a serving of rice.

Again for breakfast, if carbs are not an issue, I would choose idlis, dosa, upma, pohe etc with fruit. You can even get oatmeal and various cereals too. If you are counting carbs then an omelette with lots of veggis, called masala omelette or egg bhurji ( scrambled eggs with veggies) shouldn't be very difficult to find.

I hope this helps. Have a good trip!

I'm headed back to India this week as well. I was there two years ago, and I lost a few pounds there. A combination of just not knowing what to eat, and lots of walking. I'm Chinese American, and like Indian food, but can't eat it everyday. Since most food there is vegetarian that helps a lot. Ask for less ghee. Don't eat a fried breakfast, avoid soda, and I'm not really sure how you would gain weight. Last time I went I ate a lot of bread, spinach and chickpeas. I also got really sick when I came home, parasites take a few days to take hold, so I'm doubling up on the probiotics this time around. For the next few days I'm going to eat whatever I want before I leave. 

Since you're traveling, I would just focus on enjoying your time & the food. Try to be moderate - enjoy what you eat, but pay attention to how full you are and stop when you're full.  If something is really, really delicious, eat it! If it's only so-so, and you're getting full, stop.  If you eat until full, but then stop, and you walk around a lot (as we all do when traveling), I think you'll be just fine.

Dal is really healthy & filling - lentils! - and vegetables dishes are of course, great. It's fine to eat some rice - maybe if you don't finish what's on your plate the first time, they won't refill it? The rice is probably less interesting than the other food, anyway.

And snack on all the amazing fruit! There has to be more than just bananas - I don't know if it's mango season, but I'm sure there's fruit around.

hi,  thanks for writing back,  what are your suggestions for cleaning veggies here,  i am not eating any fresh vegs,  tomatos and cucumbers are my fav but they grow on the ground in this contaminated water...and i got very sick in nepal and my husband has sworn me off veggies....i am keeping the pealable fruit though!.we have been here 1 week, i have not seen a supermarket....and i have searched.  I am mostly eating dahl and chapati now,  the fancier places which charge so much more and i cannot eat the veggies thee either and cheese pasta or pizza with vegs is not healthier either,....very frustrated,  more advice would be helpful,  is there something i can do to these veggies a magic spell??

hi,  thanks for writing back,  what are your suggestions for cleaning veggies here,  i am not eating any fresh vegs,  tomatos and cucumbers are my fav but they grow on the ground in this contaminated water...and i got very sick in nepal and my husband has sworn me off veggies....i am keeping the pealable fruit though!.we have been here 1 week, i have not seen a supermarket....and i have searched.  I am mostly eating dahl and chapati now,  the fancier places which charge so much more and i cannot eat the veggies thee either and cheese pasta or pizza with vegs is not healthier either,....very frustrated,  more advice would be helpful,  is there something i can do to these veggies a magic spell??  ya and so lucky i dont like fried food that would be impossible here,  but i dont wanna live off chai, crisps and biscuits