While there are a lot of Punjabi foods to limit when looking to lose weight, these 7 are a high priority.
The reason why you want to limit these foods is that they are high calorie, high carb, some high in sugar and most low in satiety.
Don’t get me wrong these foods taste amazing and do not go full cold turkey because that is not necessary, but limiting yourself is definitely a must when looking to lose weight as a Punjabi.
Let’s get to these foods below!
1. Roti
If there is one food that gets consumed almost every day in a Punjabi family, it is roti.
However, is it the most optimal thing you can eat when it comes to losing weight?
Probably not.
But, does that mean you cannot have it at all?
No, of course, you can have it in moderation.
The reason being is the calories in roti can get fairly high.
This is why when I wrote ‘How to Easily Lose Weight as a Punjabi,‘ I talked about the importance of limiting the amount you have.
Is eating roti 2 times a week and every time you have it you have 2-3 rotis going to help you with your fat loss goals?
Probably not.
However, having it once a day while only having 1, max 2 rotiya going to be something that can keep you in a calorie deficit?
For sure!
The key to weight loss is eating in a calorie deficit and a high protein diet. I wrote about how protein helps with weight loss and foods that are high in protein.
The reason I wrote those articles is that protein can help keep you fuller for longer so you do not over-eat.
Roti is not high in protein, but if it is something you enjoy and you feel like having it, there is nothing wrong with that.
But, just remember that eating it in moderation is the key!
2. Samosa
When you go over to someone’s house as a guest, what food they always pull out?
Most of the time it is Samosay, with plenty of other high-calorie foods that I get into below.
However, let’s get more into samosay here for a moment.
Most of the time when you are at someone’s house they will continue to force you into eating some because they don’t really care too much if you dieting or not.
Peer pressure at that moment becomes very real.
Having said that, when you are dieting is it okay to have a Samosa?
Yes, but it depends on your level of self-control as well.
If you know that if you have one that you are going to at least demolish another two or three samosay, then yes it is probably to be true to yourself and say no and have something else.
But, if you know that you will be satisfied with just having one, MAX 2 then you can feel okay with having it.
Furthermore, if you know you are going to a guest’s house prior to. It’s better to stack up on protein throughout your day and save your carbs and fats.
This way you can eat these foods without taking yourself out of a calorie deficit!
3. Sholay Bhature
Sholay Bhature do not get made as often as some of the other foods mentioned here, but it is important to let you know how many calories Sholay Bhature contains.
According to fitbit.com, 2 Bhature and 1 serving of Sholay contain 522 calories!
Those calories are mostly taken up by fats and carbs.
How many grams of carbs and fats is it?
If you had the above serving size it would contain 19.9 grams of fat and 72.2 GRAMS OF CARBS!!
When cutting calories and looking to lose weight, those are not friendly macronutrients.
For this reason, it is probably the highest ranking in terms of Punjabi foods to limit to lose weight.
4. Pakoray
Anyone who has eaten a pakora knows how dangerous they can be.
Not only do you keep taking down more and more, but you also can’t help but keep going because they are so good.
Having said that, this is why it is one of the Punjabi foods to limit to lose weight.
Per 1 single pakora, there are 70 calories!
Now, that is just 1 pakora, not a serving size.
Therefore, your typical serving can contain about 300-400 calories easily.
This is dangerous when it comes to wanting to lose weight because that does not even include the sauce you will be having with it.
Ultimately, avoid this food as much as you can when looking to shed body fat.
5. Punjabi Sweets
Gulab jamans, bason, barfee, jalaybeeya, I can go on forever on the amazing Punjabi sweets.
However, when it comes to losing weight as a Punjabi, eating these on a regular basis and at a high volume is not going to help you achieve your fat loss goals.
These foods are easy to over-consume and because they are not very filling, it leads you to overeat throughout your day!
Therefore, limit these foods as much as you can and only have 1 Punjabi sweet max!
6. Desi Cookies
Eating desi cookies is something that almost everyone who is Punjabi and drinks cha does.
But how many calories per 2-3 cookies are there? (BTW, the reason I say 2-3 cookies is because most people don’t just have one.)
Per 3 Desi Cookies, there are 210 calories!
That’s not ideal when it comes to losing weight because these cookies are not very nutrient-rich, or high in protein/fiber.
However, I am not saying you cannot have cookies at all. But, what I am saying is eating that many on Desi cookies on top of everything you are eating can really result in you eating in a calorie surplus and not a deficit.
If you just have one with your cha that would be more then okay.
Remember, the amount you eat matters!
7. Reduce Oil & Butter
The amount of oil you use when you are cooking a certain dhaal or sabzi can add significant amounts of calories to your diet.
Now, once the dhaal or sabzi is served, butter usually gets added to it as well.
This can add a whole ton of calories to your diet without you even really noticing.
For example, Per 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, it contains 119 and 14 grams of fat! That is a lot of your calories spent on just oil!
This is just an example of oil because people cook with all sorts of different oils and put in more sometimes depending on the amount that they are going to make.
But, to continue on here, those are just calories from the oil. What happens you add some butter in it after it’s being served?
If you add 1 tbsp. that is another 102 calories added with 11 of those grams being from fat.
Like I mentioned above, calories from butter and oils can add up sneakingly.
Imagine thinking you’re in a deficit but you are consuming 300-500 calories without even knowing.
That be troublesome for your fat loss goals.
This is why it is vital to limit your oil and butter consumption with your dhaal and sabzi!
Steps You Can Take
Below are some of the steps you can take to limit your consumption of these Punjabi foods:
- Eat Roti once a day instead of twice or only have it on a certain day.
- Don’t make samosas at home
- Avoid Sholay Bhature as much as you can
- Limit the amount of Pakoray you eat when you have them or avoid them altogether
- Keep Punjabi Sweets to 1 Serving max when you do have them on a rare occasion
- Limit your Desi cookie intake with your cha
- Reduce oil you use to cook with and avoid adding extra butter to your roti, dhaal, and sabzi.
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