Easy Ways To Boost Protein In Daily Indian Meals
Protein is one of the most valuable nutrients required by our body, and many of us do not consume it daily in India. The common belief is that protein is only used by gym-goers or athletes, but that is not the case at all. You may be a student, an office worker, a homemaker, or someone who loves tasty food. Adding a bit more protein to your daily meals can make a significant difference. It makes you fuller, maintains muscle strength, and even manages weight.
The good news? You just do not need to alter the flavour of your favourite dishes and prepare something fancy. Quite on the contrary, it is quite simple to increase the amount of protein in Indian meals than most people make it out to be. I will also provide practical tips that I myself have implemented at home today, and these techniques have become such a part of our regular food that people do not even notice the difference.
1. Add a Handful of Sprouts to Your Meals
Frankly speaking, the sprouts are the simplest source of protein addition that does not influence the taste. Moong sprouts, chana sprouts, and mixed bean sprouts are all high-protein foods.
I just normally store a small packet of sprouts in the refrigerator. I put a little on my poha, upma, salads, or even curd. The flavor remains the same, but the nutritional content is doubled. In case you like them soft, steam them briefly, 23 minutes.
Where to use sprouts:
- Poha
- Salads
- Sandwiches
- Dal
- Evening snacks
2. Use More Dal and Mix Different Lentils
This is an extremely easy tip to follow since Indian households already cook dal almost every day. Mixed two or three dals are more preferable rather than just one dal (toor, moong, etc). The protein content is combined, and in fact, the taste becomes richer.
Sometimes at home, I mix masoor dal with chana dal or split moong. My family doesn’t even realise the difference.
Dals that are naturally high in protein:
- Moong dal
- Masoor dal
- Urad dal
- Chana dal
- Rajma (kidney beans)
- Chole (chickpeas)
Even if you don’t change your recipes, slightly increasing the dal quantity per serving can boost daily protein intake.
3. Eat More Curd, Paneer, and Milk-Based Dishes
Indian homes keep dairy products, and they are also very natural sources of protein. You can easily increase your daily protein consumption by a bowl of curd or a glass of milk by 6-10 grams.
My most common secret is the addition of crumbled paneer into such culinary preparations as parathas, vegetable sabzi, oats, and even stuffed rotis. The flavor remains the same, but it has a creamy feel.
Easy ways to include dairy:
- Add paneer cubes to your curries
- Mix curd with rice or make raita
- Drink buttermilk or lassi
- Use milk in your breakfast dishes
In case you do not want to use dairy, tofu is equally fine and takes up flavours very well.
4. Make Simple Protein-Rich Breakfast Swaps
The meal that is the simplest to upgrade is breakfast. Rather than the usual carb-only breakfasts, it is better to opt for a more protein-rich choice, which will help sustain energy levels throughout the day.
- Some of my favourite swaps include:
- Replacing regular dosa batter with moong dal or urad dal batter
- Adding paneer or sprouts to your poha
- Making chilla using besan or moong dal
- Having two eggs in your morning meal and so on.
An egg bhurji wrap is one of the fast foods that I love: it is delicious, nutritious, and great in a hurry on a busy morning.
5. Include Nuts and Seeds in Daily Meals
Nuts and seeds are not only good but are also very versatile. Even the slightest portion can contain a substantial amount of protein and good fats.
Some easy ways to use them:
- Add almonds or cashews on top of kheer or halwa.
- Added chia seeds or flax seeds to rotis.
- Peanut butter may be added to sabzi, chutneys, or upma.
- Have a small bowl of mixed nuts that should be snuck on.
I used to buy flax seeds and grind them in my chapati dough. No taste change at all!
6. Choose Protein-Rich Flours
This is among the best measures to add protein without much effort in case you eat chapati every day. Adding a spoonful of sattu (roasted gram flour), besan, or soya flour to your wheat flour increases the amount of protein naturally.
Even the addition of 2- 3 tablespoons per cup of wheat flour is significantly felt.
Flours to try:
- Sattu
- Besan
- Soya flour
- Ragi flour
- Multigrain atta
These not only increase protein but also improve the texture and softness of rotis.
7. Add Eggs to Your Diet
One of the most inexpensive, yet most abundant sources of protein in India is eggs. You may add them to nearly anything, rice, chapati, noodles, or just have them boiled.
Some simple egg ideas:
- Masala omelette
- Egg curry
- Boiled eggs with chaat masala
- Egg fried rice
- Egg paratha
Even adding an egg to your dal rice can improve protein content significantly.
8. Replace White Rice with Millets Occasionally
Millets like bajra, jowar, ragi, and foxtail millet are naturally higher in protein compared to regular white rice.
I’m not saying you must give up rice completely (I love rice too!). Nevertheless, just a replacement of a meal each week with millet khichdi or millet upma is a positive difference.
Millets are also easy to digest, and they will make you fuller.
9. Use Beans and Legumes More Often in Curries
As opposed to preparing vegetable curry every day, prepare it with rajma, black chana, lobia, or green gram every now and then. Protein content in these foods is high, and most Indians are already fond of these foods.
A simple rajma chawal or chole chawal meal can give you more protein than some expensive supplements!
Try adding:
- Black chana to vegetable sabzi
- Rajma to salads
- Green gram to dosa batter
- White chana to pulao
10. Don’t Forget Simple Snacks
When a person needs a snack, most of them pick chips, biscuits, or sweets. However, the change in snacks made of protein can make a big difference.
Some easy snack ideas:
- Roasted chana
- Peanut chikki
- Boiled eggs
- Paneer cubes with chaat masala
- Sprouts chaat
- Masala peanuts
These are not only tasty but also keep you full for longer.
Final Thoughts
It does not require any complicated measures to increase the amount of protein in the meals you eat every day in India. You can make easy alterations, such as adding sprouts, mixed dals, paneer, and nuts, and then meet the protein target without having to alter the tastes that you are accustomed to.
I have personally attempted most of these techniques in my own kitchen, and what I like most is that there is a sense of familiarity and comfort with the taste of the food. These little steps will turn out to be habits, and certainly your body will feel healthier and more active.
I hope that you have found this article helpful. Please feel free to share it with your friends, WhatsApp groups, and on social media. It could assist a person who would like to eat better without altering their whole diet.
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