In recent years, following a low carb diet has gained popularity among Indians. This is because overweight and obesity have increased over the past years in India.
According to the National family health survey India-3 (NFHS-3), 13% of women and 9% of men aged 15-49 years were overweight or obese in 2005-06.
When prevalence rate studied in 2015 by ICMR-INDIAB, the rate of obesity and central obesity increased by 11.8% – 31.3% and 16.9% – 36.3% respectively.
And the prevalence of overweight and obesity is expected to reach 30.5% (27.4%-34.4%) and 9.5% (5.4%-13.3%) among men, and 27.4% (24.5%-30.6%) and 13.9% (10.1%-16.9%) among women respectively aged 20–69 years by 2040.
No worries….
Various short term researches have tested the effect of a low carb diet on overweight and obese individuals. The outcomes of every research have shown a favorable result in reducing weight and even more quickly than a low calorie or fat diet. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Here you will get a detailed Indian low carb diet plan. This article will explain what to eat, what to avoid, and include a sample Indian low carb menu for one week.
What is a Low Carb Diet?
A low carb or carbohydrate diet is a diet that restricts or limits the amount and type of carbohydrates to consume. This diet replaces some of the carbs with protein, healthy fats, and non-starchy vegetables.
A low carb diet generally encourages to consume foods such as lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, some vegetables and fruits, and healthy fats.
As well as you are restricted to avoid high-carb foods such as grains, potatoes, sugary drinks, and processed foods.
Typically, total energy distribution for a low carb diet for weight loss can be divided as [6]
- 35% to 50% of energy from carbohydrates,
- 25% to 35% of energy from fat, and
- 25% to 30% of energy from protein.
However, many types of low-carb diets exist. Each diet has varying restrictions on the types and amounts of carbohydrates you should consume.
A study has defined the following daily carbohydrate intake for 2,000 calories:
- Moderate carbohydrate: 130 to 225g of carbs
- Low carbohydrate: under 130g of carbs
- Very-low carbohydrate: under 30g of carbs
Additionally, the number of carbs a person should eat every day for weight loss depends on various factors such as age, sex, body type, and activity levels.
You can use the following formula to calculate your daily calorie requirement to avoid excesses calorie or inadequate calorie intake
- Men – 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) + 5
- Women – 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) – 161
How does It Work?
Generally, when you consume carbohydrates, the body converts carbohydrates into glucose to serve as fuel to the body. The glucose produced is absorbed into the bloodstream with the help of a hormone called insulin.
Insulin helps glucose to enter into the body cells. These cells use some glucose for energy according to the daily need. Extra glucose is stored in the body for later use as fat.
The idea of a low carbs diet is to lower insulin levels which cause the body to burn stored fat for energy.
Besides, a low carb diet provides satiety by better controlling peptide YY (a hormone responsible for providing satiety) that limits the undesirable foods intake. [7]
These two mechanisms (lowering insulin level + increasing satiety) in combination ultimately leads to weight loss.
A randomized trial has revealed lowering carbohydrate intake increased energy expenditure and can reduce obesity even among those having high insulin secretion.
What Type of Carbohydrates Should You Include?
There are mainly 2 types of carbohydrates – “simple” and “complex” present in the food, and they are evaluated differently for a source of energy.
Simple carbohydrates (monosaccharides and disaccharides) are made up of one sugar unit which is easily digested. It includes sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices, white bread, white pasta, and white rice.
They are highly processed and considered as an unhealthy source of energy.
Whereas complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) are made up of many sugar units and take a longer time to digest and break down for energy that keeps you full for longer. It includes starchy vegetables, whole fruit, legumes, and whole grains.
They are unprocessed, fiber is naturally present, and are a consistent source of energy.
Additionally, complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index value (55 g or less) are more slowly digested and absorbed. As a result, it causes a slower rise in blood glucose and, therefore ultimately favors weight loss. [8, 9]
Foods to Include in an Indian Low Carb Diet
You can include the following foods to your low carb diet:
Protein Sources
100 g of the following foods provide net carb (total carbohydrates – fiber)
- Cheese (paneer) – 1.3 g
- Cottage Cheese (1% milkfat) – 2.7 g
- Greek yogurt – 3.3 g
- Lean meat such as chicken breast – 0 g
- Fish and Seafood – 0 g
- Hard-boiled eggs – 1.1 g
AND
- 1 scoop (28 g) Whey protein powder provides 4 g net carb.
Natural Fat Sources
- 100 g of Olive oil, Butter, coconut oil, or fish oil provide 0 g of net carb
Vegetable Sources
100 g of the following vegetables provide net carb
- Olives (pickled) – 0.5 g
- Spinach – 1.4 g
- Avocado – 1.8 g
- Mushroom – 2.3 g
- Tomato – 2.7 g
- Cauliflower – 2.8 g
- Green Pepper – 2.9 g
- Eggplant (baingan) – 3 g
- Raw cucumber – 3.1 g
- Cabbage – 3.3 g
- Green Beans – 3.7 g
- Broccoli – 4 g
- Sprouted green moong – 4.1 g
- Red Pepper – 4.2 g
- Yellow pepper – 5.4 g
Fruit Sources
100 g of the following fruits provide net carb
- Blackberry – 4.9 g
- Raspberry – 5.4 g
- Strawberry – 5.7 g
- Coconut (meat) – 6.2 g
- Watermelon – 7.1 g
- Lemon Juice – 8.2 g
- Orange – 9.3 g
- Apple – 11.4 g
- Pineapple – 11.7 g
- Kiwi – 11.7 g
- Blueberry – 12.1 g
- Cherries – 13.9 g
- Mango – 15.2 g
Nut Sources
100 g of the following nuts provide net carb
- Walnuts – 7 g
- Almond – 9.5 g
- Peanuts – 13.5 g
Seed Sources
28 g of the following seeds provide net carb
- Flax seeds – 0.5 g
- Chia seeds – 1.7 g
- Pumpkin seeds – 3.9 g
- Sunflower seeds – 5.2 g
Note: The nutrition facts of different foods are as per SELF Nutrition Data.
Drinks:
- Coffee and Tea without sweeteners
- Water
- Diet Soda
- Matcha
- Sugar-free carbonated beverages – sparkling water
Low-carb Snacks (Eat only if you are hungry)
Low-carb snack options for between meals include:
- Hard-boiled eggs
- unsweetened yogurt
- baby or regular carrots
- a handful of nuts such as walnut, peanut, hazelnut etc
- cheese
Foods to Avoid in an Indian Low Carb Diet
You should avoid the following foods:
- High sugar foods: Soft drinks, cake, fruit juices, candy, ice cream, soda, and other added sugar products.
- Grains: Rice, barley, white bread, cereal, quick oats, quinoa, and pasta.
- Milk
- Trans fats
- Beans and lentils
- Highly processed foods: crackers, chips, and cookies.
- Starchy vegetables: sweet potatoes, potatoes
- High carb fruits: banana, grapes
A 7 Day Sample Indian Low Carb Diet Plan
Monday
Breakfast: Mushroom omelet with greens like spinach, cabbage.
Total Carbs = 8 g (approx.)
Lunch: 100 g grilled chicken breast or paneer bhurji cooked in olive oil and 1 bowl green salad.
Total carbs = 19 g (approx.)
Dinner: 1 whole wheat paneer chapatti with veg curry.
Total carbs = 25 g (approx.)
Tuesday
Breakfast: Scrambled paneer with veggies, cooked in olive oil topped with 1 slice avocado.
Total Carbs = 4 g (approx.)
Lunch: Sautéed vegetables topped with Greek yogurt and chopped nuts.
Total Carbs = 13 g (approx.)
Dinner: Roasted chicken with broccoli salad.
Total Carbs = 13 g (approx.)
Wednesday
Breakfast: Scrambled egg topped with roasted flaxseeds.
Total Carbs = 4 g (approx.)
Lunch: Coconut smoothie, almonds and protein powder.
Total Carbs = 45 g (approx.)
Dinner: 1 cup paneer cooked in olive oil with veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, beans, carrot, etc.
Total Carbs = 9 g (approx)
Thursday
Breakfast: 1 slice whole-wheat bread + 2 eggs omelet with veggies, cooked in olive oil.
Total Carbs = 13 g (approx.)
Lunch: Paneer bhurji with green veggies and salad.
Total Carbs = 20 g (approx.)
Dinner: Grilled chicken with sautéed vegetables.
Total Carbs = 13 g (approx.)
Friday
Breakfast: Avocado coconut smoothie with sprouted moong salad.
Total Carbs = 24 g (approx.)
Lunch: Vegetable paneer stir fry.
Total Carbs = 9 g (approx.)
Dinner: 1 cup butter chicken with 1 whole wheat chapatti.
Total Carbs = 20 g (approx.)
Saturday
Breakfast: 1 cup oatmeal and egg omelet with veggies, cooked in olive oil, or coconut oil.
Total Carbs = 25 g (approx.)
Lunch: Greek yogurt topped with cucumber, spinach, kiwi and coconut flakes.
Total Carbs = 9 g (approx.)
Dinner: Fish with veg salads.
Total Carbs = 9 g (approx.)
Sunday
Breakfast: Scrambled egg with veggies, cooked in butter or coconut oil.
Total Carbs = 5 g (approx.)
Lunch: Palak paneer with 2 whole wheat chapatti.
Total Carbs = 38 g (approx.)
Dinner: Chicken and vegetable soup.
Total carbs = 5 g (approx.)
Other Benefits of a Low Carb Diet
A low carb diet provides various other health benefits which are as follows:
Improves Cardiovascular Risk Parameters
Eating healthy, maintaining a good weight, controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol are some of the remedies to reduce cardiovascular diseases.
Various studies have identified a low carb diet can improve the cardiovascular risk parameters.
A research of 8 weeks over overweight women has found that a low carb diet can decrease systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and triacylglycerol, and also significantly decrease the ratio of triacylglycerol/HDL.
Another research has observed a low carb diet can improve triacylglycerol, HDL-C, fasting, and post-prandial glucose and insulin concentrations.
In a different randomized clinical trial, a low carb diet has shown a decrease in diastolic blood pressure, plasma triglycerides, and fasting glucose levels and an increase in HDL-C levels and suggested these outcomes are useful for up to 11 months.
Beneficial for Diabetes Patients
Many types of research have observed low carb diet has a beneficial effect on improving type 2 diabetes. They have found improvement in blood glucose and glycemic control and reduction in hemoglobin A1c and an elevation in HDL-cholesterol. [10, 11, 12]
Even a low carb diet may be a short term option for managing type 1 diabetes. Although to find out long term safety and to determine the degree of carbohydrate restriction, it needs well-designed studies. [13, 14]
Improves Digestive Issues
A low carbohydrate diet has been found beneficial in improving gastro-esophageal reflux disease and its symptoms. [15, 16]
Additionally, a low carb diet is also beneficial in improving patients having Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). [17]
The Downsides of a Low Carb Diet
Despite providing weight loss benefits, there are some pitfalls of a low carb diet that you should know.
Diet low in carb has been reported to cause following immediate less desirable effects [18]
- Loss in lean body mass,
- Increased loss in urinary calcium,
- Increased levels of plasma homocysteine, and
- increased low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.
Although these effects can be reduced by dividing the diet proportion as low carbohydrate, high protein, and low fat.
Besides, it can also adversely affect your sports performance and can cause [19]
- muscle weakness,
- confusion,
- dizziness,
- tiredness, and
- dehydration
Studies on long term consumption of a low carb diet observed an increased risk of death from any cause, and deaths due to cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer. [20, 21, 22]
Various other health complication of long term consumption has also been reported and they are [23]
- heart arrhythmias,
- cardiac contractile function impairment,
- osteoporosis,
- kidney damage,
- increased cancer risk,
- impairment of physical activity, and
- lipid abnormalities
Wrapping Up
A low-carb diet can provide a beneficial short-term effects (less than a year) in weight loss, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, and gut compared with other diets.
As well as, a low carb diet should include plenty of high-fiber vegetables, fruit, low glycemic-index carbohydrates, and healthier fat sources.
Some undesirable short term and long term adverse effects (more than a year) have also been reported.
So, as a safety measure, a low carb diet should contain healthier food sources and be followed only for short term consumption.
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