Indian Cuisine is known all over the world for its exotic spices, intense taste, and lip-smacking dishes. It has an essence that is unmatchable to any other cuisine in the world. Known for its variety of spices, each dish gets a unique touch of the city after every few kilometers. That is the beauty of the country. However, it is sometimes misunderstood for having a hidden amount of oil, fat, and carbohydrates which is unhealthy.

The nutritious value of Indian food is always questioned. But there is a lesser-known side to it which nobody talks about. To explore the other side of Indian Food, here are 10 Indian Foods that are both healthy and nutritious with flavor.

1.) Moong Dal

Remember when you last got sick, and your mom or grandma made you moong dal or moong dal ki khichdi? Moong dal is the richest source of protein you can find in pulses. Moong dal soup, the moong dal chilla, and halwa are not only tasty but have all the amino acids that are essential for the intake of our body, which we don’t usually get from our regular diet. Moong dal helps with the free flow of blood, produces new cells, improves immunity, improves the digestive system, builds bone strength, and prevents diabetes.

1 cup of Moong dal contains – 212 calories, 0.8 grams of fat, 14.2 grams of protein, 38.7 grams of carbohydrates.

2.) Chick Peas

Chick Peas are already very popular among the health-conscious people of India. People love eating it as hummus, sprouts, salad, or a snack to take their daily protein intake. Especially for vegetarian people, it’s one of the main foods to contribute to protein intake in their everyday lives. It also helps keep the blood sugar level in control, improves digestion, lowers cholesterol, and improves bone density.

1 cup of Chickpeas contains – 269 calories, 4 grams of fat, 34 to 45-gram of carbohydrates, 10 to 15 grams of protein.

3.) Dahi

Dahi is a side dish in North India that is consumed with anything and everything. Just having a little dahi besides the main dish makes it a complete meal. It also adds nutritional value. People like to take it as a basic curd dip, raita with different sorts of chopped vegetables and fruits added in it, kadhi, or even with rice alone. It helps in improving digestion, building immunity, lowering blood pressure, and building bone density.

1 cup of Dahi contains- 142 calories, 6.7 grams of protein, 8.6 grams of fat, 9.1 grams of carbohydrates.

4.) Rajma/Kidney beans

Rajma has a separate fanbase in India; even if you are a non-vegetarian, you can’t say no to the plate of Rajma Chawal. Whether it’s Rajma Rice, sprouts, kebabs, or burritos, it is loved in all its forms. Besides the love it gets for the taste, it also adds a significant nutritional value to our diet. It helps in weight loss, boosting energy, lowers blood pressure. It’s also recommendable to heart and diabetic patients.

1 cup Rajma contains – 232 calories, 9.5 gram protein, 28 gram carbohydrates, 9.1 grams fat

5.) Wheat

Wheat is the staple food that we have been eating forever around the globe. It’s used to prepare other dishes like it’s used in making pasta, noodles, semolina, and bread. No day goes without having it. It is a significant part of our everyday diet. It’s rich in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, B vitamins, and dietary fiber. It helps in lowering blood pressure, risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and improves digestion.

1 cup Wheat contains – 340 calories, 13.2 grams of protein, 72 grams of carbohydrates, 2.5 grams of fat.

6.) Daliya

Daily is considered the healthiest food for breakfast in India. It’s a light food option which health-conscious people usually prefer and who are on their weight loss journey. It helps in weight loss, building muscle mass, and curing constipation. It is also a vital diet component for diabetic patients and growing children.

1 cup daliya contains – 479 calories, 17 grams of protein, 106 grams of carbohydrates, 1.9 grams of fat

7.) Chilies

Indian Food is distinguished by its spices, and chillies are one of them. Indian spicy Food is loved by everyone all over the words who are bored of eating bland food. However, we don’t add chilies for just the sake of the taste, but there are many benefits too. Chillies help with colds, sinuses; they are suitable for the eye, skin and build immunity. Chillies release endorphins thus boosts our mood too.

1 tablespoon of red chili peppers contains – 6 calories, 0.3 grams of protein, 1.3 grams of carbohydrates, 0.1 grams of fat

8.) Pickles

Pickle is an Indian fermented side dish that comes in a lot of varieties. People love having pickles with Food to add a hint of tangy and spicy flavor to their Food. Pickles add the extracted nutrients of vinegar, spices, oils, and vegetables to your diet. Besides their exotic taste, they have numerous benefits too. They help with easy digestion, eases muscle cramps, and keeps the body sugar level in check.

1 cup pickle contains – 17 calories, 0.9 grams of protein, 3.7 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fat

9.) Tamarind

Tamarind is the tropical fruit Indians use as the secret ingredient to intensify the taste and add a hint of tanginess. It’s only used in dishes but also has healing properties. Tamarind is rich in calcium, potassium, and magnesium. It helps in reducing inflammation, pain, constipation issues and also helps in healing wounds and infections.

1 cup of tamarind pulp contains – 287 calories, 3.4 grams of protein, 75 grams of carbohydrates, 0.7 grams of fat

10.) Garlic

Garlic has been used in our food for ages. And not only in Indian but Italian Food too. Without garlic, every dish feels incomplete. Garlic and its intense flavor make any dish smell and taste even more delicious. It also has healing properties. It helps in lowering blood pressure, reduces the risk of heart attacks and cancer.

100 grams of garlic contains – 98 calories, 7.09 grams of protein, 16.3 grams of carbohydrates, 0.6 grams of fat.