Primal / Paleo Indian meal ideas
If you are toying with the idea of trying out a paleo lifestyle but can’t wrap your head around what to eat when being paleo entails no bread, no rotis, no rice, and no daal, then read on.
Keep in mind that it requires a shift in mindset from traditional meals of daal, rice, chapatti and veggies to some more basic preparations.
A lot of people comment at how restrictive my diet is. But what on earth do you eat, they ask. Here’s most of what I eat and it’s an awful lot if you ask me. And honestly the more traditional diets are even more restrictive possibly, seeing that the only ingredient is flour (refined or otherwise)
Here are some ideas for meals for the new to primal / paleo / real food Indians out there.
Indian vegetable preparations cooked with less spice and less salt but in ghee / coconut oil.
Palak paneer. Aloo gobi, cabbage, French beans and carrots, methi aloo, sweet potatoes, tindli, red pumpkin, white pumpkin, etc.
These can be eaten on their own, with some yoghurt, or a little brown rice.
Any of these can be cooked and carried for lunch at work.
Palak paneer. Aloo gobi, cabbage, French beans and carrots, methi aloo, sweet potatoes, tindli, red pumpkin, white pumpkin, etc.
These can be eaten on their own, with some yoghurt, or a little brown rice.
Any of these can be cooked and carried for lunch at work.
Chicken: Any of your favourite chicken recipes made milder. The reason to make them milder is so that you can eat it on its own. If it’s too spicy or salty, you won’t want to eat it on it own. Chicken marinated in yoghurt and malwani masala or turmeric is one of my favourites. Other than this, chicken masala, butter chicken, or anything made at your home is fine. Once you develop the taste of eating it on it’s own it becomes a complete meal. Make sure you cook it in paleo friendly fats like coconut oil, butter, ghee or even lightly in olive oil.
Ofcourse you can do a simple stir fry or pan fried chicken in coconut oil.
Ofcourse you can do a simple stir fry or pan fried chicken in coconut oil.
Fish: How about experimenting with patra nu machi? So many Indian fish preparations are so primal and why do you need anything else with it when its so finger licking amazing on it’s own. Even a simple fish fry in coconut oil or most South Indian preparations do the trick.
Meat: ditto as the chicken. Less gravy, less spice, less salt, paleo fats, more taste. Accompaniment – a little brown rice, but much more of the meat.
Salads – You can do wonders with salad. Stock up for 3 days, all veggies go, some boiled chicken perhaps, nuts for crunch, a variety of leaves, red and yellow bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, boiled eggs, think of it and dump it in. (No corn please!). Always make your own salad dressings. You can even do this once a week and stock it up till it gets over. It can be as simple as olive oil and balsamic to making a pesto dressing. Hereare some ideas. You can make is spicy, khatta meetha, anything works. You can even make extra and carry it to work the next day (dressing carried separately).
Cook veggies differentlylike : Sauté carrots and French beans with olive oil (or butter) and sesame seeds or try this recipefor cooking carrots.
Soups – and a lot of them.
Cauliflower rice (a substitute for rice) with either chicken curry or your favorite veggies cooked Indian style.
Masala eggs / egg bhurji for lunch or dinner. The idea is to break out of the traditional meals.
Do have a look at this post where I have put down ideas for food/ snacks you can carry to work.
Do keep in mind that once you start eating REAL food and none of the processed empty calories, you will not feel so hungry as your meals will have a lot more substance. You will eat only when hungry; therefore you may be completely willing to skip a meal now and then.
Keeping a broad mind here is the key. After all you’ve come so far that you’re toying with the idea of throwing conventional wisdom on its head. You’re actually thinking of munching on fresh cheese as a snack. So what if you don’t eat a complete Indian meal anymore?As a nation full of diabetics and heart diseases, it’s time to look at a better way of living and eating.
So what’s cooking for dinner tonight? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading.
Also read : The South Asian Health Solution by Dr Ronesh Sinha (link on left side panel)
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Hi WM,
I’ve been reading you for two days now,thanks to IMC and I am hooked.
Attempting a Paleo dinner tonight-tell me if you approve-
Mashed Potatoes,stir-fried veggies(in olive oil),rajma-carrot-pasta salad(ok cheated there) and some pan-fried chicken,marinated in garlic-ginger-green chili-coriander paste.
What do you think?
Hi! thanks for stopping by, nice blog you have there 🙂
mashed potatoes – not very paleo, you could try sweet potatoes or mashed cauliflower. i’ts really good. dont forget to add lots of butter.
rajma is a legume and pasta hmmm 🙂
i think for a salad you can do much much better than pasta.
except for the pasta you have a green signal from me but using good amount of healthy fat like butter, ghee, coconut oil is key.
do drop me a mail to let me know how its going
Hey Aloka,
Thanks for your prompt reply 🙂
I realized the potato bit,when I was reading your Pavbhaji post,while cooking.
And Rajma/legumes good or bad?
I used butter for the potatoes and olive oil for veggies and chicken.
hey, we normally avoid legumes and grains. So rajma is avoidable. Daal sprouts all of it is normally avoidable.
but potato is fine as its a good starch and it is real food. but if you’re trying to lose weight it’s something you will do well to cut out.
I use potatoes, sweet potatoes liberally in my baby’s food as I don’t give him grains and legumes and these are good sources of starch for him.
Do read the links in my start here section, specially mark’s daily apple as he answers all the questions with regards to legumes, grains, etc.
it’s great that you eat meat though and otherwise the dinner sounds awesome, enjoy.
Aah I get it now 🙂 going to read up more..but this seems doable.I did Calorie counting for a while and successfully too..but once you stop,you are back to square 1.I’ll keep bugging you with questions,if thats ok:)
please do.
it is very very very doable. believe me and it’s a long term thing unlike calorie counting as it’s not a diet.
ask away on email! will try and answer as and when i get a chance.
Where can I get coconut oil for cooking in south Mumbai ? All our chicken is grain fed so how do we get abetter source? Please tell me where you think we get grass fed animals for consumption
Hi, natures basket stocks two very good coconut oils. One is conscious foods and the other is health first first press coconut oil. Conscious foods you can even get online.
Desi chicken is free range chicken that you can ask around if you have a local meat shop. Also if you check out my resources section there is a place listed called noorani egg Center at Crawford.
The thing is because awareness of how cattle and fowl should be fed and raises is so minimal it’s rather hard to get a proper answer and source but atleast they are free range chicken foraging though not necessarily only eating.
Getting grass fed meat is harder than finding free range chicken and eggs
Hi
can you have lentils in the paleo diet and what is the next best thing to Roti please
any idea how diabetics can get into this fully ..im nt on insulins bt yes on low dose meds ..and if i dont take my 15gms ofomplex carb with this my levels will crash …and in the long run ..i might dev protein breakdwn ..any idea???
Hi Sudha. While I am not a doctor and don’t have experience with diabetics I do know this! the kind of lifestyle that I wrote about on my blog is: eat things that are full of nutrients and low on processing and refining.
Now I think no matter what your medical condition, it can only get better with that kind of thinking.
I really doubt that taking 15 gms of complex carbs is necessary, it just doesnt add up.
Alot of people reversed diabeties after eating primal foods. Good luck.
Great dinner ideas with Indian food. I love using coconut oil too.
Hi,
I have been on a modified-paleo plan for a year and a half. My day has 20 gms cooked oats and 40-50gms cooked brown rice as the only form of grain. I’ve lost almost all the excess bodyfat…struggling with the last 5 kilos..keen to shake things up…but just don’t feel like adding more protien…its so hot…(not sure what the connection is…maybe i am just bored)
My Day
Breakfast-2 whole eggs with oats
Workout-Circuit training with weights 40 mins/40 mins run/Jillian Michaels20 min workout when I am rushed
Snack- 10 almonds and coffee with skim milk no sugar
Lunch- 3 egg whites, 40 gms brown rice a spoon of dal/curry, lots of veggies
Snack-almonds/fruit/cheese/peanut butter/protien shake/roasted channa occasional cheats like south indian namkeen and Tea
Dinner- Chicken or Goat Meat mostly with Vegetables and Yoghurt
Any ideas on hpow to lose the last few kgs…Unable to find a nutritioninst in Delhi who doesn’t criticize the high protien approach..most are focused on grains, low cal and long walks.. 🙁
Would love to hear from anyone who has been on a low carb plan and overcome a plateau…
Hi Prerna.
The last 5 kgs are really tough. Soemtimes with women that last bit of fat is there for a reason. it maybe there for fertility health and it’s natures way of taking care of babies in a famine situation.
If you really want to lose it however you may want to shake things up. maybe if you dont sprint try incorporating sprints. sometimes you have to really really really strict with food when you want to lose the last few kgs. maybe cut out the snacks or just try and do some interminnant fasting instead of such a proper eating schedule. miss a meal here and there, eat only when you are hungry completely following your body cues instead of eating on schedule. it’s something you will have to experiment with. these are just some ideas.
good luck
I think there is an issue for Indians who wish to be predominantly vegetarian with the Paleo diet. I follow most of these ideas, avoiding grain and sugar, and also avoid milk based upon the thought that it is inflammatory to most folks. That really only leaves lentils and beans as the main protein source. Tim Ferris’ slow carb diet encourages beans and I tend to agree – yes, they have carbs, but they come with plenty of protein and fiber, making the net carb value lower. Thoughts?
agree. but the idea is to have as much of fresh real food as possible and prepare legumes well by fermentation or soaking. in that way there is less infmatory properties.
also dairy can be consumed in many ways that cause less inflammation than pasteurized milk
Hi would you have a doable replacement for the regular roti?
Hi,
I’m a vegetarian and i want to follow Paleo Diet.I can only eat eggs when it comes to non veg food.Could you please suggest me a proper diet?
yes eggs are great! if you are eggetarian you can definitely try following a paleoish diet though I would recoment some prepared grains like soaked rice and daals like idli and dosa.
Hi Aloka, can you guide me on what sought of grains or daals or allowed and how dairy can be taken in a paloe diet.