No matter what your favourite celebrity tells you about the latest fad diet or weight loss diet trend, if it makes you sick and is not balanced and nutritious, it’s bad for you. Quick fix solutions for weight loss normally don’t help you keep that weight off in the long run, and only following a healthy diet and staying away from junk food, as well as exercising, can help you lose weight slowly and steadily, and in a healthy manner. A crucial part of a healthy weight-loss-friendly diet is snacking, which many of us tend to ignore and probiotic dahi or curd can be a great weight loss snack. Apart from the customary three meals per day, an individual wanting to affect quick weight loss must also be snacking healthy to meet their daily calorie budget.There are a lot of misconceptions regarding healthy snacking. If you are looking to lose weight, ideally, your snack must be nutritious and filling and should help boost energy of your body. One of the perfect foods that meet all three criteria is curd – it is low in calories, rich in calcium, protein and gut-friendly bacteria, and by virtue of being rich in protein, it may also promote satiety. Additionally, curd is probiotic and the protein in it also helps maintain muscle mass and may boost muscle recovery for those who work out. But your bowl of curd may not be interesting or filling enough and can be monotonous, especially if you for someone who is used to snacking in between meals. But not anymore! There are some simple ways to spruce up your bowl of curd, without overshooting your calorie budget or adding any empty calories to your diet.
Here are a few common toppings to add nutrition (and taste) to your daily bowl of curd:
1. Berries: Filled with antioxidants and low in calories, berries are truly nature’s miracles. They add essential vitamins and minerals to your bowl of curd, while also boosting skin and heart health. Berries are also rich in fibre and fight inflammation in the body. Add chopped or mashed strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mulberries to your bowl of curd, to add a boost of nutrition to it.
2. Granola: Homemade granola is loaded with fibre and antioxidants as it contains toasted rolled oats, nuts and dried berries. Nuts are also rich in protein and healthy fats, as well as omega 3 fatty acids, iron, magnesium and phytonutrients.
3. Vegetables: It might seem weird to add vegetables to your bowl of curd, but it’s the easiest way to add more fibre to your diet. You can make a mash of vegetables, add a little salt, pepper and cumin to it and add this mash to your curd. Vegetable raitas are the best additions to your lunch menu, especially when you’re on a diet.
4. Fruit Mash: Mash your favourite summer fruits like watermelon, mangoes, kiwis, oranges, pomegranates etc. and add the puree to your bowl of curd. The vitamin C power of these fruits can help boost immunity and skin health. The natural sugars in fruits are great for boosting energy as well. You can also sprinkle some pomegranate seeds on your curd. This can even double up as a healthy dessert for you.
5. Coconut Flakes: One of the easiest ways to add healthy fats to your diet is to add coconut flakes to your smoothies, breakfast cereal and even to your bowl of curd. Toast the flakes a little bit and add them as toppings.
You can experiment with all kinds of toppings and low-calorie ingredients to spruce up your bowl of curd. Add nuts, seeds, raisins, honey, dark chocolate shavings, and whatever other healthy food you like to your bowl of curd, to make it more filling and nutritious.
