How many calories does one serving of Tamarind Rice have?

Is Tamarind Rice healthy?

No, it's not healthy. Made from rice, imli, oil and Indian spices.

Let's understand the Ingredients of Tamarind Rice.

What's good in Tamarind Rice.

Imli (Tamarind) : Tamarind is good for heart due to the fibre present which has a cholesterol lowering effect. It is also good for diabetics. But too much tamarind is bad for health.

Dry Kashmiri Red Chillies : are specially bred for their vibrant red and moderate spiciness. Available in a wide range of colour values, the best varieties are bright red and valued for their high colour retention. They give a glowing red colour to dishes without imparting too much heat and make the dish more appealing and palatable.

Urad Dal : 1 cup of cooked urad dal gives 69.30% of your daily requirement  of folic acid. The folic acid in urad dal helps your body to produce and maintain new cells, especially red blood cells. Being rich in Phosphorus it works with Calcium to build our bones. It is also high in fibre and good for heart, good for lowering cholesterol and good for diabetes. See here for 10 super benefits of urad dal.

Green Chillies : Antioxidant vitamin C in green chillies protects the body from effects of harmful free radicals and prevents stress. It is probably the high fiber which helps in controlling blood sugar levels. This it is a welcome addition to a diabetic diet. Suffering from anaemia? Add green chillies to your list of iron rich foods too. For complete details see benefits of green chilli.

 Ginger (Adrak) : Ginger is an effective cure for congestion, sore throat, cold and cough. It aids digestion and relieves constipation. Ginger was found as effective as drugs in relieving menstrual pain. Ginger is effective in decreasing the cholesterol levels in patients with high cholesterol. Ginger significantly reduces symptoms of nausea in pregnant ladies. See here for 16 Super Health Benefits of Adrak, Ginger.

Hing ( Asafoetida) : The active compound 'coumarin' helps in managing blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Asafoetida is known to have anti-bacterial properties, which helps to keep asthma at bay. Asafoetida is an age-old remedy for bloating and other stomach problems like flatulence. The best solution is to gulp down little hing with water or dissolve it in water and sip it. It can also be used along with curd or almond oil as a hair mask. It helps to prevent dryness of hair and smoothen as well as strengthen hair.

Turmeric Powder (Haldi): Turmeric helps in digestion of food thus helping to overcome indigestion. Haldi may help in reducing the growth of fat cells in the body. Turmeric, being rich in iron, is highly valuable in the treatment of anaemia and both the root as well as the powder should be a regular part of an anaemic diet. One of the health benefits of turmeric is it’s anti-inflammatory property due to the active compound, Curcumin, which helps to relieve inflammation of the joints and thus is a ladder to relieve pain related to arthritis. The curcumin in haldi also helps to ward of the bacteria’s causing cold, cough and throat irritation.  Turmeric benefits in diabetes management by lowering blood glucose levels. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects are useful in the treatment of diabetes patients.  It is known to be a good brain food and keep diseases like Alzheimer’s at bay. See here for detailed turmeric benefits.

Ghee : Other than calories and fats, the only nutrients that ghee is rich in are the vitamins – all of which are fat-soluble. All the 3 vitamins (Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin K) are antioxidants which have a role in removing free radicals from the body and protecting our cell as well as help in maintaining skin health and glow. Ghee is an excellent, high-quality selection medium of cooking because of its high smoke point. As compared to most oils and butter, ghee can handle a smoke point of 230°C, 450°F, thus its less prone to oxidant and destruction of nutrients. Yes, ghee does contain cholesterol, but some amount of cholesterol is needed by the body. Cholesterol has some functions to play too. It is necessary for hormone production, brain function, cell health and lubricating the joints. It is, in reality, a high quality fat for the body and brain. Ghee is loaded with fats but that’s medium chain fatty acids (MCT) which aid in weight loss. Ghee is healthy for daibetics in small amounts. Learn to easily make your ghee at home which is free of preservatives. See benefits of ghee.

Coriander (kothmir, dhania): Coriander is a fresh herb often used as a flavour enhancer in Indian cooking. It is mainly used as a garnish. This is the best way to use it - no cooking. This preserves its vitamin C content which helps to build our immunity and bring that sparkle to the skin. The antioxidants vitamin A, vitamin C and the quercetin present in coriander works towards strengthening our immune system. Coriander is a fairly good source of iron and folate – the 2 nutrient which help in the production and maintenance of red blood cells in our blood. Good for reducing cholesterol and good for diabetics. Read 9 benefits of coriander to understand details.

What's problem in Tamarind Rice.

Rice : Here are the pros for rice. Rice is a great source of complex carbohydrates, which is an important source of energy for our body. Rice is low in fibre and therefore a good option for people suffering from diarrhoea. What's not good in rice. Foods like rice are high in GI are not suitable for weight loss, heart patients,  diabetics as they affect the blood sugar control levels. See details of is white rice and parboiled rice good for you?

Vegetable Oils : To some vegetable oil is only soyabean oil, while some promote it as a mix of oils like soyabean, canola, sunflower, corn and other omega-6 rich oils. These are often cheaper options than many oils, but they are highly processed oils. They are undoubtedly not to be reached out for, whether you are looking for salad dressings, sautéing or cooking.  The 5 best oils used in cooking are olive oil (low temperature short time cooking), avocado oil, canola oil, coconut oil and peanut oil. You must read the super article to find the facts of  which oil is the healthiest avoid vegetable oil.

Note : 1 cup = 200 ml (standard cup available in the market). The weight in grams varies for each ingredient.

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Tamarind Rice?

No, there is too much rice used in this recipe. For all, there is too many carbs. Foods like rice are high in GI are not suitable for weight loss, heart patients,  diabetics as they affect the blood sugar control levels. vegetable oil are highly processed oils.

Can healthy individu als have Tamarind Rice?

No, again there is too much rice. You will load with too many carbs. It's better to have little rice and lots of dal from it. 

What is a healthier option than using rice?

We suggest the following healthy khichdi like  Oats, Vegetable and Brown Rice Khichdi,  fada ni khichdi recipe, vitamin khichdi recipe, buckwheat moong dal and vegetable khichdi, bajra moong and green peas khichdi, barley khichdi and vegetable biryani from brown rice. Most of these recipes have ZERO usage of rice and portion control is suggested for diabetics.

 Oats, Vegetable and Brown Rice Khichdi

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet.

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet. 

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

Skip having Indian junk foods like pav bhaji, bata vada, pakoras, gulab jamun as they cause your body to have insulance resistance. The resultant is your body will store more carbohydrates as fats, causing storage of fat in the stomach causing a paunch and slowing down of our fat burning process. So its a bad cyle which causes you more more hunger and fatigue every time you eat junk food. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. Stress. The easiest way to kill your immune system is chronic stress. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym. No activity reduces muscle tissue which will lead to muscke loss and all kinds of problems with that. Workout builds immunity and keeps virus or bugs away. 

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover and makes you look much younger. Also getting good sleep prevent muscle loss, builds immunity and keeps virus or bugs away.

How to burn 233 calories that come from one serving of Tamarind Rice?

Walking (6 kmph)                            =      1 hr 10 mins

Running (11 kmph)                         =       23 mins

Cycling (30 kmph)                          =       31 mins       

Swimming (2 kmph)                       =       40 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual