How bad for you is Indian food?

[wheresmybacon]

I know a fair amount about fitness and nutrition, and I know what generally is good and bad for me, but Indian food has me totally perplexed. On one hand there's vegetables and relatively lean meats, but on the other there are those delicious sauces...

So, how bad for you is it? I'm not talking about the rice and flat bread, I'm mostly addressing the curries and other dishes. For example, for lunch today I had some very spicy ground lamb, vegetable masala, and curried chicken.

Is it really fatty because of the oil? A lot of sugar in the sauces? What is it that makes it so goood? It just can't be healthy because it tastes too good.

 

[PKPunk]

I wonder about this myself. I just had some curry last night and it was pretty oily.

 

[kumanchu]

i think like all food, it depends on the particular dish. there is a spectrum of "junk" foods to very healthy foods. i think your question would be easier to answer if you narrowed it down. indian food is a broad category.

 

[chrisms]

Indian people have bellies sometimes. Then again sometimes they don't. Interesting question.

 

[krunchykrome]

I dont know, but I cn't imagine it being healthy in any way.

Sure does taste good. My gf and I must have dropped over a thousand dollars in the last year at this Indian Resturaunt over here.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

They make it with lots of oil because they know that people like it that way, especially people living in America. If you want it more authentic, which IMO is a lot better, just request it to be made with as little as oil as possible and no cream or butter anywhere. Ask for the bread to come unbuttered as well.

They might make a usual little fuss, but let them do that and say it's what you want.

Depending on how it's made, it will be very healthy for you and still have a lot of flavor because of the spices and cooking methods.

 

[Connoisseur]

Oftentimes the oil used in cooking these dishes is vegetable oil which is SIGNIFICANTLY healthier than the oils western countries use for cooking (such as those derived from animal fats, olive oil etc). The rest of the food is generally lean meat, vegetables, rice and spices. At least with authentic Indian cooking, the worst health problem to worry about are high blood pressure (if lots of salt is used) or ulcers from particularly spicy dishes. In response to Chrisms, many Indian people have bellies because they eat plenty of rice (lots and lots of starch) and don't get enough exercise to burn it off. Same thing will happen if you eat lots of Italian.

 

[chrisms]

Originally posted by: Connoisseur
Oftentimes the oil used in cooking these dishes is vegetable oil which is SIGNIFICANTLY healthier than the oils western countries use for cooking (such as those derived from animal fats, olive oil etc). The rest of the food is generally lean meat, vegetables, rice and spices. At least with authentic Indian cooking, the worst health problem to worry about are high blood pressure (if lots of salt is used) or ulcers from particularly spicy dishes. In response to Chrisms, many Indian people have bellies because they eat plenty of rice (lots and lots of starch) and don't get enough exercise to burn it off. Same thing will happen if you eat lots of Italian.

I dunno.. their bellies are kind of big sometimes. That's not including heavy beer consumption either so it must be the food.

 

[thesurge]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
They make it with lots of oil because they know that people like it that way, especially people living in America. If you want it more authentic, which IMO is a lot better, just request it to be made with as little as oil as possible and no cream or butter anywhere. Ask for the bread to come unbuttered as well.

They might make a usual little fuss, but let them do that and say it's what you want.

Depending on how it's made, it will be very healthy for you and still have a lot of flavor because of the spices and cooking methods.

I like Indian food but Indian food in India is as oily as it is in America.

 

[GrantMeThePower]

Look up the word "ghee" and you'll get your answer.

 

[LS20]

well, i havent seen that many fat indians
lamb healthy. curry good

i use much more fatty butter (NOT marg!) and oils in my cooking. LOTS

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: thesurge

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
They make it with lots of oil because they know that people like it that way, especially people living in America. If you want it more authentic, which IMO is a lot better, just request it to be made with as little as oil as possible and no cream or butter anywhere. Ask for the bread to come unbuttered as well.

They might make a usual little fuss, but let them do that and say it's what you want.

Depending on how it's made, it will be very healthy for you and still have a lot of flavor because of the spices and cooking methods.

I like Indian food but Indian food in India is as oily as it is in America.

It will be made exactly how you want it, is it that hard to understand? If you go to Olive Garden and request that a chicken dish in a pasta be made with angel hair pasta (slightly different), they'll do it, no questions asked. If you go to an Indian restaraunt and want it made with very little oil, no cream, etc. then it'll be done and honestly it's what people really like a lot more after they eat it their first few times, in my experience anyway.

I've had parties and been to them with 100+ people of which less than half were Indian and the food was cooked this way, no butter on nan and roti, VERY little oil in food, no cream, etc. and everyone loved it. It had the indian taste, was healthy and not very heavy, and was enjoyable in general.

Sorry if I'm a bit of an ass with this post... being tired doesn't help

 

[dabuddha]

BTW please don't think that the crap they serve in Indian restaurants is authentic indian food They add so much cream/butter etc to make it as a rich as possible. Actual indian cooking is nowhere near that level of unhealthiness.

 

[vi edit]

It's not as bad for you as it is for those around you.

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
It's not as bad for you as it is for those around you.

You're probably referring to the smell of indian food that lingers on your clothing and body for days, despite taking showers and washing your clothes.

 

[chrisms]

As far as how oily it is in India, I would expect it to have even more oil. I'm basing this off of my experienc in Vietnam, where curry was more like oil soup, even at the Indian restaurants I went to while there. It was the same in Thailand, I don't know if it carries over to India itself though.

 

[thesurge]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo

Originally posted by: thesurge

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
They make it with lots of oil because they know that people like it that way, especially people living in America. If you want it more authentic, which IMO is a lot better, just request it to be made with as little as oil as possible and no cream or butter anywhere. Ask for the bread to come unbuttered as well.

They might make a usual little fuss, but let them do that and say it's what you want.

Depending on how it's made, it will be very healthy for you and still have a lot of flavor because of the spices and cooking methods.

I like Indian food but Indian food in India is as oily as it is in America.

It will be made exactly how you want it, is it that hard to understand? If you go to Olive Garden and request that a chicken dish in a pasta be made with angel hair pasta (slightly different), they'll do it, no questions asked. If you go to an Indian restaraunt and want it made with very little oil, no cream, etc. then it'll be done and honestly it's what people really like a lot more after they eat it their first few times, in my experience anyway.

I've had parties and been to them with 100+ people of which less than half were Indian and the food was cooked this way, no butter on nan and roti, VERY little oil in food, no cream, etc. and everyone loved it. It had the indian taste, was healthy and not very heavy, and was enjoyable in general.

Sorry if I'm a bit of an ass with this post... being tired doesn't help

Yeah k. I was responding to how you said that authentic restaurants in India have less oil than in America, which is not the case. You cannot really generalize because it matters from restaurant to restaurant.

 

[santz]

usually Indians eat home made food and cook it themselves which comprises of a lot of vegetables (nutrients nutrients), with oil.

western diet mainly consists of sandwiches, chips , pizza and burgers (at least it is for a student - me) which is only used to fill up stomach and is generally regarded as junk food with little to no nutrients. if we think about it, no one has the time to actually sit and make food at home, so what we want is fast food, fast service, at the cheapest price possible to fill our stomachs.

I also found this article which states that people who follow an Indian diet have less asthma and other such related diseases.
LINK: http://www.indianfoodsco.com/Health/AmericanLungAssoc.htm

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: Connoisseur
Oftentimes the oil used in cooking these dishes is vegetable oil which is SIGNIFICANTLY healthier than the oils western countries use for cooking (such as those derived from animal fats, olive oil etc). The rest of the food is generally lean meat, vegetables, rice and spices. At least with authentic Indian cooking, the worst health problem to worry about are high blood pressure (if lots of salt is used) or ulcers from particularly spicy dishes. In response to Chrisms, many Indian people have bellies because they eat plenty of rice (lots and lots of starch) and don't get enough exercise to burn it off. Same thing will happen if you eat lots of Italian.

Did you just compare animal fats and olive oil in terms of being similar?

Did you then say that vegetable oil (TRANS FATTY HEAVEN) was better than olive oil?

0 for 2. Swing and a miss for you.

 

[computeerrgghh]

I would imagine that most restaurant style food would be unhealthy for you (unless you always order a salad without dressing). At home, I don't really eat creamy curries and oily food. A typical Indian meal for me would be daal which is a type of lentil soup and roti without butter. Daal is very healthy. Its high in protein, vitamins and minerals. If I don't eat daal, I usually eat red beans, chickpeas or other types of beans. Again these foods are very healthy. Unfortunately, my personal experience seems to be an exception to the story linked two posts above above. I ate Indian food on a daily basis and I have asthma, bad allergies and a sensitive airway.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

umm...homemade indian food isnt very fatty. The stuff you're eating from restaurants are bad for you.

 

[uberman]

I always order an extra cup of oil on the side. I love it.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad
umm...homemade indian food isnt very fatty. The stuff you're eating from restaurants are bad for you.

Without knowing exactly what goes in to it, but at the samt time knowing food and flavors and tastes, I think this post could pretty much /thread it right here.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: santz
usually Indians eat home made food and cook it themselves which comprises of a lot of vegetables (nutrients nutrients), with oil.

western diet mainly consists of sandwiches, chips , pizza and burgers (at least it is for a student - me) which is only used to fill up stomach and is generally regarded as junk food with little to no nutrients. if we think about it, no one has the time to actually sit and make food at home, so what we want is fast food, fast service, at the cheapest price possible to fill our stomachs.

I also found this article which states that people who follow an Indian diet have less asthma and other such related diseases.
LINK: http://www.indianfoodsco.com/Health/AmericanLungAssoc.htm

Are you smoking crack in addition to eating junk food?

 

[feralkid]

Originally posted by: Connoisseur
Oftentimes the oil used in cooking these dishes is vegetable oil which is SIGNIFICANTLY healthier than the oils western countries use for cooking (such as those derived from animal fats, olive oil etc). The rest of the food is generally lean meat, vegetables, rice and spices. At least with authentic Indian cooking, the worst health problem to worry about are high blood pressure (if lots of salt is used) or ulcers from particularly spicy dishes. In response to Chrisms, many Indian people have bellies because they eat plenty of rice (lots and lots of starch) and don't get enough exercise to burn it off. Same thing will happen if you eat lots of Italian.

Where are you getting this curious idea that olive oil is not healthy?



Indian food can contain lots of ghee which is...take a guess...derived from animals.

Furthermore, eating spicy foods does not cause ulcers.


Wow, you sure packed a lot of misinformation into that post. Slow down.
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