How to stick to the diet but still enjoy a meal out
You don’t have to become a hermit just because you are on a diet – there are plenty of options out there that will allow you to enjoy a meal out with friends without being the only one at the table with rabbit food and water.
Going out for an Indian meal doesn’t have to be bad at all. There are plenty of lower fat options, and you could also select a really hot curry – there’s only so much of that one person can eat so there’s very little chance of over-indulging!
So, what are the low fat options?
Firstly you need to remember that Indian meals can be full of calories and fat because they are cooked with oil and clarified butter, so you need to choose dishes that don’t have as much of these as the main ingredient. Also, dishes with rice offer a good all in one option rather than ordering a side portion of rice with your main meal.
If you are choosing a curry, go for chicken and vegetable as they are the lower in fat than lamb or beef. And the sauce it comes in will be the decider on whether you pack on the lbs or not. So choose a tomato based dish rather than a creamy masala. Also, consider having chicken tikka (chicken pieces cooked with spices and clarified butter) which will be served without a sauce. Avoid Chicken Tikka Masala however as this tends to be made with cream. Chicken tandoori is another low fat option and a bhuna is also ideal as it has a tomato based sauce.
If you are having a side dish, it is likely to be rice, remember that pilau rice has oil added to it so plain boiled rice is the bead – and just a small serving. Popadoms are a great option and reasonably low calorie especially if you’re considering reaching for the naan bread which is not at all diet friendly.
You could also share a meal with somebody so that you don’t feel under pressure to finish it all yourself. And while you are being healthy on your diet, you can also take comfort from the fact that Indian food has many of the benefits of healthy ingredients such as garlic (often associated with cholesterol lowering effects) coriander (associate with migraine treatments, and has been referred to as an anti-diabetic plant), turmeric (great for the digestive system and is considered to be a liver detoxifier) and ginger (often associated with treating indigestion and as a digestive aid).

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