food, Health, Superfoods, Weight Loss
6 Ways to make Healthy Pani Puri | Pani Puri and Weight Loss
May
Pani puri is one of the most popular street foods in India. And why not, the essence of gulping a pani puri and realizing each of the spices and flavours put in it feels out of the world.
However, much like most street foods, there’s nothing much healthy about these too. Hence, healthy pani puri would be a myth. But is it impossible to make healthy pani puri? First of all, let’s know a few things about pani puris.
Nutrition Facts of a typical Street not-so-healthy Pani Puri
6 pieces of Pani Puri contains [1]
Calories |
36 |
Sodium |
40 mg |
| Total Fat | 2 g | Potassium | 0 mg |
| Saturated | 1 g | Total Carbs | 4 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 0 g | Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Monounsaturated | 0 g | Sugars | 1 g |
| Trans | 0 g | Protein | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | Calcium | 0 % |
| Vitamin A | 0 % | Iron | 0 % |
| Vitamin C | 0 % |
So we see, our favourite pani puris are lagging behind when it comes to being healthy.
But at Possible, our Nutritionists keep looking for ways to make our favourite foods healthier.
So this time they thought to put health factors in pani puri. Don’t believe me?
Well, check out the video below and see how our health blogger, Shobha Shastry, picks out the unhealthy factors and states some easy alternatives to give us healthy pani puri goals.
Pani Puri in Weight Loss
No one can say no to pani puri also known as gol gappa. This yummylicious and tangy treat is a sure-fire hit in everyone’s diaries. More than a treat for taste buds, the very act of catching a plate from roadside vendors is sure to evoke a flood of memories for everyone.
Well even if we won’t say that pani puri is good for weight loss, we can enjoy them for sure. And we are here to tell you how.
Eating Pani Puri While on Weight Loss Regime
You can have pani puri once a while to satisfy your cravings. However, there are some simple rules to remember while gulping them down when on a weight loss program. You can choose a customised pani puri such as avoid sweetened chutney, potato stuffing and the deep-fried suzi puri. Instead, you could opt for baked, whole wheat pani puri.
There are numerous products available in the market (like this one) which retails baked whole wheat golgappa puris.
However, have them in limited amounts only without going overboard. So, enjoy your pani puri day but with certain cautions that we have mentioned below.
[sc name=”InlineBlogForm”] [sc name=”Amp-bmi-widget” ampUrl=”https://possible.in/pani-puri-and-weight-loss.html/”]Best Time to have Pani Puri
Before going on a pani puri treat, even for the healthier ones, you should know the best times for to have them. If you are craving a pani puri, have a plate full at noon. The high salt content in the salty water present in pani puris may cause water retention.
Avoid having them in the evening as it may hamper with your numbers on the weighing scale. Definitely, do not eat them as a pre or post-workout snack.
The Best Way to Eat Healthy Pani Puri
Ask for wheat puris and the smallest of them. Avoid suji at any cost. Try not to add any potatoes or sweet chutney to the pani puris. This will help you to cut back on a couple more calories. You can also opt for black chanas.
Alternatively, look for a vendor who provides moong or chana based stuffings. You may pay a premium but it is worth it when health is concerned.
Safe Number of Pani Puris to have while on weight loss
You can have six small gol gappas as a meal for lunchtime. Once your cravings for gol gappas are satisfied, prefer to have a salt-free diet at night. A bowl of papaya and an apple followed by low-fat milk later is advised. This helps take off water retention.
Go on and enjoy your cheat day on a spicy note but make sure to run this little tryst with your dietician once. If you are sensitive to gluten or on a gluten-free diet, then you can’t have gol gappas or pani puri.
Individuals with a case of high blood pressure are also advised not to eat chaat items due to the amount of salt present in it. But no worries, you could make your own pani puri at home substituting amchur for salt!
6 Constituent Changes for Weight Loss Healthy Pani Puris
- No meetha chutney or sweetened water
- Overdose of jaljeera or teekha water instead of the traditional pani puri water
- Opt for chana or moong based stuffing
- If possible, look out for baked whole wheat puris. If you can’t help it, choose small puris to save up on unnecessary energy.
- Consume a bowl of fruit like papaya, apple, and low-fat milk later in the day as it will help wash off the effects of excess salt in pani puris.
- If you have to cut back on salt, replace regular white salt with amchur. Check with your dietician about salt allowance for the day first.
Lastly, do not forget, enjoy your time as you gobble on this tasty indulgence!
Can we eat paani puri if we are having high cholesterol?*
Hello Mr. Ambardekar,
Yes, you can have pani puri occasionally.
If you are making them at home, ensure you use baked puris instead of the traditional fried ones. Also for the stuffing, use boiled sprouts or chana instead of potato. You can also make them with boiled sweet potato too.
Can’t make it at home and planning to have it outside? Well, allow yourself to have a plate once in a month, just to satisfy your craving.
Hope this helps!
Thankyou mam.. tones of thanks…
For weight loss wt all should we do on daily basis..
Hi Sharmi,
For an effective weight loss, you must majorly pay attention to your diet and physical activity. What in diet do you ask? Well, you should eat everything in moderation without skipping on any food or food group. Being physically active is also important.
Other than this, maintaining a positive attitude, weighing yourself everyday to note the difference, and following your heart will help you be happy and lose weight soon! Hope this helps!
please tell me if any side effects of pani puri like gas trouble , loose motion , ACDT ? paninpuri seller puts their hand hundreds of time in tikha water ! does its effect on our health and sign of any disease ?
Hello Mr. Saifee,
Any roadside food is subject to contamination from the seller and the environment. Bloating and diarrhoea are common problems when eaten at an unhygienic place. Hence should be eaten with caution.
You could instead make pani puri at home wherein you are assured of the ingredients. You can also add the stuffing of your choice like moong, chana, or even sweet potato. It makes for a healthy and tasty snack. If you do opt to eat outside , do so at a clean place.
i eat daily 10 gol gappas in local market. it is like a drug for me ! i cannot leave it even if i have exams….is eating pani puri 10 peice per day dangerous for my health ? i am a 17 year boy. i like it so much!
Hi Saryam,
As with any rule, excess of any food is bad for health! That makes eating 10 pani puris from a roadside vendor bad for your health too.
– So many pani puris would mean increased intake of fried puris. This means you must be exceeding your fat intake limit for the day
– Roadside vendor means the chances of infection and reduce healthy gut bacteria.
– The stuffing would mean potatoes and other fried items.
– The chutneys can also introduce pathogens and excess sugar.
The solution would be to make pani puris at home and indulge in it occasionally. Which means once a week and then gradually to once a month!
Hope this helps Saryam!
Pani-puri is y favourite snake of all time. And I love to eat panipuri. I want to ask you can we use Pani puri on workout days when we are on fixed diet, using whey protein in the diet.
Sometimes it’s water also become the reason to ignore panipuri.
You can have Pani puri as a cheat meal, once in a week or once in 10 days. Don’t take it on workout days. After workouts, you should go for a high protein diet. For more details on workout meals, refer to the blog
You can have Pani puri as a cheat meal, once in a week or once in 10 days. Don’t take it on workout days. After workouts, you should go for a high protein diet. For more details on workout meals, refer to our blog Pre-and Post workout Meals
This one is definitely surprising. I mean Pani puri and weight loss is totally amazing. Although I’d miss the traditional Panipuris, these ones don’t look that bad. And since they would help in weight loss, I am totally up to it.
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