How to make your poha and upma rich in protein. Why oats and chia seeds are the ideal breakfast combo

Since Indian breakfasts are carbohydrate-heavy, all you need to do is add protein to the mix. Poha can be made by adding some steamed moong and vegetables in it. The protein in the pulse lends satiety and delays digestion, the fibre from the vegetables does the same and together they avoid post-meal spikes in blood pressure, says Bhakti Samant, Chief Dietician, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai

Overnight soaked oats along with chia seeds and curd is a good combination of soluble fibre (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

Written by: Bhakti Samant

4 min readJul 10, 2023 09:00 AM IST First published on: Jul 10, 2023 at 09:00 AM IST

Are we eating our breakfast right? Not really. As a carbohydrate-loving country, we love our poha/dosa/ upma/paratha and even add a generous helping of sweets like jalebi, sheera, laddoo and burfi. If that was not enough, we love our breads and tea biscuits too.

But is that the real problem? The problem is not just that everything listed above is high in carbohydrates and our diets are very low in protein, which is what causes imbalance. A cross-sectional population-based survey, conducted by scientists at the Indian Council of Medical Research – India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) and published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, suggests people living with diabetes in India has jumped up from 70 million in 2019 to 101 million. At least 136 million people (15.3 percent of the population) have prediabetes, and over 315 million people have high blood pressure. These findings showed that the prevalence of non-communicable diseases like hypertension, generalized obesity, abdominal obesity and hypercholesterolemia is on the rise.

The results signal taking measures at creating awareness, encouraging people to change their lifestyles and correcting their eating patterns and diet. Emphasis should be laid on improving the dietary composition of macronutrients not just at breakfast but in all meals throughout the day. We should try to incorporate at least one source of protein in each meal. Following are a few ideas:

1] Poha can be made by adding some steamed moong and vegetables in it. The protein in the pulse lends satiety and delays digestion, the fibre from the vegetables does the same and together they avoid post-meal spikes in blood pressure.

2] Upma/daliya upma/seviyan upma/oats upma can be made by adding buttermilk instead of water. All are carbohydrates coming from cereals which, when cooked in buttermilk that’s rich in protein, would provide a good balance of macronutrients, improve satiety and digestion.

3] When you are preparing an idli or dosa batter, then mix the rice and urad dal in the ratio of 1:1/2:1 instead of 3:1/4:1. Have these preparations with sambar and not just with chutneys. Altering the composition of the flour as suggested would lead to enforcing a better balance between the carbs from rice and protein from the dal.

4] While making paratha, add a good amount of vegetables and dal flour which help improve the ratio of protein in the meal.

5] Use dal flour for making chilla or pancakes as it will provide you with good protein and complex carbohydrates, thus making for a balanced and healthy start.

6] While making rawa chilla/rawa dhokla, use curd or buttermilk in the mix instead of water. Rawa is rich in carbohydrates, which when cooked in buttermilk that’s rich in protein would provide a good balance of macronutrients, add bulk to your diet and ensure slower digestion that won’t make you hungry.

7] Overnight soaked oats along with chia seeds and curd is a good combination of soluble fibre that comes from oats and healthy fats that come from chia seeds along with superior protein from the curd.

Once you have added proteins significantly to your breakfast routine of carbohydrates and fats, they will give you a prolonged energy boost through the day, regulate your blood sugar and perk up your metabolism. They are a great help in controlling your snack or mid-morning cravings as they keep you feeling full longer. Research has shown protein-rich morning meals, consisting of around 35 grams of protein, can help you stay full and satisfied for longer and guide hormonal and neural signals that affect hunger bouts through the day, particularly evening snacking. Hunger hormones influenced by protein intake include ghrelin and peptide YY, the first signalling hunger, the second suppressing hunger after a meal. Protein builds muscle and that we know can ensure healthy ageing and reduce all-cause mortality. A review in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics did find that a high protein breakfast had helped increase overall protein intake in adults. As I say, the best way to ensure the right kind of protein balance is to spread it across the earlier part of the day. A study in Clinical Nutrition had also found that eating protein at breakfast was crucial in reducing diastolic and systolic blood pressure. So know that the journey to good health begins with not just a big breakfast, but a properly planned one.

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