Horse Gram and Weight Loss

In our article about health benefits of horse gram, we discussed about various health benefits of this not so popular lentil popular cultivated and consumed in India, tropical Africa and South East Asia.

Having a high nutritional profile and numerous medicinal qualities, the lentil is beneficial in improving your overall health. Some of the key health benefits of horse gram include its usefulness as diabetic food, its ability to reduce cholesterol, aids weight loss, its ability to keep the digestive tract healthy, its iron source which is useful for women with pregnancy and menstrual problems and its benefits for skin. According to the US National Academy of Sciences, this legume is a potential source of food for the future because of its excellent nutrition value and resistance to drought. Ayurveda practitioners often prescribe horse gram as a remedy for water retention, jaundice and weight loss.

Horse gram is a great source of protein and numerous other nutrients. Horse gram is an excellent source of carbohydrate, dietary fiber and protein. It contains essential vitamins and minerals, including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, iron, and phosphorus. When it comes to protein content, horse gram is one of the highest vegetarian sources.

It is low in fat, which makes it a great addition to a weight loss diet. It contains slow digestible starch that is ideal for people suffering from conditions like obesity and diabetes. Horse gram is also rich in flavonoids, polyphenols and other anti-oxidants that offer protection against free radical damage and help you stay young and active. Although horse gram is wonderfully healthy, it remains an underutilized food.

Horse Gram and Weight Loss

Obesity is a major problem affecting millions of people all over the world. While it is quite easy to gain weight, losing even a pound of weight can be a herculean task for many people. Nowadays, the market is flooded with numerous weight loss products that claim to help you lose weight instantly. While some of these products may succeed in providing temporary results, they carry dangerous side effects that can affect your health negatively in the long run.

Regular exercise and the intake of a healthy, well-balanced diet is the safest, healthiest and most natural way to shed those stubborn extra pounds. The daily consumption of horse gram is effective in not only burning the already stored fat but can also help prevent the accumulation of more fat. The lentil is easy to digest as well.

Horse gram is an ideal choice of food for those who are trying to lose weight because it is high in protein and low in fat content. Maintaining a calorie deficit is one way to reduce weight. Horse gram is low in calories, making it one of the best foods to be added to a weight loss diet. The dietary fiber in the legume is very filling and keeps you fuller for a longer time. As a result, you restrain from overeating. In addition to reducing your food cravings, horse gram also stabilizes the blood sugar level.

This lentil contains high levels of phenol that can burn fat and so eating plenty of horse gram can help in the management of obesity.Studies have shown that horse gram can directly get rid of the fatty tissues stored in the body. It encourages the body to burnthe fats stored in the body by increasing your metabolic activities and generating more energy.The nutrients present in horse gram also contribute to the burning of fat.

How to Consume Horse Gram for Weight Loss?

Horse gram is found to produce heat in the body and so it is recommended to take it along with ingredients, such as cumin or buttermilk that help to balance the heat that may be produced. A popular way of consuming horse gram for weight loss it to roast the horse gram seeds, grind it to make a fine powder and then mix it with buttermilk. This drink can be taken twice a day.

Additionally, there are several recipes using horse gram that will support your weight loss goals. Given below are a few such tasty dishes that you may consider including in your weight loss diet.

Some Horse Gram Recipes for Weight Loss

1. Horse Gram Soup

Ingredients: Dry Lentils – 2 Cups, Chopped onion – 1, Chopped carrots – 2, Chopped tomato – 1, Minced garlic – 3 cloves, Ginger paste – ½ tbsp, Cumin seeds – ½ tbsp, Cloves- 3, Water – 4 cups, Olive oil – 2 tbsp, Salt – to taste

Directions: Cook the horse gram lentils first. Heat olive oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds, ginger paste and garlic. Add the onion and carrots to the pan. Thenadd the tomatoes and stir well. Add water, salt and cooked lentil to the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Delicious horse gram soup is ready! Serve hot.

2. Horse Gram Roti

Ingredients: Horse Gram Powder – 3 tbsp, Wheat flour – 1 cup, Water – as required, Salt – to taste

Directions: First, we need to make the horse gram powder. For this roast horse gram seeds in a dry pan until it turns into a golden color. Then, allow it to cool and powder the seeds finely. Transfer this powder in to an air tight container. Next, take a bowl and combine wheat flour, horse gram powder and salt. Add water in small amounts and knead the mixture to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into small portionsand roll each portion to thin flatbreads/rotis. Cook the rotis on a tawa, turning each side until both sides are golden.

3. Horse Gram Dal

Ingredients: Horse Gram Dal – 1/2 cup, Water – 3 cups, Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp, Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp, Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp, Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp, Chopped onion – 1, Chopped tomato – 1, Turmeric powder -1 tbsp, Red chilly powder – 1 tsp, Coriander powder – 1 tsp, Ghee – 1 tbsp, Salt – to taste, Chopped cilantro leaves – to garnish.

Directions: Soak the horsegram dal in a cup of water overnight. Cook the lentils the next morning in a pressure cooker along with 3 cups of water, salt and turmeric powder.  Take a pan, add heat ghee and heat it on medium flame. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once they begin to crackle, add asafoetida and cook for few seconds.  Add ginger garlic paste to the pan and cook until the raw smell goes away. Now add the chopped onion and sauté until theybecome translucent.  Add tomatoes, red chilly powder, coriander powder and salt. Cover the pan and allow it cook for a few minutes. Add the cooked and mashed horse gram into the pan and again cook for about 3 or 4 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves. This tasty dal goes well with roti, nan or hot rice.

4. Horse Gram Porridge

Ingredients: Horse gram – ½ cup, Brown or red rice – 1 cup, Grated coconut – 2 tbsp, Cumin seeds – ½ tsp, Salt – to taste

Directions: Wash and soak the lentil for about 4 hours. Add the lentil, rice, salt and 3 ½ cups of water to a pressure cooker and cook for 20 minutes. Take a pan, add a few drops of oil and fry the cumin seeds. Once the rice and lentil are cooked, pour the fried cumin on top of it. Add the coconut and serve hot.

5. Horse Gram Curry

Ingredients: Horse gram – 1 cup, Onion – 1, Dry red chillies– 3, Coriander seeds- 3 tsp, Cumin- 1/2 tsp, Black pepper – 1/2 tsp, Asafoetida- a pinch, Grated coconut – 3 tbsp, Jaggery – 1 tsp, Tamarind paste – 1/4 tsp, Mustard seeds- 1 tsp, Ghee – 2 tsp, Curry leaves – 2 strands, Salt – to taste

Directions: Soak the lentil overnight. Prepare a masala by dry roasting the coriander seeds, black pepper, cumin, red chillies and asafetida and grinding them to a fine powder. Add the onion and grated coconut to this mixture and again grind to a smooth paste. Cook the soaked horse gram in a pressure cooker. Once the lentil is cooked, add the prepared masala and boil. Next, add the tamarind paste, jaggery and salt. Keep adding water to get the required consistency. Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the horse gram recipes that contribute to a healthy weight loss. You will notice amazing results with just a few months of horse gram consumption. Give this miracle lentil a try and let us know how it has served your weight loss goals!