National Cereal Day 2023: 5 healthy cereal recipes for weight loss

The trick to sustainable weight loss is eating the right carbs and go for nutrients that support your fitness journey rather than pose as a roadblock. Cereal is one of the most popular breakfast choices across the world. But whether they are healthy or not depends on what is going into it. Whole grain cereals that are high in fibre and low in added sugars are generally a good choice for starting your day as they have all the vital nutrients to fuel you for the day ahead from vitamins, minerals, to antioxidants. (Also read: Can breakfast cereal or cookies cause ovarian cancer? Here's what experts say)

Avoid going overboard even on the healthiest of meals as a big portion size could add up to more calories and the sugar that goes into it will increase too. A good rule of thumb is to measure the recommended serving size and avoid adding extra sugar or toppings like chocolate chips or marshmallows.

"Carbohydrates are not the reason for weight loss but choosing the right type of carbohydrates is necessary. As CHO are major source of energy which are needed to perform our day-to-day activities. CHO are also good source of B complex vitamins and minerals like Fe, Zn, P, and Cu necessary for metabolism. Complex carbs get digested slowly by the body and raise the glucose slowly into the blood stream due to their higher fibre composition thereby avoiding weight gain and diabetes. All the millets -ragi, jowar, bajra and also red rice, brown rice, dalia, whole wheat and its products are a good choice for breakfast," says Vyuhitha Motupalli, Executive Nutritionist, Cloudnine group of hospitals, Bengaluru, Electronic City.

Motupalli recommends five healthy homemade cereal recipes for weight loss.

1. Chia seeds millet porridge

Barnyard millet is good source of fibre hence it has many benefits with regards to weight and blood sugar management.

Ingredients:

1 cup barnyard Millet

4-5 tbs of soaked chia seeds

½ litre of low-fat cow milk

3-3 ½ tbs of coconut sugar

½ tsp of cinnamon powder

1 tbs of roasted seeds (flax, watermelon, sunflower)

½ cup fresh fruits (cranberry/strawberry, apple, pomegranate)

Pinch of salt

Method

- Add the boiled milk and millet to the pressure cooker with ½ tsp of cinnamon powder cook until it is completely cooked.

- Once done transfer it to the saucepan and add the coconut sugar, salt and soaked chia seeds, keep stirring, cook till it turns to porridge consistency and then pour the porridge to the serving bowl.

- Serve hot garnished with fresh cut fruits and seeds.

2. Barley chia seeds drink

Barley is a good source of both soluble and insoluble fibre, and it provides bulkiness in the intestines, thereby promoting satiety and decreases the appetite. Hence it helps in weight loss. Chia seeds are also rich source of fibre, protein and omega-3 FFA which helps in weight management.

Ingredients:

Chia seeds - 2-3 tbs

Barley - 1 tbs

Water - 300 ml

Lemon juice - 3 tbs

1/4 tsp of black salt

Process:

- Soak barley in water for half-an-hour after washing.

- Soak the chia seeds overnight.

- Boil the soaked barley along with water till it’s completely cooked, or it can also be pressure cooked.

- Once done drain the water, add soaked chia seeds, lemon juice, black salt. Serve chilled and enjoy the refreshing health drink.

3. Maize and Bengal gram flour Methi Roti

Maize flour is rich source of B complex vitamins and good in fibre; hence it’s proven beneficial with regard to blood sugar and weight management again.

Ingredients:

3/4th cup- maize Flour

1/2 cup -Bengal gram dal flour

2 tbs- roasted Flax seeds Powder

3/4 cup –chopped Methi Leaves

2 -3-finely chopped chilies

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Salt according to taste

½ tps of ajwain seeds

Water to mix to the dough consistency

Soybean oil

Process

- Take a large mixing bowl and add all the ingredients into it. Then slowly add water and start kneading to make soft dough.

- Apply little soybean oil on the dough and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

- Now take enough to make the balls.

- Now apply dry flour to avoid sticking while making the roti.

- Take tawa, once the tawa is hot put the roti and cook on both sides. Serve hot Fwith mint chutney.

4. Foxtail flaxseeds veg cutlets

Foxtail millet is good source of Vit B12, which is necessary for proper functioning of central nervous system, metabolism and formation of red blood cells and thereby avoiding anaemia. It has good glycaemic and weight control on regular intake due to its fibre content.

Ingredients

1/2 cup foxtail millet, soaked for 2-3 hours

2 tbs of roasted flax seeds powder

2 tbs gram flour

1 onion chopped

1 cup of carrot, green peas and beetroot (finely chopped)

1 small grated ginger

2-4 green chilies chopped (according to taste)

¼ tsp of turmeric powder

1/2 tsp of coriander powder

1/2 tsp of cumin powder

1/2 tsp of gram masala powder

2-3 tbs of coriander leaves chopped

Salt according to taste

Olive oil for shallow fry

Process

- Wash the foxtail millet, soak for 2-3 hours, and keep side.

- Boil all the veggies until soft. Now pressure cook the foxtail millets along with water, if needed add extra water for cooking till it is completely cooked

- Once done drain the water and let it be moisture-free.

- Now take a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients together, then mash all and mix well.

- Adjust the salt, take the enough amount of mixture, make the cutlets, and keep it aside.

- Take a non-stick pan, add 3 tbs of olive oil once the oil is hot, place the cutlets and close it with the lid until cooked to golden brown then flip on the other side and cook similarly.

- Serve hot with mint chutney

5. Quinoa Paneer Peas soup

Quinoa is a rich source of proteins, fibre, vitamins, and minerals, and it has right balance of essential amino acids. As it is a rich source of fibre and protein, it helps in weight management.

Ingredients

1 /4 cup quinoa

1/ 2 cup paneer

1 medium onion, chopped

1-2 gloves chopped

1 cup green peas

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tbs of cumin powder

Water to cook the quinoa

2 tbs canola oil

Process

- Wash quinoa, cook it in a pressure cooker with sufficient water till it is completely soft.

- Drain the water and keep quinoa and the cooked water aside.

- Next, sauté the paneer in canola oil with cumin powder and salt, till they turn slightly crispy and keep aside.

- Meanwhile in a large pan, heat canola oil, add chopped onion and garlic cloves and sauté them well.

- Now add the drained water from the quinoa to it and add the green peas. Bring it to boiling till the peas turn tender and remove it from the flame.

- Once mixture is cooled, add it to the blender and then transfer the soup puree into pan again.

- Reheat the soup by adding the cooked quinoa, salt, pepper according to the taste and turn the flame.

- Top it up with sautéed paneer. Serve the soup hot.

Follow more stories on Facebook & Twitter