10 Healthy Indian Breakfast Ideas for Weight Loss

Breakfast sets the tone for your whole day. A plate of plain poha or two buttered toasts with sugary chai may feel light, but it often leaves you hungry by 11 am and reaching for biscuits. A breakfast with enough protein and fibre keeps you full, steadies your energy and makes healthy choices easier for the rest of the day.

What makes a good weight loss breakfast?

• Protein: dal, besan, paneer, curd, eggs, milk, sprouts or peanuts.
• Fibre: vegetables, whole grains, millets or a whole fruit.
• Little added sugar and oil.

10 healthy Indian breakfast ideas

1. Moong dal chilla stuffed with grated paneer or vegetables, with green chutney.
2. Besan chilla loaded with onion, tomato, capsicum and coriander.
3. Vegetable daliya cooked like upma, with a bowl of curd.
4. Oats cooked in milk with nuts, seeds and half a fruit, without added sugar.
5. Paneer bhurji with one multigrain roti.
6. Vegetable omelette or two boiled eggs with a multigrain toast.
7. Idli with sambar: two or three idlis with a big bowl of vegetable sambar.
8. Sprouts chaat with onion, tomato, lemon and a sprinkle of chaat masala.
9. Poha, upgraded: a smaller portion with extra vegetables and a handful of peanuts.
10. Stuffed multigrain paratha with paneer or mixed vegetables, lightly roasted, with curd.

Common breakfast mistakes

• Skipping breakfast and then overeating at lunch or snacking all afternoon.
• Only tea and biscuits, which is mostly sugar and refined flour.
• Packaged cereals and granola that look healthy but contain a lot of sugar.
• Fruit juice instead of whole fruit.

Want to know how much protein your breakfast should have? Try our free protein calculator, and read our high-protein vegetarian guide for more ideas.

Written by Dt. Alka Pal, M.Sc. Nutrition, Diploma in Nutrition and Health Education, former dietitian at BLK Hospital and Metro Hospital.