Nutritional guide to your favorite Street food

Street foods are often outlooked as a major contributor to unhealthy fats, carbs, sodium, and sugar and the most possible cause of Obesity. Whereas Calorie deficit is the root cause of obesity.¹

To your surprise, the majority of research on street food favors that it contributes significantly to the daily nutrient intake.¹

On average we need 2000-2500 calories per day. So, it’s completely safe to grab the recommended daily calories from street food occasionally instead of normal meals or burn those extra calories from extra food with physical activities. Taking into consideration basic hygiene as a priority, balanced nutrients, and allergens choose your street food options wisely and have them in moderation.

On that note, we have a variety of street food options available across India which are difficult to resist. You can choose to binge on them anytime, taking care of your recommended daily calorie intake. Here’s the nutritional guide to the most prevalent Indian street foods.

1.      Samosa chaat

Samosa Chaat is the widespread street food available in almost every Indian street, mostly taken as an evening snack. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

In order to reduce calories, you can make your own samosa chaat at home. Use cocktail samosa for that, stuffed with more nuts, vegetables, and fewer potatoes. Besides, use an air fryer instead of deep-frying. Also, use low-calorie sugar and low-fat curd instead to have your samosa chaat guilt-free.

2.      Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a blend of vegetables, mixed with spices and served alongside butter sautéed soft pav. It is a fiber-rich, flavorsome and satisfying street food that is cooked as the main meal also in our kitchens. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

To cut a few extra calories, use low fat, low calorie, low cholesterol butter or unsalted homemade white butter, and also replace refined flour pav with multigrain pav, whole grain pav, or gluten-free pav.

3.      Aloo Tikki

Aloo Tikki is a lip-smacking crispy and flavorful boiled potato snack served with mint and tamarind sauce. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

To prepare a healthy aloo Tikki, air-fry the Tikki instead of deep-frying it and use low-calorie sugars to prepare chutneys.

4.      Noodles

Noodles are Indo-Chinese street food, loaded with vegetables, and is popular across the world. It is easy to prepare street food and we all relish it including kids. Here are the nutritional details of this street food if you are having refined flour noodles:

For cutting some calories on noodles you can opt a better version that involves rice noodles, red-rice noodles, quinoa noodles, gluten-free, millet noodles, chickpea and soybean noodles, and buckwheat noodles. These varieties are easily available in online grocery stores and in supermarkets. Besides, you can cut a few extra calories by replacing ordinary sauces with fat-free or zero-fat sauces and low sodium soy sauce. A variety of it is available in quality grocery stores.

5.      Momos

Momos are Tibet’s original street food, but are now a very popular street food in north India as well. It is made of whole refined flour with a variety of stuffings and served with chutneys. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

Prepare your momos with ragi, whole grain, or multigrain flour. And for additional flavor, try baked, grilled, or tandoori momos with a healthy stuffing of your choice.

6.      Kachori

Kachori is Rajasthan’s original street food. It’s a deep-fried snack made of refined flour. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

To relish a healthy kachori, prepare it with multigrain, whole grain, or ragi flour and have them baked in an air fryer instead of deep-frying it. Also, you can stuff it with healthy ingredients and reduce the portion per piece.

7.      Poha

Poha-Jalebi combo is the most popular street food on the streets of Indore. It’s a quick and healthy breakfast recipe, made with flattened rice. It is a light snack and goes easy on digestion. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

Poha is already a healthy snack and to make it healthier, add peanuts and use healthy fat oil such as olive oil.

8.      Khaman dhokla

It’s a soft, fluffy steamed snack made with gram flour, which has a low glycemic index, good for diabetics. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

For a healthier dokhla, prepare with moong daal and add low-calorie sugar syrup instead of refined sugar.

9.      Papdi chaat

It is the most loved snack in Indian streets, made with crisp fried papri’s, sweet, sour, and spicy chutneys, with added yogurt and garnished with grated carrots, beetroot, pomegranate, and sev. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

To prepare a healthy papdi, use gluten-free, whole wheat, multigrain, or ragi flour papdi, and use low-fat yogurt instead of normal curd.

10.  Dosa

Dosa is popular south Indian cuisine that is also famed across all Indian streets. It is made of fermented rice and lentil batter. Perfect for breakfast and evening snacks. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

For healthier dosa, use a mixture of wheat, millet, jowar, and bajra for dosa batter instead of rice only. Alternatively, you can prepare a protein-rich dosa with urad, green, channa, and toor daal also.

11.  Idli sambar

Like dosa, idli sambar is also a south Indian breakfast cuisine, made with fermented rice batter and served with sambar. It is also a light snack and goes easy on the stomach. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

Alternatively, you can prepare healthier idli with oats, moong daal, or quinoa and add chopped vegetables to it.

12.  Vada  pav

Vada pav is Mumbai’s original street food made of fried mashed potatoes and stuffed in soft pao. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

To prepare a healthy vada pav, you can air fry the vada instead of deep-frying, and reduce the portions. Also, you can replace refined flour pav with multigrain pav, whole grain pav, or gluten-free pav to cut more extra calories.

13.  Bhelpuri

Bhelpuri is also Mumbai’s popular street food and is now a prevalent street food in the entire nation. It is prepared with puffed rice, mixed with boiled potatoes, grams, onion, tomatoes, and chutneys. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

helpuri is already a low-calorie street food. To further lower its calorie count, add sprouts and more crunchy salad vegetables instead of potatoes.

14.  Chole Bhature

Being a typical Punjabi cuisine, bhature is made of fermented refined flour which is deep-fried and eaten with spicy chole gravy. Here are the nutritional details of this street food:

Chole bhature is very high-calorie street food. To cut a few calories, mix whole wheat flour and gram flour to the refined flour and air fry bhatura’s instead of deep-frying them.

Activities required to burn extra calories from street food

Try these healthy street food options with low calories and healthy fats:

1.      Pineapple chaat

2.      Dry bhel

3.      Egg bhurji

4.      Corn cob/ roasted bhutta

5.      Sweet potato chaat

6.       Dahi vada

7.      Diced coconut

Are you interested in more healthy street food options?

Switch to DrTrust360 Diet Plans for more low-calorie street food options. Our nutritionists are focused to provide you with the best health plans with sensible portions without compromising on taste. Also, track and share your daily progress with our nutritionists for smooth weight management.

Feel free to consult us anytime and get your diet plan customized according to your health status.