Sabudana For Weight Loss: High Energy Food Reality

Its a technical confusion if Sabudana for Weight Loss is even a good food or not. In India, Sabudana is widely consumed during fasting. It provides several health benefits. Being a heavy and fulfilling food, Sabudana is mostly enjoyed in the form of a meal.

Health Benefits Of Sabudana 

Due to its high-calorie content, a major chunk of people considers this wholesome food for weight gain. Let us look at these benefits in detail:

Good source of energy

The first important benefit of Sabudana is that it energizes the body. This is due to its high-calorie content that provides instant energy to a person. It is a good choice for people who feel lethargic and sluggish during the day. 

Non-allergic

Another benefit of Sabudana is that it does not contain gluten in it. This makes it safe for people who are intolerant to gluten. Also, its consumption does not result in any kind of allergies. Anybody can eat this non-allergic and gluten-free food without any complications.  

Aids in digestion

Another important benefit of eating sabudana is that it is good for your digestive system. It has plenty of dietary fibers that assists in rebalancing the healthy intestinal bacteria in the body. In this way, it helps prevent common digestion-related issues, such as bloating, constipation, the buildup of intestinal gas, acidity, indigestion, etc. As it is a high-fiber food, you need to eat it in moderation and drink plenty of water to aid in digestion.  

Regulates blood pressure

Sabudana is also helpful for people who suffer from high blood pressure. This is due to its nutritional composition, which makes it beneficial for high BP patients. The high amounts of potassium in the food promotes healthy circulation of blood in the body. It also helps reduce the unnecessary strain in the heart.

Low in cholesterol

Another benefit of Sabudana is that it has low amounts of cholesterol in it. So. you can enjoy it without any guilt of an increase in cholesterol levels in the body. 

Aids in fighting against birth defect

Sabudana is also beneficial for expecting mothers. Folate is a very important nutrient that doctors advise for a pregnant woman in the initial months of the pregnancy. This is the time when the major organs of the baby are developed. 

Sabudana is a dense source of folate and vitamin B6 that assists in the healthy growth of the fetus in the woman. Regular consumption of the food helps in the prevention of neural tube related defects in babies.  

Helps in the growth of muscles:

Protein is regarded as the building blocks of the body. Sabudana is loaded with this nutrient to grow muscles and repair damaged tissues and cells in the body. Due to the high protein content in this food, sabudana also makes a great pre-workout and post-workout meal. 

It is a beneficial protein supplement for people who want to get a muscular and well-defined body. Unlike expensive protein shakes, sabudana is a low-cost workout food that gives you the same amount of benefits.

Makes your bones strong:

Sabudana is good for your bones too. It is rich in iron, magnesium, and calcium, which helps you develop stronger and dense bones naturally. This is a miracle food that also helps lower the possibilities of osteoporosis and arthritis in a person.

Help you put on body weight:

If you are low in weight, then start eating this food. This high calorie and carbohydrate in it will help you put on a few pounds easily.

Sabudana for Weight Loss – Yes or No ?

Many people have this question of whether they can consume Sabudana for Weight Loss. To get clarity on this subject, we will look at its nutritional composition. 

Sabudana has carbohydrates as its major constituent. Excess carbs make it a calorie-dense food. As it does not have any other nutrient in it, it is considered to be an empty calorie food. When you eat it, you instantly feel a lot of energy and satiety. When you overindulge in this high carb food, then it can cause excess calories in the body. This can, in turn, lead to weight gain. 

There is another way of looking at this situation. As this food keeps you fuller for a longer time, you avoid eating unhealthy snacks during the day. When you consume fewer calories, then it helps bring down the calorie count in the body. In this way, it creates a calorie deficit, that aids in weight reduction in the body.

Let us look more on the nutritional content of sabudana and how it serves the nutritional needs of a person on a daily basis:

Per 100 grams of this food provides the following nutrients to your body.

• Calories 345 grams
• Carbohydrates 86.1 grams
• Fats 2 grams
• Proteins 0.25 grams
• Fiber 0.8 grams

So, if you will look at its nutritional composition, you will see that it mostly provides carbs and minimal amounts of other proteins and fiber to the body. Keeping in mind about its high carb and calorie content, you need to decide about the right quantity of sabudana along with the other ingredients present in it. The amount of sabudana that you consume in a day will determine its impact on the total number of calories you consume.

The type of carbohydrates that sabudana provides to a person is fast-digesting in nature. This implies that when you eat this food, it will get digested quickly in the body and raise the sugar levels in the bloodstream quickly. In this way, you will get instant energy immediately after eating it. As the carbs get digested quickly in the body, it makes you feel hungrier after just a few hours of its consumption. Due to this reason, sabudana is not appropriate for weight loss. However, if you soak sabudana in water for half an hour, then it can increase the duration of satiety. 

Sabudana is the perfect food for weight gain in the body. Whether you eat it as a breakfast meal or as a post-workout meal, it will replenish your depleted energy reserves. As it is an empty calorie food, you can rely only on this food source to meet your nutritional needs. It is also important to include other foods in your diet that gives you the necessary nutrition. 

Sabudana for Weight loss Recipes

Sabudana is consumed by itself or as an ingredient in the preparation of delicious Indian recipes. Here we are going to tell you some interesting sabudana recipes that can help you reduce unwanted weight from your body. These recipes are sabudana vada, sabudana khichdi, and low-fat sabudana kheer. Let us look at these three recipes and how you can make it a weight-loss food.

Sabudana Khichdi:

The prime ingredient of Sabudana khichdi is sabudana. Along with it, a few more ingredients are added in the preparation, such as sugar, peanuts, potatoes, and coriander. Potatoes have high amounts of simple carbohydrates that results in weight gain in the body. They aren’t recommended to those who are overweight or have diabetes and cardiovascular issues in the body.

Another key ingredient in the dish is sugar. It is rich in fast-digesting carbs and does not offer any nutrition to your body. It can cause inflammation and a quick increase in blood sugar levels in the body. You need to be watchful of its amount in the dish as it is a prime ingredient that can promote weight gain in the body.

Coriander and peanuts in the dish are a rich source of vitamin B1, vitamin C, and fats that helps boost the immune system in the body. It fulfills the nutritional requirements of the flavorful sabudana dish. The ingredients used in the preparation can cause you weight gain.

But, if your goal is to reduce weight, then practice portion control. Along with eating the dish in moderate amounts, add more potatoes and peanuts and reduce the quantity of sabudana in it. This will help enhance its flavor and also its nutritional value.

Sabudana Kheer:

Sabudana Kheer is a very delicious dessert that is enjoyed by many. It is made by adding milk, cashew nuts, raisins, cardamom powder, saffron, cashew nuts, sugarfree, raisins, and sabudana. All these ingredients, except sugar (i.e., an empty calorie food), have the nutritional value that makes the dish, not just lip-smacking but also a healthy delight.  

One serving of the dish gives you 361 calories. To reduce the number of calories, you can replace sugar by jaggery. To reduce the fat content, use skimmed milk in place of full-fat milk. Cashew nuts have high amounts of saturated fats in it that can cause you weight gain. So, add them in moderate amounts in your diet. 

Sabudana Vada:

Sabudana vada is a deep-fried dish that may not be a good choice for those who are on a weight-loss journey. It is high in calories and unhealthy fats that should be eaten in moderate amounts. 

Tips for use – Sabudana for Weight Loss

The nutritional composition of Sabudana makes it a weight gain food. The high amounts of carbs and calories in this food gives a good amount of energy to your body. The principle of weight loss is very simple. You need to create a calorie deficit in the body. This implies that you need to consume fewer calories than you burn during the day.

This makes your body deficient in calories. To generate energy, it will look for fat reserves and burn it to generate fuel. In this way, you will see fat and weight reduction in the body. Along with managing calories and eating a clean and healthy diet, you also need to perform regular exercise. Follow the 80/20 rule, that says, focus 80% on diet and 20% on exercise.e

So, when it comes to eating sabudana for weight loss, you need to create a calorie deficit in the body. This can be done by eating it in fewer amounts or exercising more on the day you consume it. Both these ways will help achieve a calorie-deficit in the body. 

Another thing that you can do is to consume Sabudana at the time of breakfast or after your workout meal. When you eat it for breakfast, then whatever calories you consume can burn during the day. By keeping you fuller can prevent the need for mid-morning snacks, so you take in fewer calories in your body. Your body is in need of carb and protein-dense meal after the workout. So, when you eat sabudana at that time, then your body uses these calories quickly to replenish the lost energy, and it won’t accumulate in your body. As Sabudana is a high energy food, it makes it the best replacement for unhealthy fast foods. (1)

How to eat Sabudana on fast days for weight loss?

Many people are allowed to ONLY eat Sabudana during fasting, so how can they follow portion control for weight loss at this time. This is a common concern among people. So, let us see how you can eat Sabudana on your fast without accumulating excess calories in the diet.  

• Eat only two meals, i.e., lunch and dinner. Don’t eat anything at breakfast.
• In the lunch, eat a large bowl of sabudana khichdi. As it is a calorie-dense dish, it will keep you fulfilled for a longer time.
• In the dinner, eat a large-sized boiled potato. Stir-fry it in oil or ghee with pepper and salt.

Follow this diet for nine consecutive days. After following this diet for three days, you will become comfortable with this new regime. If you feel some weakness in your body after four or five days, then reduce your activity level to conserve energy.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Here are a few questions on Sabudana for weight loss. 

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