Weight loss: How many chapatis can you have in a day?
Here is the answer
People trying to lose weight are often worried about their carb intake. It is because carbs are infamously linked to weight gain. But it is also an essential macronutrient and shunning it completely is not right.
As far as the Indian diet is concerned, rice and chapatis are the greatest sources of carbs. Weight watchers often tread with caution when it comes to roti (made using wheat flour); this gives rise to the question - how many chapatis can be had in a day without sabotaging the weight loss goal.
Nutrients in wheat
Chapatis
are not only made of carbs. But they are packed with other essential
nutrients as well. Wheat is also considered a rich source of protein,
fat, phosphorus, magnesium, folate and iron.
How many chapatis you can have in a day
Carbs, protein and fat are known as macronutrients, which means our body needs them in large quantities to carry out different functions
in the body. First of all, you need to finalise your daily carb intake.
On the basis of that you can decide how many chapatis you can have in a
day.
A small 6-inch chapati contains around 71 calories. So, if your lunchtime calorie intake is 300 calories, you can have two chapatis that will be 140 calories and the remaining can come from vegetables and salad that you eat with the chapatis. Remember that not only chapatis, but even the vegetables and fruits you consume also contain some amount of carbs.
In short, how many wheat rotis can
you consume in a day actually depends on your calorie intake. Having 4
chapatis in a day is considered optimal for weight loss.
Other alternatives to wheat chapatis
If
you are trying to lose weight, you can have chapatis made of barley,
sorghum or millet. They are healthier than wheat and contain more
nutrients and fewer carbohydrates.
Other things to keep in mind
Only limiting your carb intake will not help you achieve your weight loss goal. There are other factors as well that play a crucial role in weight loss - like your lifestyle habits, sleeping pattern and exercise routine. For effective weight loss, it is important to take care of all these things and eat healthy and well-balanced meals.