If you are trying to lose weight, then eating mindfully should be the most important thing for you. Choosing the right foods, hence, should be your aim. But before you wrack your brains over where you can find weight loss foods like celery and fancy berries in India, let us tell you that there is a plethora of Indian lunch that you can relish to lose weight.

So here are the best lunch for weight loss that is completely desi, can help you shed some kilos, and boost your nutrition quotient at the fraction of a cost:

Rajma Pulao:

This dish has all the nutrition and taste of rajma chawal, minus a lot of cooking. Pulses or lentils must become a staple to your nutrition plan, and what better tasting than kidney beans!

Pulses produce the growth of SCFA’s (short-chain fatty acids) in the gut, that in turn helps with glucose metabolism. Thus, this dish is also very diabetic diet-friendly. Make sure to use whole grain rice though!

Moong sprout and coconut curry:

This dish is honestly a one-pot meal by itself and covers all essential nutrients. Depending on your caloric goals, feel free to side this with cooked quinoa or brown rice.

You would think that coconut curry makes this dish very heavy, but honestly, it is quite the opposite. Adding coconut milk makes this dish perfectly creamy and very refreshing, yet, light on the stomach. The proteins from the sprouts will keep you feeling full for a long.

Sarson da Saag:

Such a delicious way to get some leafy greens in! Many people absolutely love this recipe and it is also a staple of Punjab. Make sure to not overcook the mustard greens to a point that they turn black. Instead, bright to dark green is the colour you are looking for.

This is best paired with cornflour chapatti. Best to avoid any added ‘makhani’, ‘butter’s’, ‘ghee’ or oil to this dish. Have it fresh, right after it is cooked. Avoid letting this dish sit on the countertop for too long or storing it for multiple days.

Bajra Vegetable Khichdi:

Bajra brings diversity to your grain pallet and this is a great one-pot recipe to bring that in. The only change we would suggest making here is adding a handful of leafy greens like spinach to this meal. Besides that, this meal is perfect.

Barely needs to be soaked much longer than brown rice, so be prepared in advance when making this dish. It also gives you an opportunity to use up a lot of vegetables from your fridge. This dish goes well for lunch the next day too, so its great to make in batches.