Top 15 Indian Breakfasts for Weight Loss

5-point Summary

• Breakfast does two jobs: It gives you energy for the first few hours of the day. It also sets the tone for what you eat throughout the day. A sugary breakfast will make you crave sugary foods throughout the day. A sugar-free breakfast will not give rise to such sugar cravings.
• 3 common weight loss mistakes with breakfast: (1) You’re not hungry, but you eat breakfast anyway. It is a myth that you must eat breakfast. (2) Your breakfast is really dessert. (3) Your breakfast has 3 things – carbs, more carbs and even more carbs. These mistakes result in an unbalanced diet & overeating, which ultimately lead to weight gain or prevent weight loss.
• Healthy vegetarian breakfast options (click link for details): include veggie loaded poha, idli/dosa/pongal with vegetable chutney, veggie-loaded upma, besan chilla, sprouts and oats porridge.
• Healthy Egg options for breakfast (click link for details):  veggie-loaded masala omelette, egg appam and eggs with toast.
• Start your day right: Eat breakfast if you are hungry or if you find that you need it for your schedule. Focus on eating high-quality foods instead of sugary but convenient foods. The right breakfast can be the difference between weight loss success or failure. See our infographic guide to the perfect breakfast for more ideas to improve your breakfast.

If you are someone who loves their breakfast and are looking for breakfast ideas for weight loss, we’ll show you what a healthy breakfast to lose weight looks like.

What you eat for breakfast is important for two reasons:

Reason 1: It should give you enough energy to last for many hours. A poor breakfast will make you hungry soon, while the right breakfast will keep you full for 3-4 hours.

Reason 2: It sets the tone for what you eat throughout the day. A sugary breakfast will make you crave sugary foods throughout the day. A sugar-free breakfast will not give rise to such sugar cravings.

In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about a healthy Indian breakfast for weight loss. We will cover the following breakfast ideas for weight loss:

1. Veggie-loaded poha
2. Idli/dosa with vegetable chutney
3. Vegetable paratha with curd
4. Pongal with vegetable chutney
5. Paneer paratha with curd
6. Veggie-loaded upma
7. Besan chilla with vegetable chutney
8. Vegetable sandwich
9. Oats porridge with fruit
10. Paneer bhurji
11. Sprouts (raw or steamed) with mixed vegetables and lime
12. Lentil dosas like Pesarattu with ginger chutney or Adai
13. Boiled/poached eggs with wholewheat bread
14. Veggie-loaded masala omelet
15. Egg appam

Most common weight loss mistakes with breakfast

The 3 common breakfast mistakes that we see when we coach people are:

Mistake 1:You’re not hungry, but you eat breakfast anyway

This means that you’re adding an extra meal to your day. It should be no surprise that having an extra meal will hurt your waistline and health.

Mistake 2:Your breakfast looks more like dessert

If you’re eating anything sugary for breakfast, then it’s really dessert in disguise. Examples are sweet cereals, granola, muesli, pancakes, bars, juices. They might be advertised as “whole-grain”, “high-fiber” or “made with real fruit”, but most of them have between 5-10 spoons of sugar.

Mistake 3:Your breakfast has 3 things – carbs, more carbs and even more carbs

You may struggle to think of any vegetable that makes its way into breakfast. Almost all the breakfast options that come to mind are grains (carbohydrates) – bread, oats, corn flakes, dosa, poha, idli etc. All sweet things including juices and fruit will also be carbs. Nothing wrong with carbs, but when your daily diet is 80% carbs, you’ve got a problem. And a breakfast that is 100% carbs makes it worse.

A poor breakfast also sets you up for more poor eating during the day. A sugary breakfast triggers sweet cravings later and a high carb breakfast will have a similar effect. So not only has breakfast itself hurt you, it’s pushed you to make poor choices during the rest of your day too.

A poor breakfast triggers a chain reaction of poor food choices over the rest of the day.

It doesn’t take an expert to figure out what years of such eating will do to your body. The obvious effect is that you put on excess weight, but the real damage happens inside your body as the excess fat and sugars wreak havoc with various systems inside. The results are the diseases you see around you today – diabetes, hypertension, heart issues, joint problems, thyroid and fertility problems. The resulting anxiety, body image issues and guilt also impact your mental health.

In this article, we will show you how to make breakfast choices that avoid these mistakes and help you with weight loss. You might also want to see our infographic guide to the perfect breakfast.

We are not suggesting that you must have breakfast. In fact ,it is a myth that breakfast is a must and you should decide about breakfast based on whether you are hungry or not.

15 healthy Indian breakfast options for weight loss

Veggie-loaded poha

The favorite poha can be made even better with an added dose of vegetables. Aim to add half a cup of vegetables in your serving of poha. A cup is a standard measure of 240 ml. You can use a combination of many local vegetables like:

• Green beans
• Peas
• Carrots
• Capsicum
• Tomato
• Broccoli

To make this even quicker and convenient, you can use the frozen vegetable combos you will find in the freezer section of your supermarket. They usually have combinations like carrots, peas & broccoli. Just cook them and add as you are making the poha.

A veggie-loaded poha is a simple and healthy vegetarian breakfast to lose weight.

Veggie-loaded poha

Idli/dosa with vegetable chutney

Idli and dosa are breakfast favorites. They are quick to make and easy to digest. Idlis are steamed and oil-free too. You can make them with regular white rice or with millets.

A simple way to make them healthier is to use a vegetable chutney instead of a plain coconut chutney or sambar.

You’ll be surprised what a variety of vegetables and herbs can be made into chutneys to go with your breakfast options like dosa, idli or pongal, or even with your rotis.

Cabbage, carrot, squashes, bell peppers, eggplant, cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, coriander, mint, ginger – these are just some of the options and you can experiment as you like.

Using a vegetable chutney will make it more filling and reduce the carb and fat content of your breakfast.

This will help in a big way as it is a low calorie Indian breakfast.

This is a simple & practical option and one of the best breakfast for weight loss.

Idli with vegetable chutney

Vegetable paratha with curd

A paratha with whole wheat atta is a healthy choice for breakfast. Make it even better by adding a vegetable filling.

Any vegetable other than potato is ok.

For example, you can use a single vegetable or a combination among cauliflower, carrot, onion, bottle gourd (lauki), radish (mooli), or even broccoli. You can also add a little paneer in the filling to increase the protein content.

This helps to make your breakfast higher in fiber, more nutritious and more filling. Have it with curd or hung curd/greek yogurt to make it higher in protein. This makes it a healthy vegetarian breakfast to lose weight.

Lauki paratha with curd

Pongal with vegetable chutney

Pongal is a popular vegetarian choice for breakfast. Instead of plain coconut chutney and sambar, have it either with a vegetable chutney or with ‘gotsu’ which is a traditional and popular south Indian accompaniment for pongal. Gotsu is a tangy preparation made with eggplant, tomatoes, onions in a tamarind-based gravy.

This will reduce the fat & carb content of your breakfast while still keeping it filling due to the high-fiber in the vegetables. This makes it a great choice as an Indian breakfast for weight loss.

Pongal with veggie chutney

Paneer paratha with curd

In the vegetable paratha we saw earlier, we made the paratha high in vegetables. Here, the idea here is to make your breakfast high-protein with a paneer filling. You can use any locally available paneer.

Have it with some curd and pickle for a tasty and filling high-protein breakfast.

Paneer paratha with onion raita

Veggie-loaded upma

Your favorite upma can be made even better with an added serving of vegetables. Aim to add half a cup of vegetables in your serving of upma. A cup is a standard measure of 240 ml. You can use a combination of many local vegetables like:

• Green beans
• Peas
• Carrots
• Capsicum
• Tomato
• Onion

To make this even quicker and convenient, you can use the frozen vegetable combos you will find in the freezer section of your supermarket. They usually have combinations like carrots, peas & broccoli. Just add them as you are cooking the upma. For a twist and some extra protein, you can even mix in some toasted paneer or boiled kabuli chana.

Lowering the carb content and making it veggie-rich means that a veggie loaded upma is a great choice for an Indian breakfast for weight loss.

Veggie-loaded Upma

Besan chilla with vegetable chutney

By now, you should be an expert on how to make any breakfast rich in vegetables – add a veggie chutney. This works very well for besan chilla also. You can also grate some vegetables into the batter or add some finely chopped greens while making chilla.

This is a traditional but also healthy and low calorie Indian breakfast to lose weight.

Besan chilla with veggie chutney

Vegetable sandwich (with or without egg)

A sandwich with whole wheat bread can be a good breakfast for weight loss. But not if it’s got a lot of butter, processed cheese, mayonnaise and very little vegetables.

The simple solution is to add a lot of vegetables and minimize the butter/processed cheese. The formula for a good sandwich for weight loss is:

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• Pudina or other chutney
• Half a cup or more of chopped vegetables
• A little ketchup (for taste!)

You can use many vegetable options for a sandwich, such as:

• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Lettuce
• Boiled beetroot
• Onion
• Carrot

Avoid using potatoes as that will make it carb-heavy.

A veggie-loaded sandwich like this is a healthy & low calorie Indian breakfast for weight loss. If you eat egg, you can even add boiled, chopped eggs as part of the filling for a protein-rich option.

Vegetable sandwich

Oats porridge with fruit

Oats porridge is a good choice for breakfast. Oats are low-GI and high-fiber, both of which help make it a filling breakfast.

The most common mistake we see is too many additions/toppings to oats.

Avoid sugary and high-fat options like excessive nuts, seeds and honey.

Instead, flavor the oats with fruit and spices, and a sprinkling of nuts or seeds. Banana & cinnamon is a simple and delicious way to flavor oats. This will make it a low calorie breakfast for weight loss.

Oats porridge with banana topping

Paneer bhurji

Paneer is a high-protein food and a paneer bhurji is a great option for an Indian breakfast for weight loss. If you do not eat eggs, paneer bhurji is the perfect high-protein alternative. Use tofu if you cannot have paneer.

Add half a cup of vegetables to make it high-fiber and filling. You can have it by itself or with a slice of toast or a roti.

This high-protein option is one of the best breakfast ideas for weight loss.

Paneer bhurji

Sprouts (raw or steamed) with mixed vegetables and lime

Sprouts are a low-calorie and healthy option when it comes to an Indian breakfast for weight loss.

The key is to add vegetables and some flavors to make it tasty.

For example, add mixed vegetables like tomato and carrots and spice it up with chaat masala and lime. You have a delicious, healthy and crunchy breakfast that you can have often. A healthy breakfast to lose weight and stay on track.

Sprouts with mixed vegetables & lime

Lentil dosas (Pesarattu / Adai)

Lentil-based dosas are a popular breakfast option. They are a little better than purely rice-based options as the lentils add some protein and make it more filling. Adai and pesarattu are two examples of a lentil dosa.

Add some vegetables by using a veggie chutney. Ginger chutney is a popular choice with pesarattu. With adai, a traditional choice is to have a vegetable and coconut based stew (aviyal). Avoid plain coconut chutneys as they make it a high-calorie meal.

This will reduce the fat & carb content of your breakfast while still keeping it filling due to the high-fiber in the vegetables. This makes it a great choice as an Indian breakfast for weight loss.

Adai with mixed lentils & veggie chutney

Eggs with whole wheat bread

If you eat eggs, they are a great choice for a breakfast. A high-protein breakfast is a great way to start your day as it will keep you full for a long time and not give rise to any cravings for a while.

The easiest way to add eggs to your breakfast is to cook them and have them with whole wheat or sourdough bread. You can cook them as boiled, poached or scrambled (bhurji).

Make sure to use very little oil while preparing the eggs.

2 eggs with toast and a fruit is an excellent breakfast for weight loss. In general, eggs are one of the best breakfast for weight loss.

Egg bhurji with pav

Veggie-loaded masala omelette

An egg omelette is quick to prepare and a great choice for breakfast. Make it even better by adding vegetables to it.

You can add any vegetable like tomato, capsicum, spinach, onion and mushrooms. Use salt, pepper and any spice you like for flavor.

A veggie-loaded omelette with a slice of toast and a fruit is a perfect Indian breakfast for weight loss.

Veggie-loaded omelette

Egg appam

An egg appam is a high-protein twist to the traditional appam. Pair it with a veggie chutney or a vegetable stew (with limited coconut) and you have a vegetable and protein rich breakfast.

Egg appam

Conclusion

Use the breakfast ideas in this article to create Indian breakfasts for weight loss. Remember to always check-in with your body to see if you are hungry. If you are not, it is ok to skip breakfast.

You might also want to see our infographic guide to the perfect breakfast where we show you how to adjust your current breakfast to make it more healthy.

Daily 9’s weight loss program

If you’re reading this, we know that weight loss is a high priority for you. We also know that there are many programs out there offering you quick weight loss. Many of them require you to do extreme things like eat zero or very low carbs or give up on foods like grains or dairy. These are not sustainable and can even harm your health. And in almost all these cases, the weight that you lose comes right back. This is disappointing and frustrating. We want to help you break this cycle.

At Daily9 our focus is helping you achieve weight loss in a way that lasts. Without doing anything extreme and by sticking to the Indian way of eating. You will see that in the Indian breakfast for weight loss discussed above, we have provided a mix of Indian and multi-cuisine options, including possibilities that work if you are eating out occasionally. This is a more practical approach because many of us do eat out or order in. In our program we recognize this fact, and so aim to help you make better choices while also enjoying it. This makes Daily9 easy to follow in the long run and helps you with both weight loss and weight maintenance.

We’ve worked with thousands of Indian men and women and understand the unique challenges they face when trying to lose weight or find a weight loss diet plan. You can see some of our success stories here. The Daily9 system is proven to work with weight loss and also many health conditions that Indian men and women face like digestive issues, diabetes, PCOS, thyroid, fatty liver and joint problems from excess weight.

Most importantly, the Daily9 weight loss diet plan is practical and suits an Indian family environment.

If you’re looking for a scientific and practical approach to weight loss, take a look at theDaily9 coaching program. It’s the only program that helps with weight loss and weight maintenance.

About the Author

Coach Shivani

Shivani is a Precision Nutrition-Certified Nutrition Coach with experience of coaching thousands of women. As a mom of two, Shivani knows what it takes for women to achieve weight loss & a healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise & sleep habits. She dislikes one-size-fits-all type advice.