Bhel puri – An ideal snack for weight loss

  • Prep Time
    12 hours
  • Cook Time
    10 min
  • Serving
    2
  • View
    1,883

A single serving of this bhel puri for snack provides 134 kcal only. This can be an ideal low-calorie snack for everyone. If you are running out of options in your veg diet plans or you are sick of trying low-calorie vegetables and want some spicy treat without breaking your weight loss vows, you can consider this recipe of bhel puri in your snack time. Unlike the traditional high-calorie street food as preferred by many, this bhel puri is a healthy snack, low in calories and low – fat recipe.

Bhelpuri is preferred by many people merely because it does not contain high fats as in samosa or vada pav or other high-calorie snacks. Traditionally preparation of bhel puri is made in two variants.

The first variant, the dry bhelpuri which is tasty and involves less preparation. The wet bhel puri is rather tangy, spicy but involves more preparation including the addition of some chutneys, seasonal vegetables, and more spices.

If you have ever been to the crowded railway stations in Mumbai and its suburbs, you will always find a bhelpuri vendor on almost every platform. Bhel puri is a very common and popular snack in Mumbai.

Highlights of the Bhel Puri recipe

Bhel puri contains far less oil than its competitors’ vada pav and samosa and can be snacked at any time.

Bhelpuri is available at a relatively low cost and this adds to its favor. Having said that there go boiled potatoes, sev (a fried chickpeas flour noodles spiced with different flavors), fried and spiced groundnuts, fried and spiced chickpeas (dals), along with other vegetables, chutneys, spices, and jaggery chutney into making street style bhel puri.

In addition, the main ingredient, puffed rice (murmurra) is itself a high-calorie high-carb food. All of which makes bhel puri mouth-watering but high in calories to add into the diet plan.

And yet I am here advocating you to consider bhelpuri into your diet. Why? Because the bhel puri made here is low in calories. 

To make this bhel even healthier and to increase the protein and fiber content, I have preferred the boiled version of chickpeas and groundnuts to their deep-fried avatars.  I haven’t added any oil while making this bhelpuri, so it is an oil-free recipe. 

Further, the ingredients of this bhel puri do not cause any gluten sensitivity, this is a gluten-free bhelpuri and a vegan recipe too. So friends let’s take look at the recipe.

I have retained the base ingredient which is puffed rice while making this bhel puri. However, you can try puffed sorghum (puffed jowar) as well as fox nuts (makhana) as a variation to your bhelpuri as per the availability. To make it tastier, consider adding green mango. Always remember moderation in serving size is key to weight loss.

Highlights of the Bhel Puri

  1. This is a low-calorie recipe, best for midmorning or evening time.
  2. Can be easily added to the meal plans for weight loss
  3. The ingredients used in making this recipe do not cause gluten sensitivity.
  4. Contains better fiber and proteins. When taken as a meal such as breakfast or dinner, you may get around 13.5 grams of fiber (around 33% of the daily values of an adult male) which is very good. This will keep you full for a longer time.
  5. Sugar – free snack
  6. No oil used.
  7. Those having PCOD or thyroid may also have this bhel puri.
  8. Snack serving of the recipe provides a good amount of Vitamin D

Best time to eat bhelpuri – mid-morning or evening snack

Recommended single serving of this bhel puri in breakfast. It will give you around 268 kcal when taken as a whole in breakfast or dinner in your diet plan. If you are having it in the evening, divide the serving into 2, in which case, the total calories will be 134 kcal per serving. 

Ingredients

Ingredients of homemade bhel puri

Nutrition in Bhel Puri

Bhel puri nutrition facts compared with male and female DRI (Dietary Reference Intake)

Serving size: 1 bowl bhel puri

Calories in bhel puri

a. Calories in bhel puri are 134.1 kCal; as much as 6.71 % of male DRI of 2000 kCal. Therefore, it can attain 8.94 % of female DRI of 1500 kCal.

b. Protein forms 17.18 % of the calories

c. Carbs form 59.63 % of the calories in bhel puri.

d. Fats form 21.01 % of the calories.

Macros in bhel puri

a. Protein in bhel puri – 5.76 gm, particularly 7.68 % of male DRI of 75 gm. Further, it can complete 10.24 % of female DRI of 56.25 gm. In general, protein DRI is 15% of calories.

b. Carbs in bhel puri – 19.99 gm, therefore, is 7.27 % of male DRI of 275 gm. Therefore, it can achieve 9.69 % of female DRI of 206.25 gm. To clarify, carbohydrates DRI is 55% of calories.

c. Fats in bhel puri – 3.13 gm, notably 4.69 % of male DRI of 66.67 gm. As a result, a woman gets 6.26 % of female DRI of 50.00 gm. Markedly, fats DRI is 30% of calories.

d. The Fibre in bhel puri – 6.78 gm, thus is, 17.84 % of male DRI of 38 gm. Consequently, females get 27.12 % of female DRI of 25 gm.

e. Soluble Fibre – 1.11 gm, particularly 11.10 % of male DRI of 10 gm. Consequently, females will get as much as 11.26 % of female DRI of 9.86 gm.

f. Total Free Sugar – 372.75 gm, which is not only 621.25 % of male DRI of 60 gm but also 745.50 % of female DRI of 50 gm.

Vitamins in bhel puri

a. Vitamin A – 34.02 mcg, as much as 3.78 % of male DRI of 900 mcg. Furthermore, women can get as much as 4.86 % of female DRI of 700 mcg.

b. Thiamine (Vitamin B1) – 0.13 mg, particularly 10.83 % of the daily requirement of males of 1.2 mg. Subsequently, females will get 11.82 % of female DRI of 1.1 mg.

c. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) – 0.09 mg, therefore, is 6.92 % of male DRI of 1.3 mg. Besides, women also get 8.18 % of female DRI of 1.1 mg.

d. Niacin (Vitamin B3) – 1.49 mg, notably 9.31 % of male DRI of 16 mg and 10.64 % of female DRI of 14 mg.

e. Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) – 0.16 mg, thus is, 12.31 % of DRI of 1.3 mg for males and females.

f. Biotin (Vitamin B7) – 0.3 mcg, therefore, is 1.00 % of DRI of 30 mcg for males and females.

g. Total Folate (Vitamin B9) – 60.45 mcg, as much as 15.11 % of DRI of 400 mcg for males and females.

h. Cobalamin (Vitamin B12) – 0 mcg, particularly 0.00 % of DRI of 2.4 mcg for males and females

i. L-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) – 11.39 mg, therefore, is 12.66 % of male DRI of 90 mg. Further, it is 15.19 % of female DRI of 75 mg.

j. Calciferol (Vitamin D) – 4.46 mcg, notably 89.20 % of DRI of 5 mcg for males and females.

k. Alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E) – 0.58 mg, thus is, 3.87 % of DRI of 15 mg for males and females.

l. Vitamin K – 12.03 mcg, as much as 10.03 % of male DRI of 120 mcg and 13.37 % of female DRI of 90 mcg.

Minerals in bhel puri

a. Calcium – 43.45 mg, particularly 4.35 % of DRI of 1000 mg for males and females.

b. Phosphorus – 102.53 mg, therefore, is 14.65 % of DRI of 700 mg for males and females.

c. Iron – 2.07 mg, notably 25.88 % of male DRI of 8 mg and 11.50 % of female DRI of 18 mg.

d. Magnesium – 58.86 mg, thus is, 14.72 % of male DRI of 400 mg and 18.99 % of female DRI of 310 mg.

e. Copper – 280 mcg, as much as 31.11 % of DRI of 900 mcg for males and females.

f. Manganese – 0.72 mg, particularly 31.30 % of male DRI of 2.3 mg and 40.00 % of female DRI of 1.8 mg.

g. Molybdenum – 0.04 mcg, therefore, is 0.09 % of DRI of 45 mcg for males and females.

h. Zinc – 1.05 mg, notably 9.55 % of male DRI of 11 mg. At the same time, women get 13.13 % of female DRI of 8 mg.

i. Chromium – 30 mcg, thus is, 85.71 % of male DRI of 35 mcg. Besides, women too get 120.00 % of female DRI of 25 mcg.

j. Selenium – 6.56 mcg, as much as 11.93 % of DRI of 55 mcg for males and females.

k. Cholesterol – 0.3 mg,

l. Potassium – 372.75 mg, as much as 7.93 % of DRI of 4700 mg for males and females.

m. Sodium – 12.76 mg, particularly 0.85 % of DRI of 1500 mg for males and females.

n. Omega 3 – 27.82 mg, therefore, is 4.64 % of DRI of 600 mg for males and females,

o. Omega 6 – 1002.19 mg, not only 167.03 % of DRI of 600 mg for males and females.

Disclaimer 

Values of DRI are for a healthy adult. Nutritional and energy requirements may vary as per gender, age and physical activities. Nutritional values of bhel puri are approximate and may have variance.

Frequently asked questions

The conventional bhelpuri is high in carbs and fats, so if you are taking a single serving of a bhel puri as a snack, you may actually get anywhere between 250 to 300 kcal which may make it slightly unfit to add to your veg diet plans where you are restricting your calories to say 1200 kcal. You can of course burn more calories than you eat to cover up calorie deficit but, it is also rich in sodium, values of which can reach up to 60% of the daily values in a single serving which must be restricted to manage blood pressure. Generally, the preferred addition to the bhel puri to give it a crunchy taste is fired and salted groundnuts and chickpeas.

Snacks are a medium to curb your hunger between your three important meals. During a diet plan, it is recommended to limit calorie intake through snacks around 50% of your meal calories. If you restrict certain ingredients and add others that help increase proteins but reduce calories, you are surely going to get a healthy snack at the end.

If you are wondering if bhelpuri is good for a weight loss diet of yours, I would say a simple yes. Although I would recommend you make bhel puri at home because the bhelpuri vendor will not provide you sprouted legumes or chickpeas which you can use to increase the protein and fiber of the recipe. But in case you are at the office or other place and want to snack without compromising your weight loss journey, bhel puri is a better option than any other high calorie snacks since it is not a completely fried food.

You can ask the bhel puri vendor to reduce or skip the quantities of potatoes and sev and increase tomatoes and other vegetables if offered, ask for legumes if available. This would help limit calories and increase the proteins of the bhel. Also, ask the bhel puri vendor to reduce salt and add lemon juice instead. This will be always a good option because even if the street bhel puri is high in calories than the budgeted for snack time, you can always burn the incremental addition of calories by walking a few minutes extra. These condone may not be easily available when you eat a burger or pizza or vada pav or any other high calorie snack in your weight loss journey.

Nutritionist & Dietician
Hello everyone, I am Nutritionist Smriti Indarapu, a Post Graduate Diploma holder in Nutrition and Dietetics, practicing nutrition for the last 10 years. The journey started when we were having our family... Read full bio
www.vegdietplans.com

    Directions

    This recipe is made as a single serving for breakfast or 2 servings for mid-morning or evening snacks.

    Step 1

    Take a bowl add 4 spoons or 30 gm whole Bengal gram (chickpeas), wash it 2 - 3 times.

    Step 2

    Add water and soak it for 8 - 10 hours.

    Step 3

    Once chickpeas are soaked, their weight would double to 60 gm the next morning.

    Step 4

    Take 10 g groundnuts and add it with Soaked chickpeas in a bowl.

    Step 5

    Now here add water and salt.

    Step 6

    Pressure cook it until 2 whistles.

    Step 7

    Once chickpeas and groundnut are cooked properly, strain the water out and keep them in a separate bowl.

    Step 8

    Wash and chop onion, tomato, cucumber, green chili, and coriander leaves finely.

    Step 9

    Now take a big bowl add cooked chickpeas and groundnuts to it add 1 cup of puffed rice (Murmura), chopped vegetables, turmeric, roasted cumin powder, and salt.

    Step 10

    Mix well and squeeze the lemon juice.

    Step 11

    Serve or eat immediately.

    Step 12

    Since rice flakes are crisp and are mixed with watery vegetables you need to eat them immediately to enjoy their crispiness otherwise the snack will become soft.

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