The moment a South Indian buys a cup of tea, he would buy a chana dal vada to accompany it. This is a popular South Indian snack!

Is Chana Dal Vada healthy?  

We all would love to eat chana dal vada. But chana dal vada is not healthy. Made of chana dal, onions, grated coconut, coriander, Indian spices. Sadly these vadas are deep fried.

Let's see what's good in the chana dal vada.

Chana Dal : One cup of cooked Chana Dal provides 33% of your protein for the day. Chana dal is Heart and diabetic friendly, also rich in fiber. Read this article on complete benefits of chana dal.

Coconut : The fresh coconut has saturated fats but most of it is MCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides) which promote weight loss. The high fibre content 13.6 gm (45.3% of RDA) along with high lauric acid content of coconut improves cholesterol levels in the body. Improving the action of insulin secretion and lowering the raised blood sugar levels is yet another benefit of coconut for Diabetics. See here for 10 amazing benefits of coconut.  

Onions : Yes, its a great Anti Oxidant. The phytochemical present in onions along with their Vitamin C help boost your immunity. The chromium in onions help regulate your blood pressure. The sulphur in the onion which brings you tears is actually good for your eyes. Raw onions keep your heart healthy and see here for total benefits of onions. 

Coriander (kothmir, dhania) : The antioxidants vitamin A, vitamin C and the quercetin present in coriander works towards strengthening our immune system. Coriander is a fairly good source of iron and folate – the 2 nutrient which help in the production and maintenance of RBC in our blood. Good for reducing cholesterol and for diabetics. Read 9 benefits of coriander to understand details. 

So everything so far looks great for chana dal vada.

What's the problem?

Deep fried foods : This chana dal vada is deep fried. Any food that is deep fried is not suitable for healthy living. You're fat levels increase as deep frying increases oil absorption. Also when you use the same oil again for deep frying then smoking point decreases which leads to the development of blue smoke which is not good for health. It also increases inflammation in the body and shuts down the fat burning process.

Is chana dal vada safe for diabetics, heart and overweight individuals?

Since the vada is deep fried, it will lead to spike in blood sugar levels. So it is not healthy for diabetics.

What is the alternative to chana dal vada for diabetics, heart and overweight individuals?

Instead of deep fried chana dal vada, we have the super healthy snack which is similar to chana dal vada. It's the tava chana dal vada, with all the goodness of chana dal vada minus the deep frying. So diabetics and others, we have the perfect option for you. These vadas are cooked on a tava. Yes, use a tava for cooking.

Tava Chana Dal Vadas

Is chana dal vada suitable for a healthy life style?

You may argue that the chana dal vada is only 87 calories. What we must be careful is the quality of calories we have. This is depp fried food. So the decision is yours. As you understand what goes into the food and the reason its not good, you will slowly change your food habits to a much healthier option. So perhaps ask for a healthy snack option.

How to burn 87 calories that come from Chana Dal Vada?

Walking (6 kmph) = 26 mins

Running (11 kmph) = 9 mins

Cycling (30 kmph) = 12 mins       

Swimming (2 kmph) = 15 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.