One of the most famous Mahasrashtrain recipes had for breakfast or as a snack. 

Is Misal Pav healthy?

No, but you can make misal pav healthy. So let's understand how. Misal Pav is made of onions, safeed vatana, coconut, tomatoes, matki, sprouted moong, topping of farsan, potatoes and then had with pav. 

Let's understand the Ingredients

What's good.

Tomatoes : Tomatoes are extremely rich source of Lycopene. Tomatoes are a powerful antioxidant, super rich in Vitamin C, good for heart. Tomatoes are a Pregnant women's friend. Read about 13 amazing benefits of tomatoes.   

Sprouted Moong : Sprouting increases the availability of proteins. For example, on sprouting, the protein content of moong increases by 30%.

Sproouted Matki : Is eat digest. The starch gets converted into simple sugars like glucose and fructose, proteins are broken down into amino acids, and saturated fat gets converted into simple fatty acids. Sprouts also contain enzymes that aid digestion.

Safeed Vatana : Safeed Vatana :  Safed vatana not only contributes 9.9 gm of protein (from ¼ cup) but when paired with any grain (like jowar flour, bajra flour, buckwheat four or whole wheat flour) also forms a source of complete protein. A fit adult needs it to keep gut healthy, diabetics need it to control sugar levels while others may need to control their cholesterol levels or weight and fibre helps. If you want to increase your hemoglobin levels and / or Red Blood Cell count along with preventing anemia, add safed vatana to your list of healthy foods. See the complete benefits of safed vatana.  

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. 

What's the problem?

Potatoes (Aloo) : Being high in simple carbohydrates they will lead to weight gain and are not good for people with diabetes, heart problem and obesity. See full details on why potatoes are bad for you.  

Deep fried foods : This farsan is deep fried. Any food that is deep fried is not suitable for healthy living. Your 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.

Plain flour : This recipe uses PAV made of plain flour or maida which is refined carb not suitable for healthy lifestyle. Maida consumption in any food should be totally avoided or just a little bit of usage as any consumption of this will cause a larger spike in blood levels which is not good for diabetics, heart patients. Read is maida good for you to understand fully.

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Misal Pav?

Yes, but with some major changes. Drop the farsan and potatoes from the recipe. You can garnish with anything healthy. Then eat your misal with whole wheat roti and not the pav. The same modification of recipe applies to healthy individuals as deep fried food and pav is not healthy.

What to have with Misal ?

Drop the pav and have it with whole wheat roti. That is what lots of Maharashtrians do for breakfast. 

Roti ( How To Make Soft Roti Or Phulka Or Chapati)

Misal Pav is high in

1. Vitamin B1 : Vitamin B1 protects nerves, helps in carbohydrate metabolism, prevents heart diseases and helps produce red blood cells. 

2. Folic Acid : Folic acid is an essential vitamin required throughout pregnancy.

3. Vitamin C :  Vitamin C is a great defence against coughs and colds.

4. Phosphorous : Phosphorous works closely with calcium to build bones. 

Note : a recipe is deemed high in a Vitamin or mineral if it meets 20% and above the recommended daily allowance based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

How to burn 289 calories that come from one serving of Misal Pav?

Walking (6 kmph) = 1 hr 27 mins

Running (11 kmph) = 29 mins

Cycling (30 kmph) = 39 mins       

Swimming (2 kmph) = 50 mins

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