Click here to view.  Moong Sprouts, Tomato and Spinach Rice recipe. An all-time favourite with South Indians, Tomato Rice is a spicy and tangy rice preparation that is ideal to pack in lunch boxes! An exciting modification of the traditional recipe, the Moong Sprouts, Tomato and Spinach Rice is made with minimal oil to prevent excess fats. Brown rice, moong sprouts and spinach are all fibre-rich ingredients that make you feel full soon, thereby aiding in weight loss. Have this one-dish meal in the suggested serving size along with low-fat curds to stay within the calorie limit occasionally.

Is Moong Sprouts, Tomato and Spinach Rice healthy?

Yes, this is healthy. But restrictions apply to some.

Let's understand the Ingredients.

What's good.

1. Chana Dal ( split bengal gram) : 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. Chana dal has high amount of potassium and low amount of sodium which makes it very effective in regulating your blood pressure. Read this article on complete benefits of chana dal. 

2. Sprouted Moong ( sprouted whole green gram) :  Moong sprouts is a nutri-dense sprout. It’s a good sources of several nutrients like b vitamins, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus. These sprouts are a protein boost. Sprouted moong is beneficial in relieving the symptoms of anaemia by building haemoglobin levels due to its high iron count.  The fiber from sprouted moong has also been linked to lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) levels, thus decreasing the risk of heart diseases. help to maintain blood pressure and good for pregnancy. See detailed benefits of sprouted moong in moong sprouts glossary. 

3. Spinach (Palak) : Spinach is one of the richest plant sources of Iron and it should be part of a healthy diet for everyone.  Raw spinach is very rich in insoluble fibre, 25% having soluble fiber and 75% insoluble fiber.  Spinach is good for the heart, diabetics and eyes. Read this on the 17 benefits of spinach and why you should eat it. 

4. 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 and are rich in Folate or Folic Acid which helps your body to produce and maintain new cells, especially red blood cells. Read about 13 amazing benefits of tomatoes.   

5. Green Chillies : Antioxidant vitamin C in green chillies protects the body from effects of harmful free radicals and prevents stress. It is probably the high fiber which helps in controlling blood sugar levels. This it is a welcome addition to a diabetic diet. Suffering from anaemia? Add green chillies to your list of iron rich foods too. For complete details see benefits of green chilli. 

6. Onions (pyaz, kanda) :  Raw onions are a very valuable source of vitamin C – the immune building vitamin. Along with other phytonutrients from onions, it helps to build WBC (white blood cells) which serves as a line of defence against illness. Yes, it’s a source of many antioxidants, the most important one amongst them being Quercetin. The quercetin in Onions promotes production of HDL (good cholesterol) and lowers total cholesterol in the body. The sulphur in onions act as a blood thinner and prevents blood clotting too. This in turn would lower blood pressure and good for heart,  diabetics. Read the benefits of onions. 

7. Brown Rice : The glycemic indiex of brown rice is 20% lower than white rice Therefore, brown rice is good for people with diabetes if consumed in limited quantity. Being a good source of fibre that reduces high cholesterol levels and prevents atherosclerosis and good for  your heart. Being a complex carbohydrate and low in GI. It is suitable for people on weight loss diet. See article is brown rice good for you? 

8. Curd + Low fat Curds :  Curds help in digestion as it has very good bacteria. Probiotics in curds acts as a mild laxative but, in case of diarrhoea and dysentery, it is a boon, if curd is used with rice.They help in weight reduction, good for your heart and build immunity. The only difference between curds and low fat curds is the fat level. Read the benefits of curds to include in your daily diet. 

9. Turmeric Powder (Haldi) : Turmeric helps in digestion of food thus helping to overcome indigestion. Haldi may help in reducing the growth of fat cells in the body. Turmeric, being rich in iron, is highly valuable in the treatment of anaemia and both the root as well as the powder should be a regular part of an anaemic diet. One of the health benefits of turmeric is it’s anti-inflammatory property due to the active compound, Curcumin, which helps to relieve inflammation of the joints and thus is a ladder to relieve pain related to arthritis. The curcumin in haldi also helps to ward of the bacteria’s causing cold, cough and throat irritation.  Turmeric benefits in diabetes management by lowering blood glucose levels. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects are useful in the treatment of diabetes patients.  It is known to be a good brain food and keep diseases like Alzheimer’s at bay. See here for detailed turmeric benefits. 

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Moong Sprouts, Tomato and Spinach Rice?

Yes, this recipe is good for diabetics, heart and weight loss BUT diabetics the quanity restriction applies. Try and use less brown rice in the recipe. The glycemic indiex of brown rice is 20% lower than white rice Therefore, brown rice is good for people with diabetes if consumed in limited quantity. Being a good source of fibre that reduces high cholesterol levels and prevents atherosclerosis and good for  your heart.

Can healthy individuals have Moong Sprouts, Tomato and Spinach Rice?

Yes. Moong sprouts is a nutri-dense sprout. It’s a good sources of several nutrients like b vitamins, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus. These sprouts are a protein boost.

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet.

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group. 

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym. No activity reduces muscle tissue which will lead to muscke loss and all kinds of problems with that. 

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover and makes you look much younger. Also getting good sleep prevent muscle loss. 

Moong Sprouts, Tomato and Spinach Rice is high in

1. Fiber : Dietary fiber reduce the risk of heart disease, prevent the spike in blood sugar levels and hence super for diabetics. Consume more fruits, vegetables, moong, oats, matki, whole grains.

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

3. Vitamin A : Vitamin A is crucial for healthy vision, cell growth and healthy skin. 

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

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

6. Magnesium : Magnesium is required for formation of bones and teeth. helps in the metabolism of calcium and potassium.

7. 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 196 calories that come from Moong Sprouts, Tomato and Spinach Rice?

Walking (6 kmph) = 59 mins

Running (11 kmph) = 20 mins

Cycling (30 kmph) = 26 mins          

Swimming (2 kmph) = 34 mins

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