Click here to view.  Oats and Dates Kheer recipe. An interesting and off-beat kheer made with oats and dates, this is sure to satiate your cravings in a smart and healthy way. The Oats and Dates Kheer does not use any sugar.

Instead, it derives a pleasant and balanced sweetness from dates. It might not be as sweet as regular kheers but will surely strike the right chord with your taste buds!

While making this recipe, you might notice small lumps forming at step 2, so make sure you keep stirring and breaking up the lumps with the back of a spoon.

Is Oats and Dates Kheer healthy?

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

Let's understand the Ingredients.

What's good.

1. Oats : Oats are a great source of protein for Vegetarians. It is rich in soluble fibre (to make it good for diabetics), which helps lower blood LDL cholesterol, the so-called "Bad" cholesterol. Whole Oats have an antioxidant called Avenanthramide (a polyphenol from oats) which helps lower blood pressure levels. Soluble fibre absorbs water and swells and to become gel like substance which helps in the absorption of nutrients like B Vitamins and minerals like Magnesium and Zinc which are key to a good heart. See here why oats are good for you?

2. Dates (Khajur) : 1 cup of dates (90 gm) gives around 8.05 gm of fiber and will lower down the cholesterol level and will also aid in weight loss. A cup of dates contain 703 mg of potassium (14.95% of RDA) which helps in the regulation of blood pressure and also prevents formation of kidney stones. Dates have a low glycemic index from 43 to 55 depending on the variety, so they are a boon to diabetics to satisfy their sweet tooth. See details for 8 super benefits of dates. 

3. Milk and Low Fat Milk : 1 cup of milk provides 70% of the Recommended Daily Allowance of Calcium. Milk promotes strong bones. The Calcium in Milk helps to protect your teeth against gum disease and keeps your jaw bone strong and healthy. Milk is low in carbs and therefore does not raise blood glucose levels. However diabetics must consider including low fat milk as advised by their dietitian only so as to avoid any fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Protein is another key nutrient which milk is rich in - 8.6 g from a cup. So all those looking to build protein stores can add milk and its products like curd and paneer to their diet. One cup of Milk gives 10 grams of carbs.  Low fat milk has lower fat and the same benefits of milk. 

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Oats and Dates Kheer ?

Yes, this recipe is good for diabetics, heart and weight loss BUT use low fat milk instead of cows milk. That will reduce the fat content and make it good for diabetics, weight loss. Oats are a great source of protein for Vegetarians. It is rich in soluble fibre (to make it good for diabetics), which helps lower blood LDL cholesterol, the so-called "Bad" cholesterol. Dates have a low glycemic index from 43 to 55 depending on the variety, so they are a boon to diabetics to satisfy their sweet tooth.

Can healthy individuals have Oats and Dates Kheer?

Yes, this is healthy. 

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. 

Oats and Dates Kheer  is high in

1. Calcium : Calcium  is a mineral that makes bones stay strong. Required from kids to adults.

2. 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 171 calories that come from Oats and Dates Kheer?

Walking (6 kmph) = 51 mins

Running (11 kmph) = 17 mins

Cycling (30 kmph) = 23 mins       

Swimming (2 kmph) = 29 mins

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