Daily Diet Foods for South Indians

Breakfast options

Idli, dosa, sooji/semiya/avval uppma, brown bread sandwich, puttu, iddiappam, appam, boiled tapioca, wheat dosa, and raggi items.

Salad options

Onion, cucumber, salad tomato, raddish, cabbage, carrot, sprouted dals without Salad dressing.

Snacks options

Nuts like ground nut (roasted/soaked), almonds, walnut, dried figs, dates, puffed rice, roasted chana, any fruit.

Fried snacks

Like home made bhajji, banana/jackfruit/tapioca chips, murruku, vadas to be taken occasionally.

Sweet meats options

All sweets to be made in low fat milk with out adding condensed milk. Sweets made with ghee to be taken occasionally, sweets and with vanaspati to be completely avoided.

Southern Diet Foods

• Consumption of junk food is considered as status symbol.
• The daily cereal consumption is more than the recommended dietary allowance.
• The consumption of refined cereals like polished rice, maida is more than whole grains like unpolished rice & whole wheat flour.
• In spite of the affordability & availability people prefer only particular dals like toordal, moongdal. Dal is prepared to a watery consistency.
• Rigid unhealthy dietary practices are followed like draining of excess water while cooking rice, preferring one type of oil.
• Fruit consumption is less even in the higher class and monopolized by few seasonal fruits.
• Inclusion of salads in the diet does not exist. Though seasonal vegetables are available, vegetables like raw banana, brinjal, drum sticks etc are repeatedly used.
• Consumption of milk and milk products is very less.
• Awareness of different types of nuts is less. Coconut is used excessively in their food preparations.
• Its commonly believed that refined oil is good for health and can be consumed in large amounts.
• Increase in unhealthy food choices like parrota, bhajjis etc.
• Consumption of pickles, salted dried fish, papads is a norm.
• Chicken is consumed with skin, and mostly in deep fried forms.
• Excessive consumption of coffee.