The classic Chole Bhature is a dish that is extremely popular in North India, and over the years, has gained popularity all across the country. The dish is primarily made of a rich chickpea gravy and a bread known as a bhatura that goes well with some lemon juice and sliced onions at the side. While the chickpea does add an element of health to this dish, don’t be fooled by this, as almost every other component is loaded with unhealthy ingredients that can contribute to unhealthy weight gain and other health complications.
A quick look at the nutritional information of the dish will give you a better understanding of why this dish is anything but healthy.
Fats:
Fats are an essential macronutrient and are necessary for the human body to carry out day-to-day activities. However, not all fats are good for you and the ones that are found in chole bhature are extremely unhealthy. You see, the source of fats and oils matter, and more often than not, the oil used in dishes such as chole bhature is either palm oil or refined vegetable oils. A quick look at the nutritional information will show that a staggering 315 kcal comes from fats alone. One will often find a thick layer of oil floating on top of the chickpea/chole gravy and to make matters worse, the bhatura is again deep-fried in oil, making this one of the oiliest dishes.
Carbohydrates:
As you must be aware that carbohydrates per se aren’t bad for you and when it comes to chole, one gets a fair amount of complex carbohydrates from the chickpeas in the form of dietary fiber. Now here is where things get tricky, as the rest of the carbs come from the bhatura that is made of refined wheat flour which is nothing but simple carbohydrates that have been stripped of all its fiber. This tends to cause a massive insulin spike, besides affecting the good bacteria that reside in your gut. Prolonged usage of refined flours can cause digestive issues and can result in your body being unable to absorb all the vital nutrients from a meal.
Protein:
While 14 grams of protein may seem like a lot, one should remember that it makes up for only 8% of the calories (56 kcal) in the dish. Now chickpeas are a good source of protein, one needs to remember that it is not a complete source of protein, which means that it doesn’t contain all the 9 essential amino acids. While chickpeas are considered a healthy food, there are much better and healthier ways to prepare them, such as salads, hummus, etc, which make for much better meal options.
When looking for healthy meals, you can always look for whole foods and if that’s not possible, then you can always opt for healthier options such as HYP meal replacement protein bars, HYP protein cookies, greek yogurt, eggs, and egg whites that can help keep your waistline under control and can help you achieve your fitness goals.
Questions?