Heart-Healthy Dal & Kadhi Recipes | Dal & Kadhi for Cardiovascular Health | Low-Sodium Dal & Kadhi Recipes |

Dal kadhis for a healthy heart. Dals and Kadhis make a great part of our lunch or dinner. When it comes to dals and kadhis, we often think about fat-laden tadkewali dal and creamy kadhi with deep-fried pakodas, and for this reason we often abstain from these nutritious dishes, losing out on their share of protein too!

Key Ingredients for Heart Health:

• Lentils (Dal):
  • Choose a variety of lentils: Moong dal, masoor dal, and toor dal are all good options.
  • Lentils are high in fiber, which helps lower cholesterol.   
  • They provide plant-based protein, which is beneficial for heart health.   

 Palak Chana Dal | healthy spinach chana dal | Indian chana dal palak | zero oil chana dal palak |  One serving of palak chana dal delivers 54% folic acid, 30% vitamin B1, 21% protein, 34% fibre,  18% Vitamin B2, 17% iron, 25% magnesium, 31% phosphorus,  11% zinc of your Recommended Dietary Allowance ( RDA).

• Yogurt/Buttermilk (Kadhi):
  • Opt for low-fat or non-fat yogurt or buttermilk to reduce saturated fat intake.

  • Yogurt provides probiotics, which can contribute to overall gut health.   

     

• Vegetables:
  • Incorporate plenty of vegetables: Spinach, carrots, cauliflower, and other non-starchy vegetables.   
  • Vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which support heart health.
• Spices:
  • Use heart-friendly spices: Turmeric, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, and fenugreek.
  • These spices have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
• Healthy Fats:
  • Use minimal amounts of healthy oils: Olive oil or rice bran oil.
  • Avoid excessive use of ghee or butter.
• Whole Grains (Optional):
  • Brown rice can be served with Dal, to increase fiber intake.

Issues to Look Out For and How to Address Them:

• Sodium:
  • Limit salt intake: Use herbs and spices for flavor instead.
  • Avoid processed ingredients that are high in sodium.   
  • Use low sodium stock if stock is used.
• Saturated and Trans Fats:
  • Choose low-fat dairy products.
  • Avoid deep-frying.
• Cholesterol:
  • Limit the use of high-cholesterol ingredients.
  • Focus on plant-based protein sources.
• Sugar:
  • Avoid adding sugar to kadhi or dal.   
  • Use natural sweeteners sparingly, if necessary.
• Portion Control:
  • Even healthy foods should be consumed in moderation.
  • Control portion sizes to manage calorie intake.
• Fiber Intake:
  • Ensure that the recipes contain ample fiber.

  • Fiber helps to lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar.   

     

• Ingredient Quality:
  • Use fresh ingredients.
  • Avoid processed foods.
• Spice Balance:
  • While spices are healthy, excessive spice can cause heartburn.   
  • Ensure a good balance of spices.

This section shows you how to fix up perfectly heart-friendly dals and kadhis Recipes in this section are not only low-cal and low-fat but are also loaded with other nutrients like protein and calcium, which help keep the heart fit and healthy.

Healthy Heart Dal Recipes

Dal Moghlai

Did you ever think that you could make dals using whole legume? Cooking whole legume can add extra fibre to your dal so here’s a recipe of Whole Masoor Dal, apart from having fibre this recipe also gives fair amounts other heart protective nutrients like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Enjoy this healthy low fat Rajasthani Dal with baked baati.

Rajasthani Dal

Combine beans and legumes to make your dals nutritious like Rajma and Urad Dal an excellent source of folic acid and fibre. You can also try adding dahi to your dals and make it protein rich like in our recipe for Dahiwali Toovar Dal.

Dahiwali Toovar Dal

Healthy Heart Kadhi Recipes

Karela Kadhi

Kick out the unhealthy pakodas from your kadhi and give a nutrient boost to it by adding healthy ingredients like Tomato, Radish, Leafy vegetables, Sprouts etc. Palak Kadhi may sound odd but looks very attractive because of the colour imparted by palak. It is low in calories and contains 0% cholesterol, rich in Vitamin A, Folic Acid and Vitamin C.

Palak Kadhi

Radish Koftas in Kadhi recipe uses a simple combination of radish and low fat curds, and the koftas are not deep fried and steamed in the kadhi adding more value and making your meal heart friendly. Sprouts Kadhi is a protein and calcium rich recipe good for hypertensives too as it is low in sodium.

Sprouts Kadhi

What causes your heart to not work correctly?

There are 5 basic reasons why we have heart issues.

1. Belly fat : The more belly fat you have, the higher the risk of a heart attack. This shows wrong food habits, bad quality vegetable oil, sugar, maida, cornflour excess etc create this problem. High blood pressure in a major problem for your heart and also uncontrolled diabetes. Your diabetes is not solved by just popping pills. You need to change the way you eat. Wrong foods eaten lead to the inflammation of the arteries of your heart. Blockages in the arteries Blockages lead to heart attack and that is so easy to fix as simple as eating healthy. Remove inflammation in your body. 

2. Eating processed foods : Avoid junk food and follow simple basic home cooked food. Stay away from refined vegetable oils. Opt for unfrefined oils like olive oil, coconut oil. You could also have cold pressed peanut oil in your cooking as that is available in India.  Eat a healthy pyaz wali bhindi sabzi instead of going for a deep fried option. Also remember to wash your hands before you eat as they can carry infections. Your hands have opened doors, pressed lift buttons etc where others with infection may have touched them before. Thats how a virus can spread. 

3. Always be active and get your exercises in : Yes, want a healthy heart then put in the effort. Even if you have a one hour workout and you are sitting for the next 9 hours, then your one hour workout is almost useless.  Inactivity, sedentary lifestyle or sitting too long is the number one cause of inflammation and poor blood circulation in your system. Your heart needs two things, the right nutrients (eating wisely) and oxygen and both these are carried by your blood circulation. Blood circulation happens with movement. If your are in your office, then try and sit on a stool without a back rest and that will make you use your core and fire up your body. That is why we find new age workers wanting to stand at times the whole day while working at their desk. 

Blood circulation is at its lowest when we are sitting or sedentary. 2 hours of watching TV may reduce heart healthy by 13% to 15% says Harvard study. There is a way to watch TV. Get up from your TV or pause and walk around or even better do some basic exrecises while watching TV. If you had an active day then nothing will happen by watching TV for 2 hours.  

4. Smoking and Stress : The two s's. Common senses is stay away from your puff. Regarding stress, more stress makes more cortisol which creates more inflammation. That swells your arteries over time and leasds to a heart attack. Sort your stress out. 

5. Lack of sleep : Your body needs 8 hours sleep. Sleep depravation and inflammation are linked with one another. If you are sleep deprived, then you are compromising your heart health. Stress is also a big issue for heart attack. More stress makes more cortisol which creates more inflammation. 

Happy Cooking!!!

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