One of the most frequently searched questions on Google is “how to lose weight?” Maintaining a decent body weight will not only help you to be full of life but also will control your health. Apart from exercising you should always follow a proper healthy diet to get rid of the steady extra fat.
Have you ever heard of horse gram seeds? Do you know that by adding horse gram seeds into your regular diet you can reduce your body weight and enjoy a healthy lifestyle?
Horse gram is an ancient food, mostly consumed and cultivated in India, south-east Asian subcontinents and some parts of tropical Africa. Scientifically it is known as Macrotyloma uniflorum but the common name “horse gram” came from its use as a primary food for horses and cattle; even today racehorses are often fed with this gram as it is rich in protein and highly beneficial.
Horse Gram Benefits
There are numerous beneficial advantages of consuming horse gram or commonly known as Kulthi.
You can call it a super-food which has lots of health benefits. It helps in curing various health issues like common fever and cold, kidney stones, piles, enlarged liver, menstruation disturbance, constipation, throat infection, asthma, bronchitis etc.
Horse Gram for Weight Loss
Horse gram has been proved as one of the remedies for weight loss.
It is an excellent source of protein, carbohydrates, energy, essential amino acids, and Vitamin C and contains low amount of lipid (cholesterol and triglycerides). [1]
Besides, according to a medical assessment conducted with the approval of the Institutional Human Ethics Committee, researchers have found that horse gram has anti-obesity components.
The research was carried out with a group of ten male and female with BMI 25 – 35 who were made to take hot extracts of horse gram for daily for six months. The result, however, proves the influential blessings of horse gram on controlling obesity or human body weight.
Recipe of Horse Gram for Weight Loss
You can consume horse gram in various ways – either boiling them up or making a mouthwatering soup or even making a curry. However, you can also try these following recipes which are quite easy to make and highly nutritious for your health as well.
Horse gram soup:
Ingredients:
- Horse Gram seeds – 100 gm
- Cumin Seeds – ½ tablespoon
- Mustard Seeds- ½ tablespoon
- 1 green chilli
- 1 dry red chilli
- Tamarind juice – 1 tablespoon
- Cooking oil
- Coriander leaves for garnishing
- Curry leaves – 4 to 5
Preparation:
- Pre-soak the horse gram seeds overnight in clear water.
- Pressure cook the seeds next morning until the seeds turn soft.
- Drain the water and once the seeds are cool, grind them to make a smooth paste.
- It is the time to heat oil in a pan.
- Add red chilli, mustard seeds, curry leaves and cumin seeds into the heated pan.
- Add the tamarind juice and fry.
- Now add water and chopped green chilli, the paste of the horse gram seeds and start boiling the mixture for 20 minutes nearly.
- It is now ready to serve with hot steamed rice or chapatti. Do not forget to sprinkle some coriander leaves and salt to taste.
Horse gram powder:
Ingredients:
- Horse Gram seeds – 1 cup
- Cumin Seeds – 1 tablespoon
- Black Pepper seeds – 1 tablespoon
- Urad dal – 4 tablespoon
- Tur dal – 4 tablespoon
- Red chillies – 8 to 10
Preparation:
- Dry roast all the dry ingredients – horse gram seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper seeds and the red chillies separately.
- Also, dry roast urad and tur dal until they change the colour.
- Now take out the grinder and grind all the roasted ingredients to form a coarse powder; not too fine.
- Add salt to the powder and store it in an airtight container.
- You can use the powder with steamed hot rice regularly.
Horse gram porridge:
Ingredients:
- Horse Gram seeds – 1 cup
- Grated coconut or coconut powder – 1 tablespoon
- Moong dal – ½ cup
- Garlic pods – 3 to 4
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
- First, dry roast the horse gram seeds, grated or powder coconut and moong dal separately.
- Then grind all the ingredients to make a coarse powder.
- Take out your pressure cooker and add water into it along with the powder, garlic pods (crushed) and salt as per your taste.
- Cook it for 10-15 minutes on pressure.
- Once it is cooked, you can garnish with grated coconut and your healthy porridge is ready to serve.
Can we eat horse gram daily?
Among the several other ancient Indian medicinal plants, horse gram is an exceptional plant. According to Ayurveda scholars, regular consumption of horse gram can not only reduces the chances but also fights against the diseases like piles, asthma, constipation and many others. Instead of taking regular anti-biotic pills, you can try having horse gram on a regular basis which is enriched in protein, fiber, calcium, iron and carbohydrate as well.
Is horse gram good for diabetics?
Horse gram is highly effective in fighting diabetes as it contains complex carbohydrate. According to the scientists from the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, horse gram not only contains anti-hyperglycemic elements but also possess properties which help to reduce insulin resistance. In other words, horse gram helps to bring down the insulin resistance in human bodies and control the blood sugar level. [2]
When to avoid horse gram seeds?
Every positive thing in this world has something negative inherent into it. Apart from its several magical contributions, horse gram seeds have few disadvantages as well. For instance:
- For pregnant women, consumption of horse gram seeds can worsen the situation.
- In case you are suffering from gastric ulcers, you should also avoid horse gram seeds.
- Do not take horse gram seeds if you face heavy menstruation issues. In that case, consult a doctor.
- Even if you are anemic or take medicines for anemia, you should not consume horse gram seeds.
- Horse gram seeds should be avoided also in severe cases of liver or bile duct diseases.
However, according to the ancient Ayurveda of India and also the modern scientific studies, horse gram seed is considered not only as a healthy food but also as a natural medicine to keep people healthy and look young.
