World Poha Day: The nutritional value of the popular breakfast and simple ways to incorporate in your diet | Photo Credit: iStock Images
New Delhi: Let me begin with this fun fact: Poha may rightly be described as one of the world's first-ever "fast foods, that is super healthy too. Every time I eat poha, which incidentally is one of my favourite dishes, I am reminded of just how Sarvagun Sampann it is. And yet, it is so underrated! One of the biggest nutritional benefits of poha is its high fibre content as dietary fibre is an essential part of a Sampann and healthy diet.
A bowl of cooked poha delivers about 250 calories, and with the addition of vegetables, peanuts, coconut and a squeeze of lemon, it delivers a lot of fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.It offers some iron and lots of B vitamins, particularly vitamin B1 (thiamine), which aids in stabilizing blood sugar. It is an excellent meal option for diabetics as it promotes the slow release of sugar into the bloodstream, and also keeps you full for a longer time. Poha is gluten-free so everyone from infants to elderly people can have it.
That said, besides knowing the benefits it is also important to know how to pick the right kind of poha. Did you know that it is always better to pick packaged poha over loose poha? That is because packaged poha assures 100% quality and has no residual powder at the bottom of the pack.
Try red poha, which is made from red rice. The red colour is due to the presence of a pigment called anthocyanin, which is a flavonoid (antioxidant). Plus it is rich in fibre, vitamin B, and minerals like calcium, zinc, iron, manganese, magnesium etc. that your body definitely needs.
There are several ways you could eat poha and every single one of them can be very exciting.
The Traditional Recipe: Cook with lots of rai (mustard seeds), curry leaves, peanuts, potatoes, and peas, with a generous squeeze of lemon juice on top
Experiment: Prepare it pilaf-style with raisins, nuts, black pepper, salt, green chillies, and sugar to taste. Or, give it a continental twist by making red rice poha with peppers, mushrooms, and cheese. You could also soak poha in water, sieve it, add curd and a pinch of table salt in it, and then relish it with mango or lime pickle.
Make it Protein-Packed: Add boiled egg, chickpeas, sprouts or soya nuggets to your poha dish or just pair it with curd.
Go Eccentric: There are no limits when it comes to poha. Try stuffing samosas with spicy poha filling for a lip-smacking snack with chai.
Jump from Savoury to Sweet: Make Aval Nanachathu (literally means poha that is moist). This is rice flakes mixed with grated coconut, cardamom, a bit of milk and jaggery, embellished with banana slices. This mix gives both, instant as well as a sustained release of energy and fortifies like no other dish.
With that said, go get your pack of poha and begin experimenting with the Indian way of nutrition!
Kavita Devgan is a guest contributor. Views expressed are personal.
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World Poha Day: The nutritional value of the popular breakfast and simple ways to incorporate it in your diet - Times Now
