Book review: On the Keto diet? Here are some recipes with a desi twist

The Keto or Ketogenic diet, FYI, replaces carbs with healthy fats, but most recipes available online and in books are Continental.

There’s something interesting on the racks if you love Indian food and are looking to lose weight. Keto Diet for Indians by Rima Pai is a 30-day recipe book that promises to help you shed the pounds while eating delicious desi fare.

The Keto or Ketogenic diet, FYI, replaces carbs with healthy fats, forcing the body to burn calories for fuel, leading to weight loss and a decrease in appetite.

Pai, an engineer based in USA’s Silicon Valley, had been concerned for a while about her fluctuating weight, which had caused a thyroid imbalance and forced her onto prescription meds.

So, last year, she went on the Keto diet. The only hurdle was that she couldn’t find any desi recipes. Everywhere she looked, she saw the same prescriptions for Alfredo spaghetti squash and low-carb tacos.

So she began to try her own experiments. She modified traditional recipes to create Indian dishes such as soya paneer kebabs and cauliflower tikkis. She even managed to create carb-free desi desserts and snacks.

The books is a compendium of her ‘secret’ recipes, most of which use Indian ingredients that are freely available at home and in the US.

She also offers information on foods to eat and foods to avoid, discusses the side-effects of the Keto diet and how best to tackle them — based on her experiences. Her tips are simple and easy to follow, as are the recipes.

“As the body goes into a ketogenic state, the body will naturally use what is left of the glucose in the blood stream. It will also deplete the glycogen stores in the muscles – which can cause a lack of energy and a general lethargy,” she says in the book. “In the first few weeks, many people report: headaches, mental fogginess, flu-like symptoms that is known as Keto flu, dizziness. Often this is the result of electrolytes being flushed out, as ketosis has a diuretic effect. Make sure to drink plenty of water and keep up your sodium intake through salt. This will help with water retention and help replenish the electrolytes.”