How to Eat Fox Nuts to Lose Weight: Makhanas for Weight Loss

• Makhanas are low in calories and high in fiber and good carbs.
• A 50gms serving of fox nuts has just 180 calories.
• If you love flavored makhana, roast them at home with spices.

Makhanas, or fox nuts, are back in vogue and how! Ever since it became popular as a ‘healthy snack,’ the market value of makhana has increased manifold. The puffed-up lotus seeds are being sold by healthy packaged food brands at high prices, due to the increased demand of the desi snack. A number of brands have started selling flavored packaged makhana, in order to attract the health-conscious public. This is also partly due to a return-to-the-roots wave that has been sweeping the subcontinent lately. But, how effective are makhanas for weight loss?

If eaten in the accurate quantity and the right way, makhanas may really help you in your weight loss journey. Obviously, eating home-roasted makhanas is a healthier option than eating artificially-flavored or packaged makhanas, which are high in salt and trans-fat.

Low Calories in Makhana

Makhanas are quite low in calories, that is why they have become as popular as evening weight loss snacks, which you can munch on happily. A 50gms of dry-roasted makhanas has 180 calories and no saturated fat or sodium at all. Dry-roasted means that no grease or oil has been used in roasting the makhanas or fox nuts.

Nutritious Value of Makhana

Makhanas are rich in good carbohydrates and proteins. They are also gluten-free and contain a flavonoid called kaempferol, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. They are also high in magnesium, which is essential for heart health and also the regulation of levels of calcium, potassium, and sodium in the blood. Although fox nuts are rich in carbohydrates, their glycaemic index is significantly lower than foods like rice, bread, etc. Makhanas are also rich in iron, which is essential for hemoglobin formation in the blood and for optimum transportation of oxygen (through blood).

How to Eat Makhanas for Weight Loss

Presently, that we have recognized that makhanas are one of the healthiest snacking options out there, you may want to know what the best way to eat fox nuts is. As makhanas are naturally low in calories and sodium, the number of calories your makhana snack will have is determined by your cooking method.

Here are some popular ways to eat makhana for weight loss:

1. Dry Roasted Makhana: Place your makhanas on a non-stick container or frying pan and roast them on a low flame until they appear slightly brown. Be careful to moderate the flame, in order to not burn the fox nuts. When they are roasted transfer the fox nuts in an air-tight jar or container and place the container in a dry place.
2. Makhanas Roasted with Ghee/Coconut Oil: If you’re not unwilling to a touch of solid fat, then you may add a tablespoon of ghee or coconut oil to your pan, before putting the fox nuts in it. You may put in a bit of salt or chaat masala but avoid adding too many artificial or salty flavorings and seasonings.
3. Healthy Flavoured Makhana: If you can’t eat plain makhanas, you may make flavored makhanas at home in a healthy way. You should simply cook the fox nuts in ghee and flavor them with natural spices and condiments like mint leaves, curry leaves, coriander powder, garlic powder, turmeric powder, green chilies, etc. You may also add peanuts or cashews and almonds to the mix to add a bit more crunch and nutrition to the snack.

Make sure that you can add spices like pepper and turmeric that associate weight loss to your roasted makhanas. In spite of the fact that fox nuts are quite healthy for weight loss, you may want to control the portion that you eat in a day. Treat makhanas as mid-meal snacks to take care of untimely hunger pangs only and not as a whole meal. If you want to lose weight in a healthy way, it is recommended to never skip your meals. If you are on a low-carbohydrate diet, you may need to have them sparingly.