If you’re trying to lose weight, you’ve probably been told to stay away from sugary and fried foods. And that’s good advice.
But what about steamed foods? Are they supposed to be on your weight loss diet?
A lot of people think that steamed foods are healthier than fried foods. But that’s not always the case. In fact, sometimes steamed foods can be just as bad for you – if not worse.
Take, for instance, the humble momo. Momos are a type of steamed dumpling that originates from Tibet. They’re popular in many Asian countries, including India, and are often touted as a healthy alternative due to their vegetable filling.
But the truth is, momos are not good for weight loss. In fact, if you consume them frequently, they can actually lead to weight gain.
From high in calories and sodium to made from refined flour, I have listed 7 reasons below that make momos bad for weight loss.
Also read: 8 Benefits Of Dosa That Makes It An Incredibly Healthy Dis
6 reasons momos are not good for weight loss
Made from refined wheat flour
Refined wheat flour, most commonly called maida, is one of the main ingredients of many street foods, including momos.
Maida has been known for a long as one of the main reasons behind weight gain in people’s diets. It is made from the endosperm part of the wheat grain, which is starchy, high in simple sugars, and low in essential nutrients.
It lacks a good amount of fiber, slowing down digestion.
This decreases your metabolism rate(the rate at which your body burns calories) and increases the risk of weight gain.
Additionally, maida is high in glycemic index, and as per research, foods high in glycemic index are associated with more weight gain.
High in calories
Believe it or not, momos are nothing but high-calorie bombs.
A single steamed momo can contain upwards of 35 calories, and a plate of momos with 10 pieces can easily add up to over 350 calories.
The situation becomes worse if the momos that you’re eating are fried.
Fried momos are more calorie-dense due to the extra calories from the deep-frying process. A single place of fried momo can have upto 900 calories.
Not to forget that there are wide other varieties of momos, such as tandoori momos and chilly momos, which are way too high in calories.
And most people don’t eat momos without mayonnaise which does nothing significantly good for health but increases the overall calorie intake.
Eating too many calories in your diet not only leads to weight gain but many other issues such as :
- Obesity
- Risk of heart disease and cancer
- Slow brain functioning
- Weak bones
Lack of nutrition value
One can argue that momos are filled with vegetables, chicken, or panner, so how can they be low in nutrition?
But how do you know that the vegetables used in your momos are fresh or washed properly? Or the paneer used is of good quality? Or was the chicken explicitly killed for the momos and wasn’t already dead from disease?
Eating momos is risky, and the small filling doesn’t make them rich in nutrients.
When you lack nutrients in your diet, it slows down your body’s metabolism. When your metabolism slows down, you burn fewer calories and fat, which increases the risk of weight gain.
Also read: 5 Reasons Why Cornflakes Are Not Good For Weight Loss
High in sodium
Momos are high in sodium(salt), which is one of the main reasons they aren’t good for weight loss.
A single steamed momo can contain up to 50mg of sodium, and a plate with 6 momos can provide you with 300mg of sodium which is 13% of the daily limit.
While this may look small amount, the fact is that many people get enough sodium from their regular diet. And then eating momos over it will add extra sodium to your diet.
Research has shown that eating too much sodium in your diet may promote weight gain.
This is because when you eat salt, your body retains water to dilute the salt. This extra water makes you feel bloated and can lead to weight gain.
Also, when you eat salty foods, you tend to crave more sugary and fatty foods. This can lead to overeating and even more weight gain.
Easy to overeat
Momos are easy to overeat because they are small and can be eaten quickly.
They are also usually very good in taste(thanks to maida), making it hard to stop at just one.
As a result, most people overeat, leading to weight gain.
They are deep fried
Many people love the crunchy texture that fried momos have. However, fried momos are the worst option and are higher in calories than steamed momos.
Most vendors reheat the same oil multiple times for frying momos. Reheating the oil releases toxic substances and increases the oil’s fat content, especially trans fat.
You can quickly check this by checking the color of the oil. If it’s black, the oil has likely gone bad.
Too much fat in your food increases your risk of weight gain. If you continue to eat food fried in the same oil, it might also lead to cancer, diabetes, or heart-related problems.
Final words
While momos may be delicious, they are made from maida, are high in calories and sodium, and lack essential nutrients. In addition, they are easy to overeat making them extremely bad for weight loss.
If you frequently consume them, it might lead to weight gain and many other health issues in the future.
It’s best to avoid them altogether or atleast consume them in moderation, i.e. couple of times a month
