Is besan good for weight loss? Calories, protein and how to eat it

Possibly, in a modest way, and the evidence is for whole pulses rather than besan itself. A 2016 meta-analysis of 21 trials with 940 people found that diets containing whole pulses (the review counts chickpeas among them) led to 0.34 kg more weight loss than diets without them over a median six weeks, at a median intake of 132 g of pulses a day, about one serving. It showed up even in diets that were not designed to cut calories. Besan brings 22.4 g of protein and 10.8 g of fibre per 100 g, and the day's calorie total still decides the result.

The table puts besan beside whole wheat flour per 100 g. Besan carries more energy, 387 kcal against 322 kcal, so it is not the lighter flour, calorie for calorie. What it brings instead is more than double the protein, 22.4 g against 10.59 g, fibre that nearly matches wheat, 10.8 g against 11.23 g, and whole wheat grain has a printed GI of 47 (the mean of two Indian tests, one of them steamed whole kernels), where plain besan has no GI entry at all. For a weight-loss kitchen the trade reads simply: besan where you want more protein, wheat where you want fewer calories per 100 g. The fuller story of the flour sits on the besan hub.

Per 100 g raw, edible portion. Composition: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy), FDC ID 174288, NDB 16157; IFCT 2017 (ICMR-NIN). GI: University of Sydney GI database. — means not reported. These are average values for the food; the label on a pack gives the values for that product.

Per 100 g is not how anyone eats. The 30 g of flour in one besan roti gives 116 kcal, with 6.7 g of protein, 3.2 g of fibre, 2.0 g of fat and 17.3 g of carbohydrate; the ghee in that recipe brings a roti to 175 kcal. A serving of two besan chillas uses 45 g of flour: about 174 kcal and 10.1 g of protein from the flour, and 242 kcal with the oil in the recipe. Two rotis come to 232 kcal of flour alone; the oil, ghee and sugar cooked with besan add to that. Count the roti, keep the cooking fat to a teaspoon, and the flour fits.

India's dietary guidelines suggest steaming or sauteing with minimal oil instead of frying, which lowers the energy density of a meal. Make besan porridge without the jaggery the recipe uses. Use a non-stick pan and a teaspoon of oil for the chilla and roti, and nothing more. Pair the flour with vegetables, dal or curd so one roti becomes a full plate. Besan upma and besan ki sabji fit the same pattern: flour, vegetables, minimal oil, no sugar.

Better

• Plain besan chilla and roti with vegetables and curd.
• Savoury besan porridge with water or buttermilk.
• Besan ki sabji with a salad and one bhakri.
• Any of the ideas in the besan recipes roundup, cooked with little oil.

Worse

• Besan laddu, halwa and barfi: by weight, the jaggery or sugar and ghee outweigh the besan.
• Deep-fried pakoras, fafda and sev.
• Kadhi served with fried pakoras in it, and anything in sugar syrup.

What besan can offer is fibre and protein, not a weight-loss effect of its own. India's dietary guidelines put the fibre side plainly: eating enough fibre-rich foods such as pulses improves satiety and helps keep blood glucose, insulin, cholesterol and triglyceride levels in check, and pulses are named among the foods that help maintain weight. For losing weight, the same guidelines advise cutting calories from refined carbohydrates and cooking oils and staying physically active on a regular basis. Besan can be part of that plan, not the plan itself.

If you carry extra weight along with diabetes, blood pressure or any other condition, or if you plan a large change in what you eat, set the calorie target with your doctor or dietitian before you start swapping flours. If diabetes is part of the picture, the besan for diabetes page covers the blood-sugar side. Before you change your diet to lose weight, talk to your doctor or dietitian.

Is besan good for weight loss?

It can fit, as a counted food inside a calorie target. Besan has 22.4 g of protein and 10.8 g of fibre per 100 g, and India's dietary guidelines say fibre-rich foods such as pulses improve satiety. In a 2016 meta-analysis of 21 trials, diets with whole pulses led to 0.34 kg more weight loss over a median six weeks. The day's calories still decide the result.

Is gram flour good for weight loss?

Gram flour is another name for besan, so the answer is the same: it can fit when counted. Trials of whole pulses found a modest effect on weight, and the cooking sets much of the calorie count: a plain chilla made with a teaspoon of oil carries less fat than a deep-fried pakora. Eat it with vegetables, in counted amounts.

How to eat besan for weight loss?

Make it savoury and make it plain: one besan roti or chilla with vegetables and curd, cooked in a teaspoon of oil. Dry-roast besan for porridge, skip the sugar and jaggery, and leave the fried and sweet dishes for rare occasions. The besan porridge and besan chilla recipes show both.

Does gram flour increase weight?

Only in the way any food can: in excess. Besan is energy-dense at 387 kcal per 100 g, and its sweet and fried versions, laddu, halwa and pakoras, add sugar, jaggery, ghee or frying oil on top. Eaten in counted amounts, mostly as plain roti, chilla or unsweetened porridge, it fits a calorie target like any other counted food.

Can I eat besan chilla daily for weight loss?

You can, within your calorie target. Two chillas from 45 g of flour bring about 174 kcal and 10.1 g of protein before any oil, and 242 kcal as the recipe makes them. Count them in the day, keep them plain, and vary the meal with dal and vegetables.

Is besan roti better than wheat roti for weight loss?

Neither is simply better. Per 100 g, whole wheat flour has fewer calories, 322 kcal against besan's 387 kcal, while besan has more than twice the protein, 22.4 g against 10.59 g. Alternate them if you like, and count both toward the day's calories.