I love my family’s South Asian food, but it can be loaded with carbs and oil. Here are 5 simple tweaks I made to balance my plate while keeping the flavor.

• Insider spoke with a dietitian and chef about adding vegetables and reducing fat to South Asian meals.
• Ethnic food is not inherently “unhealthy” and making use of cultural recipes can add important nutrients.
• Balancing carbohydrates with vegetables and protein and reducing fat intake can lead to long-term health benefits.

As a Pakistani-American and health reporter, dinnertime can sometimes seem like a conundrum.

I want to eat the food I grew up with while still getting all my nutrients and fiber. Pakistani food, along with all ethnic food, is not inherently “unhealthy”, but some dishes may have too much rice and oil, and not enough fresh vegetables.

Eating nutritious food is especially important for South Asians, who comprise 60% of the world’s heart disease patients and they are in a increased risk of type 2 diabetes. A balanced diet reduces the risk of both chronic diseases.

I spoke with Nazima Qureshi, a registered dietitian and co-founder of healthy muslimsY Mehren Karimchef and editor of Bon Appétit, on ways to make South Asian food more nutritious while staying true to traditional flavor.

Here are five dietitian- and chef-approved ways to balance out your plate of South Asian food and keep it tasty:

1. For high-carbohydrate dishes, add extra vegetables and protein

One of the biggest trends in South Asian food may be its reliance on refined carbohydrates and whole grains that come from rice and bread.

Rice and bread carbohydrates get a bad rap from health influencers, But these cheap staples contain important nutrients like iron B vitamins, and eating carbs helps power and rebuild muscle when you exercise.

Allana Akhtar/Insider

A dish of curry over rice with a side of roti (flatbread), however, doesn’t provide you with the fiber, protein, and nutrients from vegetables that you need. Eating too many carbohydrates can cause your blood sugar levels to spike, eventually crashing and leaving you slow and tired.

Qureshi said to cut your rice intake to about a cup while filling half your plate with fresh, cooked vegetables.

2. Marinate your vegetables in yogurt and spices for added flavor, and be careful not to overcook them.

Some of the most popular South Asian dishes center around okra, spinach, brinjal, and other vegetables, all important sources of vitamins and minerals.

When making vegetable dishes, Qureshi said don’t overcook the vegetables. Overcooking strips vegetables of their bright color and can strip them of nutrientsalthough cooking them correctly can add health benefits not present in its raw state.

Allana Akhtar/Insider

I usually add a seasonal vegetable to my South Asian meals, but my Garlic Brussels Sprouts can feel out of place alongside the spicy chicken.

To keep the food cohesive, Karim recommends marinating the vegetables in yogurt, lemon, and traditional spices. “Any kind of yogurt marinade, I’m realizing, works on more than just poultry and fish,” he said.

You can even mix ground cardamom, coriander seeds, black pepper and other whole spices and use the mixture as a crust over butternut squash to add texture, Karim said.

3. Try air frying and broiling over frying for crispiness

Karim said that when people are looking for a “healthy” dish but don’t want to sacrifice flavor and delight, they are often looking for a “satisfying texture.”

Fried foods taste good no matter what’s being fried, in part because they’re crispy, he said. Instead of frying, Karim said air-frying, roasting or grilling to achieve a crispy texture.

Allana Akhtar/Insider

“Any dish that has a frying element, it’s been helpful to use an air fryer instead or roast it in a particular where it marinates in the same flavors but gets stuck in the oven instead of sizzle in oil.”

I marinated broccoli in yogurt, lemon, and spices and grilled it for a few minutes to achieve a slightly charred, caramelized exterior.

4. Use plant-based proteins, which are traditionally used in South Asian cooking

Add protein to your plate through lentils, chickpeas, and other plant-based proteins (not to mention cheap ones).

Historically, South Asians have made dozens of different daal (lentils) recipes with the red, yellow and black varieties. In my house, lentils worked as an easy and cheap protein when we ran out of food.

“Lentils have become more popular in Western cuisine, thanks to the rise of Western veganism, but I would say veganism and obviously vegetarianism. [in South Asia] It preceded the Western obsession with it,” Karim said. “So they’ve mastered tons of ways to use lentils in their cooking.”

Allana Akhtar/Insider

Qureshi added that plant-based proteins have many fibera non-digestible carbohydrate that supports intestinal health and can regulate blood sugar levels.

Following his advice, I opted for a chola chat (chickpea street food) inspired salad to add extra protein and veggies to my plate. I combined tomatoes, cucumber, a can of chickpeas that was at the bottom of my pantry, lemon, and a pre-made spice mix for a quick side dish.

I added a spicy pecan mix on top when serving for extra texture.

Allana Akhtar/Insider

5. Use less oil and butter, but you don’t need to cut it out completely

Without question, fat adds flavor, and Karim would never suggest that a cook cut it out entirely. gheea form of clarified butter, and coconut oil they even have cultural and religious significance in parts of South Asia.

Allana Akhtar/Insider

The trick to gaining weight is to cut back, Qureshi said. Limit the oil to a teaspoon or reach for spray bottles to distribute it evenly in the pan. Karim recommended adding blended cottage cheese or mashed avocado to a creamy or buttery dish to add nutrients.

And keep fried foods like samosas (meatballs stuffed with vegetables or meat) and pakoras (fried vegetables) as occasional treats rather than everyday staples, Qureshi said.

Non-Western Foods Are Healthy Too

Allana Akhtar/Insider

Karim and Qureshi’s advice worked: I kept the Pakistani flavors in my dinner, but successfully balanced the carbs and fats by increasing the vegetables. I felt stuffed for the rest of the night and couldn’t wait to wake up the next day to eat leftovers.

You don’t have to sacrifice cultural foods to eat a balanced diet, Qureshi said. Small changes made over time can lead to long-lasting health benefits. “You don’t have to turn everything upside down to be healthy,” he said.