While eating sabudana can make you gain weight, it doesn’t harm your health the way other quick foods and high-calorie fried snacks do.(Representative image)
A cup of sabudana pearls contains 544 calories and 135 grams of carbohydrates. Eating just a few cups of sabudana a day can increase your overall calorie intake significantly
Losing weight and looking toned is the primary reason for many of us to hit the gym these days. Shedding some extra kilos is not a cakewalk and usually requires consistent hard work both in terms of exercise and nutrition. When it comes to diet, there are several foods that are said to be effective in making us look slim and get rid of extra fat. Among those foods is sabudana or sago.
Sabudana is popularly consumed in parts of India, especially during fasting. It feels light on the stomach and many believe that sago can help you lose weight. But is it really true? Let us find out.
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Sabudana is also known as tapioca, which is obtained from the roots of the cassava plant. It is made by extracting the starch from the cassava roots and contains mostly carbohydrates and very little amount of other nutrients such as protein or fibre. It is also nutritionally not as good as other grains and flours, which have more nutrients, according to Healthline.
Because of the high carbohydrate content, those who have restricted their carbs intake to lose weight may want to avoid having sabudana or tapioca.
According to Medical News Today, a cup of sabudana pearls, which we usually use in khichdi, kheer, and other foods, contains 544 calories and 135 grams of carbohydrates. This implies that eating just a few cups of sabudana a day can increase your overall calorie intake significantly.
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And, the key rule to lose weight is burning more calories than you consume. So, if you have restricted your calorie intake and spending hours running on the treadmill to get leaner, then sabudana wouldn’t be a great choice to add to your diet.
But there are still plenty of reasons to not neglect sabudana completely. While eating sabudana can result in weight gain, it doesn’t have any adverse effects on the body like other fast foods and high-calorie fried snacks. Sabudana is also a great source of other calcium, which can help strengthen bones and teeth while the iron content in the staple can be beneficial in preventing iron deficiency. Also, sabudana is easy to digest and it doesn’t make your stomach upset.
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So, the choice of food depends upon your fitness goal. While sabudana may not be that good for weight loss, it is still a healthy food option.
