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The presence of a rainbow on the plate is due to the presence of different nutrients and phytochemicals, which makes the meal attractive and healthy.
A traditional Indian thali offers different flavours like sweet, salty, bitter, sour, spicy, and astringent which is nutritionally balanced. Different regions have different versions of the thali, generally comprising traditional dishes and native specialities with local and seasonal ingredients
All varieties of Indian thalis have native and region-specific delicacies, influenced by their culture and history. Also, these dishes were made depending on their climate, work pattern, availability of ingredients and traditions.
The thali does have all the food groups combined in varied preparations in a meal. Let’s list the food groups to understand this better.
The requirement of macro and micronutrients are fulfilled in a thali provided the variations are modified according to the season. An Indian thali beautifully combines the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in its food preparation like a very simple dal-khichdi to a complex dish as biryani or dal bati churma
An Indian thali can very simply be made by including one or two servings of any cereal or Indian bread, one bowl of any dal, one or two vegetable preparations, a bowl of salad or kachumber, a bowl of curd or raita or buttermilk with healthy coriander (pudina chutney), lemon pieces, and a non-vegetarian dish or curry for a non-vegetarian meal
A healthy Indian dinner thali will have similar components as lunch, but it can be assembled in a different manner. A roti-veg can be replaced with veg paratha or veg pulao, rice-dal can be replaced with khichdi or dosa or uthappam, or an entire meal can be replaced with a one meal dish like muthiya with buttermilk, dal dhokli, rice and sambar
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