Diet chart
Gut-healthy Indian diet chart for every day
Most gut problems improve when everyday eating gets a few basics right: enough fibre, enough protein, plenty of water, regular meal times, and less fried and packaged food. This chart turns that into a normal Indian day, with a few Western options for busy mornings. Use the food diary below to see what your day is missing.
Track today with the food diary →
Key goals
- Fibre 25 to 30 g a day from dal, vegetables, fruit and whole grains
- Protein at every meal: dal, curd, paneer, eggs, fish or chicken
- Half the plate vegetables and salad at lunch and dinner
- 8 to 10 glasses of water, and dinner 2 to 3 hours before bed
A sample day
Pick one option for each meal. Portions are for an average adult; adjust them to your hunger and weight.
VegEggNon-vegWestern
- Warm water, then tea or coffee with little sugar
- 4 to 5 soaked almonds or 2 walnuts
- Vegetable poha, upma or dalia with a bowl of curd
- 2 moong dal or besan chillas with mint chutney
- 2-egg omelette or bhurji with 1 whole wheat roti or 2 slices brown bread
- Overnight oats with curd or milk, fruit and seeds Western
- A fruit: guava, apple, pear, orange or papaya
- A glass of chaas
- 2 rotis (atta, bajra or jowar) or 1 katori rice, 1 katori dal, 1 katori sabzi, salad and curd
- Swap the dal for chicken or fish curry, about 100 g
- Whole wheat veg sandwich, or a grain bowl with rajma, vegetables and curd Western
- Roasted chana or makhana, or a katori of sprouts chaat
- Tea with little sugar, instead of biscuits or namkeen
- 2 rotis, dal or paneer, a vegetable and salad, finished by 8 to 9 pm
- Grilled fish or tandoori chicken with sabzi and 1 to 2 rotis
- Clear vegetable soup with a paneer or chicken salad Western
- Only if hungry: a glass of milk or a small bowl of curd
Daily targets
- Protein
- 0.8–1 g per kg of body weight (about 48–60 g, 60 kg)
- Fibre
- at least 25 g
- Fat
- under 60 g
- Vegetables
- 3 or more katoris
- Fruit
- 2–4 servings
- Water
- 8–10 glasses
- Fried food
- at most 1 a day
- Sugary food and drinks
- at most 1 a day
- Salty food
- at most 1 a day
Choose more
- Whole grains: atta, bajra, jowar, ragi, oats, dalia, brown rice
- Dal, rajma, chana and sprouts every day
- Seasonal vegetables and two fruits a day
- Home-set curd and chaas
- Nuts and seeds in small handfuls
Cut down
- Maida: white bread, biscuits, noodles, bakery items
- Fried snacks: samosa, pakora, namkeen, chips
- Sugary drinks, packaged juices and sweets
- Processed and red meat
- Very late, heavy dinners
Good to know
- Increase fibre slowly over 2 to 3 weeks, with more water, to avoid gas
- Count oil: about 4 to 5 teaspoons a day in total is enough for most adults
- A 30-minute walk most days helps bowel habit, weight and sugar
If you also have
Diabetes
Keep rice, potato and sweets small, choose whole fruit over juice, and pair carbohydrates with dal, curd or vegetables. Ask your doctor or dietitian about portions that suit your medicines.
High BP or heart disease
Keep salt low: cook with less salt, and avoid pickle, papad, namkeen, packaged soups and instant noodles. Use less ghee and butter, and choose fish, dal and vegetables more often.
Kidney disease
Protein, potassium (banana, coconut water, potato, tomato, some dals) and fluids may need limits depending on your kidney function. Follow your nephrologist's advice over this general chart.
Pregnancy
Add a small extra meal or snack, keep caffeine to about 2 cups of tea or coffee a day, avoid raw or undercooked eggs, meat and fish, and take the supplements your obstetrician advises.
Age over 65
Protein matters more with age to keep muscle: include dal, curd, paneer, eggs or fish at every meal. Drink water regularly even without thirst, and choose softer textures if chewing is hard.
Track today's food
Tap what you have eaten. The diary compares your day with the chart, shows what is missing and suggests what to eat for the rest of the day.
Your diary stays on this phone only. Nothing is sent anywhere, and it clears itself after 30 days.
This browser is not saving data (private mode or storage blocked), so the diary will reset when you leave the page.
Common questions
What is a healthy Indian diet for the gut?
Home food done right: whole grain rotis or rice, dal, a vegetable, salad and curd, with fruit, nuts and enough water, and less fried, sugary and packaged food.
How much fibre do I need?
About 25 to 30 g a day for most adults. Two fruits, three katoris of vegetables and dal, and whole grain rotis usually get you there.
Do I need probiotic supplements?
Most people do not. Home-set curd, chaas, idli and dosa are good everyday fermented foods.
When to see a doctor
See a doctor if you have a change in bowel habit for more than 3 weeks, blood in the stool, weight loss without trying, difficulty swallowing, or pain that keeps coming back.
Other diet charts
General guidance for adults, not a personal prescription. Food values are estimates for a typical home serving. If you have kidney disease, are pregnant, or have been given a specific diet by your doctor, follow that advice.