Why Indian Food Is Hard to Track
Most calorie tracking apps are designed for packaged Western food with nutrition labels. Indian home cooking — dal with tadka, sabzi with variable oil, roti with or without ghee — is much harder to estimate. This is why most Indians give up on tracking.
Here is a practical system that works.
The Katori Method
A standard Indian katori (small bowl) holds approximately 150ml or 150g of most foods. Use this as your base unit.
| Food | 1 Katori (150g) | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Dal (any type, cooked) | 150g | 120–140 kcal |
| Sabzi (dry, with 1 tsp oil) | 150g | 80–120 kcal |
| Cooked rice | 150g | 175 kcal |
| Curd (low fat) | 150g | 60 kcal |
| Rajma / chana (cooked) | 150g | 140–165 kcal |
Learn these 5 numbers and you can estimate 80% of Indian meals.
Hand Portion Method
When you cannot measure, use your hand:
| Portion | Equals | Example Food |
|---|---|---|
| Closed fist | 1 katori (~150g) | Dal, sabzi, rice |
| Palm of hand (flat) | 85–100g | Paneer, chicken |
| Cupped hand | 30–40g | Nuts, dry snacks |
| Thumb tip | 1 tsp (5g) | Oil, ghee, butter |
How to Estimate Oil in Home Cooking
Oil is where most Indian calorie estimates go wrong. A wok that looks lightly oiled may have 2–3 tbsp of oil.
Practical rule: Assume 1 tsp of oil per person per sabzi. If the pan looks very oily, assume 2 tsp.
| Oil Used | Calories Added per Person |
|---|---|
| 1 tsp | 45 kcal |
| 1 tbsp | 135 kcal |
| 2 tbsp | 270 kcal |
Estimating a Full Indian Meal
Example meal: 2 roti + dal + sabzi + curd
| Item | Estimate | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 2 roti (no ghee, 40g each) | 2 × 120 kcal | 240 kcal |
| Dal (1 katori) | 1 × 130 kcal | 130 kcal |
| Sabzi (1 katori, 1 tsp oil) | 1 × 100 kcal | 100 kcal |
| Curd (1 katori) | 1 × 60 kcal | 60 kcal |
| Total | 530 kcal |
This is accurate within ±10% — good enough for consistent tracking.
Start Tracking Your Progress Free
FitBharat has all Indian foods pre-loaded with the katori method built in — log a full meal in under 30 seconds.
👉 Create your free account → fitbharat.akforges.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need to track every day? Tracking every day for 2–4 weeks builds permanent awareness of portion sizes. After that, many people can estimate without tracking.
Q: What about restaurant and canteen food? Add 200–300 kcal to your home-cooked estimate for restaurant versions of the same dish — more oil, larger portions, and butter/cream are standard.
Q: Is FitBharat accurate for Indian food? Yes — it's built specifically for Indian food with verified calorie data for hundreds of Indian dishes, unlike Western apps that have poor Indian food databases.