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| Thinnai Mavalliku for Thai Velli |
In most South Indian homes, rice is more than food.It is comfort. It is routine. It is culture.From soft idlis in the morning to steaming sambar rice for lunch and comforting curd rice at night , rice quietly fills our plates and our lives.For years, it filled mine too.But recently, I made a simple decision:
Not a diet. Not a restriction. Just a lifestyle shift.I decided to explore life without rice.
🌿 It Wasn’t About Weight. It Was About Well-Being.
I didn’t start this journey because rice is “bad.”
I started because I wanted to feel lighter, more energetic, and more in control of my eating habits.I noticed:
* Afternoon sluggishness
* Frequent hunger
* Mindless evening snacking
* Feeling overly full after meals
Instead of cutting food drastically, I asked myself:
What if I just changed the base of my plate?
🌾 Rediscovering Our Traditional Grains
Ironically, the solution wasn’t new.It was old.Before polished white rice became dominant, our grandparents regularly ate millets. So I slowly began replacing rice with:
* Thinai (Foxtail millet)
* Kambu (Pearl millet)
* Ragi (Finger millet)
* Samai (Little millet)
* Godhuma rava (broken wheat)
*Kuthiraivalli(barnyard millet)
The beauty?I didn’t have to change my cuisine -only the grain.
Sambar stayed.
Keerai stayed.
Curd stayed.
Even dosa stayed -just with a twist.
What My Day Looks Like Now?
Breakfast:Millet-based dosa or upma or kuthiraivalli Pongal with chutney with coffee.
Mid-morning: Buttermilk or fresh vegetables
Lunch: Millet “rice” with sambar, vegetables, and curd
Evening: Nuts or sundal with coffee
Dinner:Light millet porridge or wheat rava dishes
It feels familiar.It feels traditional.But it also feels balanced.
🌸 Festivals, Poojas, and Flexibility
Lets be honest - discipline is tested when festivals, family poojas, or celebrations happen. These are days when rice-based meals, sweets, and prasad are part of devotion and joy.Here’s what I learned:
1 **Mindset Matters**
It’s not “cheating.” It’s participating. Saying *“I’m celebrating today”* instead of *“I broke my diet”* changes everything.
2 **Eat Mindfully**
Take smaller portions and stop before feeling overly full.
3 **Balance Your Day**
Light breakfast, enough water, and more vegetables during festival meals help reduce heaviness
4 **Return to Routine Immediately**
One festival day doesn’t erase your progress. Your next meal simply continues your mindful eating journey.Food at pooja is not just carbohydrates.It is blessing.
💡 What Changed After This Shift
* Feeling More energetic through the day
* Less post-meal sleepiness
* Better awareness of portion sizes
I simply prepare half of the rice substitute for myself and the regular rice for my children. Kids also like the Pongal and Dosa variation in millet.In particular they adore barnyard millet Pongal with brinjal gothsu.
During a recent outing in Chennai, we were pleasantly surprised to find that some hotels, like New Balajee Bhavan, serve kuthiraivalli Pongal along with other dishes.
Despite the bland flavour i began to enjoy taste of millets because of their health benefits.Most importantly, these days I became more conscious of what I eat - not just how much.
On the whole ,it’s not perfection but consistency, awareness, and balance that create lasting habits.
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