Are you from Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, or even Madhya Pradesh? If yes, then you must be aware of the superpower of sattu. Sattu is roasted Bengal gram flour which is highly nutritious, easily available, and pocket-friendly for daily consumption. The struggle for weight loss is never-ending for many of you. High protein diet, keto diet, low carb diet –you may have tried many to lose the extra weight. Sattu in weight loss can play a great role. How? What? When? – I know you must be having various questions. Read the article till the end to get all your answers.
How can sattu help in losing weight?
Weight loss cannot and should not happen overnight. It should be a slow but steady process. If you are looking for sustainable improvement of your health, weight loss and lean muscle growth should come hand in hand. No, lean muscle will not make you bulky but increase your metabolism for better health. To support these bodily changes you need foods which are-
- Rich in protein
- Loaded with vitamin, minerals
- Give steady blood sugar response
- Improve digestion, control constipation
- Pocket-friendly
- Provide satiety
It’s wonderful to see that sattu matches ALL these criteria. The quantity and quality of nutrients in sattu – protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals- can do all the magic that you are longing for.
Sattu is a rich vegetarian source of protein
Protein plays an important role in weight management. Protein helps in reducing the hunger hormone ghrelin and boosts satiety hormones like cholecystokinin, GLP-1, etc. It has been seen the calorie-required digesting and metabolized protein is way more (20-30%) than fat (0-3%) or carbohydrate (5-10%) present in the food. Besides these, protein also helps to keep you full for a longer period and curb frequent food cravings.(1,2, 3,4,8, 10, 18)
100g of Bengal gram sattu contains 22.5 g of protein and possesses a high biological value of 74. The biological value indicates the quality of the protein i.e how readily the food protein gets utilized to synthesize body protein. Bengal gram sattu contains a perfect balance of quantity as well as the quality of protein compared to other pulses and legumes.
Table 1: Comparison of quantity and quality of protein in various foods –
| Food | Protein content (g/100g) | Biological value |
| Groundnut | 25.3 | 55 |
| Soybean | 43.2 | 65 |
| Green gram | 24.0 | 70.4 |
| Bengal gram(roasted) | 22.5 | 74 |
| Red gram | 22.3 | 72 |
| Egg, Hen | 13.3 | 96 |
| Milk, Cow’s | 3.2 | 90 |
Reference- Nutritive value of Indian foods, NIN, 2016
Sattu is loaded with minerals
Bengal gram sattu provides a variety of minerals. These minerals are essential, act as catalysts/cofactors to speed up numerous metabolic reactions.
Table 2: Comparison of minerals content of Bengal gram along with other popular pulses
| Minerals | Bengal gram (Sattu) | Green gram (Moong) | Red gram (Tuver/arhar) | Lentil (Masoor) |
| Calcium (mg) | 58 | 75 | 73 | 69 |
| Iron (mg) | 9.5 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 7.5 |
| Zinc(mg) | 1.7 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 3.1 |
| Potassium(mg) | 720 | 1150 | 1104 | – |
| Copper (mg) | 1.34 | 0.39 | 1.37 | 1.20 |
Sattu helps in controlling blood sugar level
A steady blood sugar level helps to facilitate the weight loss process. Sattu contains many properties that make it able to control the blood sugar level. The quality and quantity of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber make it diabetic-friendly food which helps to regulate the blood sugar level.
100 g of sattu contains 58.1 g of carbohydrate which is low on the glycemic index and glycemic load.
Table 3: Comparison of carbohydrate content, glycemic load (GL), and glycemic index(GI) of a few foods
| Food items | Carbohydrate content (g/100g) | Glycemic Index (Glucose=100) | Serving size | Glycemic Load per serving |
| Bengal gram | 58.1 | 28 | 3/4th Cup | 3 |
| White rice (Boiled) | 79.0 | 66 | 1 Cup | 35 |
| Lentils,Boiled | 59 | 29 | 1 Cup | 7 |
| Rajmah, Boiled | 60.6 | 28 | 1 Cup | 8 |
| Barley, Boiled | 69.6 | 28 | 1 Cup | 11 |
| Cornflakes | 84 | 81 | 1 Cup | 21 |
| Coca cola | 11 | 63 | 250 ml | 16 |
| Popcorn (air fired plain) | 74 | 72 | 2 Cups | 5.6 |
Remember, the lower value of GI and GL indicate a steady rise in blood glucose level rather than a sudden spike.
Sattu contains a mixture of a good amount of soluble and insoluble fiber. The soluble fiber (3.1g/100g) in sattu gets mixed with water, forming a gel-like consistency in the digestive tract. It slows down the digestion process and releases glucose in the blood slowly and steadily. (11,12, 13, 15 )
Sattu helps in maintaining heart health –
Weight gain is often associated with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, etc. The fat in sattu is high in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), moderate in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), and least in saturated fat – a perfect combination of keeping the heart-healthy.
The health benefits of PUFA and MUFA are already well established. It’s good for improving insulin levels and keeping blood sugar in better control. Besides this, it helps to lower bad cholesterol levels, improve blood lipid levels, reduce chances of clot formation in the artery, and improve heart health.(6,7,23, 24,25)
Sattu may improve gut health and can prevent constipation
Good gut health and a clean toxin-free body are crucial for better weight loss. Sattu contains a high amount of soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber helps to swell the food attracting more water and staying in the gut for a longer time by reducing the rate of digestion. The soluble fiber is beneficial for gut health. It helps to increase the number of healthy gut bacteria and reduce the overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria.
On the other hand, the insoluble fiber in sattu makes the stool soft and increases its bulk. This helps to eliminate stool –the bacterial biomass, undigested foods, toxins, metabolic by-products, etc – without much effort. Sattu can fix constipation if taken regularly. (5, 9, 14)
Table 4: Comparison of the fiber content of Bengal gram with other pulses
| Common Pulses | Total dietary fiber (g/100 g) | Insoluble dietary fiber (g/100 g) | Soluble dietary fiber (g/100 g) |
| Bengal gram (whole) | 28.3 | 25.2 | 3.1 |
| Red gram (Arhar/Tuver dal) | 9.1 | 6.8 | 2.3 |
| Green gram (moong dal) | 8.2 | 6.5 | 1.7 |
| Black gram (urad dal) | 11.7 | 7.6 | 4.1 |
Sattu is pocket-friendly
As mentioned earlier, weight loss should not happen overnight or too fast. You must have the patience to shed off your extra bulges slowly by developing lean muscle. This is the only way to avoid the yo-yo state and experience sustainable weight loss along with great health.
Weight loss is a time-consuming process, you need to be very careful with your food choices in your daily diet. All you need is good, pocket-friendly food which provides nutrition and satiety, not empty calories. Sattu stands best under this criterion. You will get 500 g of sattu under Rs. 100/- even in online stores. Your local vendors may provide you with bags of sattu even at a better price.
Consuming a glass of sattu water (with 30 g – 2 tablespoons of sattu) will not cost you more than Rs 6/- per day. The budget touches Rs 100/- per day for the same amount of protein powder drink. This is impossible to maintain for a longer period for most of the families in the country.
Sattu provide good satiety
The protein and fiber content of sattu acts together and reduce hunger. High protein content helps to reduce the hunger hormone and boost the satiety hormone. On the other hand, the fiber in sattu helps to slow the digestion process, keeping the food in the digestive tract for a longer time.
Since sattu helps to keep us full for a longer time, food cravings are reduced. This helps to check unnecessary calorie consumption which is mandatory for a healthy weight loss. (16, 17)
Want to buy Bengal gram sattu online? Check the following link –
How much sattu is good for weight loss?
Moderation is the key. Daily consumption of 15-30 g (1 to 2 tablespoons) of sattu is good to get the result along with other sensible lifestyle changes. You may have up to 60 g (4 tablespoons) of sattu if your body permits without causing any side effects.
What is the best time to eat sattu?
You can have sattu either at breakfast or during mid-morning. You can even think of having it an hour before your workout. It’s better to avoid sattu at night if you frequently suffer from acidity, bloating.
How to use sattu for weight loss?
Keep it simple. Sattu water is a great choice considering our busy morning routine. You can add rock salt or jaggery as per your taste. You can even be creative by mixing sattu (50%) with normal wheat flour to make roti. This boosts the protein content of your regular meal. If you are a porridge lover, feel free to make it with sattu. Don’t forget to add seasonal fruits to your bowl.
Does sattu create gas, acidity?
Let’s get this straight. If you are suffering from frequent acidity, gas, indigestion, constipation, etc. It’s your system to be blamed for not the food. So instead of popping medicines, work on fixing your system from the core.
Sattu is loaded with fiber which may be difficult to digest for those who already have a weak digestive system. Stop consuming any sort of packaged and processed foods, cut down the intake of refined sugar, refined oil, and refined salt. It looks simple but not. Do this without getting deviated. Consume fermented foods to balance your gut health. Drink a lot of water and exercise regularly to improve your digestive capacity.
For a time being, you may consider making your sattu at home. Soak Bengal gram overnight and allow them to sprouts. Wash, dry, and roast it well. Ground it to make the flour and use this sattu for daily consumption.
This homemade version helps to eliminate most of the antinutritional factors resent in conventional sattu during germination and roasting procedure. This will be lighter on your stomach, easily digestible, without causing gas or acidity. (19, 20, 21, 22)
How sattu can use for wt gain as well as weight loss?
You must be surprised to know that sattu can help in weight gain as well as for weight loss. It all depends on how you are using the food in a daily diet. The total calorie consumption, exercise routine, a daily menu plan makes all the difference. So don’t worry. Enjoy sattu with a meaningful diet to get your desired result.
Bottom Line
No food can create magic unless you fix multiple aspects of your daily lifestyle. Don’t expect your morning sattu water will make you thin even if you indulge with no exercise, inadequate water, poor sleep, loads of processed and packaged foods.
You must have a clean, wholesome, balanced diet, deep sleep, adequate activity, and exercise throughout the day along with sufficient water intake to see the weight loss.
Work on all these aspects slowly. There is no shortcut if you are looking for sustainable weight loss and great health. Sattu is great for weight loss when used with proper discipline.
