Chapati Nutrition Facts: How many calories in one chapati, benefits and advantages of eating chapati

Chapati is one Indian food that is made in every house every single day. But do you actually know whether chapati is healthy or not? Most of us tend to remove chapati from our meal or limit our chapati consumption, under he misconception that that it might adversely affect our carb inkate. Well, this is a big myth. In fact chapati is one of the most nutritious food items that you can consume daily. In this article, let us look at the nutritional facts of 1(40g) , 2(80g) and 3(120g) chapatis. Also, let’s discuss the ways in which chapati can help us improve our health and wellbeing. [wptb id=7084]

How Many Calories are Present in One Chapati?

Chapati forms the main constituent of the Indian meal and is consumed in almost every house everyday. Therefore, it is very important to know the amount of nutrition that you get when you consume 1, 2 or 3 chapatis with or without ghee. The table below shows the value of various nutritional parameters present in a chapati. 

S.No.	Parameters	1 medium chapati (40 g)		2 medium chapati (80 g)		3 medium chapati (120 g)
		Value in gm or mg	% daily value	Value in gm or mg	% daily value	Value in gm or mg	% daily value
1.	Calories	120	240	360
2.	Total fat	3.7 g	6%	7.4 g	11%	11.1 g	17%
3.	Saturated fat	1.3 g	7%	2.6 g	13%	3.9 g	20%
4.	Cholesterol	0 mg	0%	0 mg	0%	0 mg	0%
5.	Sodium	119 mg	5%	238 mg	10%	357 mg	15%
6.	Potassium	78 mg	2%	156 mg	4%	234 mg	7%
7.	Total carbohydrates	18 g	6%	36 g	12%	54 g	18%
8.	Dietary fibres	3.9 g	16%	7.8 g	31%	11.7 g	47%
9.	Sugars	1.2 g	-	2.4 g	-	3.6 g	-
10.	Protein	3.1 g	-	6.2 g	-	9.3 g	-
11.	Vitamin A	-	0%	-	0%	-	0%
12.	Vitamin C	-	0%	-	0%	-	0%
13.	Calcium	-	1.1%	-	2.2%	-	3.3%
14.	Iron	-	4.9%	-	9.8%	-	14.7%

The calories in chapati increase if you apply ghee over it. On an average, a chapati will contain half tablespoon of ghee around 170 cal. Ghee also increases the dietary fibres that help in easy digestion of food. Therefore, ghee applied chapatis are good for your health and not the other way round. They also have added benefits of keeping healthy lubrication of joints with age.

What are the Advantages of eating Chapati?

Chapati is a nutritious food item that forms the base of your daily diet. Apart from giving you nutrition, chapati also provides you with some major health benefits. The benefits of eating chapati include:

• Adequate for people with diabetes

Chapati made of whole wheat flour is an excellent option for people who have diabetes. Minerals like magnesium present in wheat helps in slowing down the absorption of glucose and increasing the production of insulin. Zinc and potassium in chapati also helps in reducing blood sugar levels.

• Improves digestion

Chapati is a rich source of dietary fibres that helps in improving your digestion. The dietary fibres also keep you full for a longer duration, thereby preventing you from overeating. Therefore, chapati is highly recommended to people who have constant constipation complaints or other bowel issues.

• Rich source of protein, iron and phosphorous

Chapati is a rich source of iron and can thus help in treatment and prevention of anaemia. Chapati is also rich in protein and contains a good amount of healthy carbohydrates as well. Chapatis are rich in phosphorus as well. Phosphorus is an essential mineral that improves the absorption of calcium in your bones and keeps them healthy. The zinc present in chapati further facilitates the absorption of minerals in your body. 

• Increase energy levels

Chapatis contain complex carbohydrates that boosts your energy levels and keeps you full and satiated for comparatively a longer duration. Therefore, reducing the unhealthy snacking between meals.

• Improves blood pressure

Chapatis are also recommended to the patients of high blood pressure and cholesterol. This is because of the presence of minerals and vitamins in chapati that boosts your blood circulation and helps remove toxins from your arteries and veins. Thus, it removes the plaque deposited in your arteries which is the main cause for increase in the levels of bad cholesterol.

• Improves skin and hair

Vitamins, minerals and fibres present in a chapati can help improve the quality of your skin and hair in multiple ways like:

• Prevent sun damage
• Nourish skin
• Reduce acne
• Cleanse skin
• Makes hair lustrous, shiny and smooth

• Low in calorie

Chapati is low in calories thus, it does not increase your wait. The high content of dietary fibres in chapati further acts as a cherry on cake by keeping you full for a longer duration. Therefore, it prevents you from snacking throughout the day. Thus, chapati is an excellent food option for you if you want to reduce your weight.

Takeaway 

Chapatis are an essential and staple part of the Indian diet. Now that you know the nutritious value of a chapati and the major ways in which it can help your body, try including it in your daily meal at least once throughout the day.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can applying ghee on chapati make me fat?

   No, little ghee does not do any harm. In fact ghee is rich in dietary fibres and thus it will aid in better digestion of your food and in reducing weight as well. Half tablespoon must be included in all your meals. However, extra ghee can surely lead to weight gain.

2. Can I eat chapati daily?

   Yes, chapati is an excellent food option to consume daily.

3. Which is more healthy: chapati or rice?

   Chapati is a more healthy food as compared to rice.