Category: Non-vegetarian

Last checked: 10 October 2026 · Values are approximate · Sources at the end

Eggs are one of the cheapest and quickest protein sources in India. One large egg gives about 6 g of protein, so two or three eggs at breakfast cover a good share of your daily needs. Here are eight Indian ways to eat them that don’t involve a lot of butter.

At a glance

• Protein: about 6 g per egg (approx.), so 2 eggs give around 12 g and 3 eggs around 18 g.
• Fastest options: boiled eggs, masala omelette, bhurji.
• Keep it balanced: add vegetables and a roti or toast, and go easy on butter.

8 Indian egg breakfasts

1. Masala omelette

Eggs whisked with onion, tomato, green chilli and coriander. Cook in 1 teaspoon of oil, and add spinach or capsicum for extra vegetables.

2. Egg bhurji

Indian scrambled eggs with onion, tomato, haldi and garam masala. Have it with roti or whole-wheat toast.

3. Boiled eggs with chaat masala

No cooking skills needed and ideal for hostels with a kettle egg-boiler. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and chaat masala.

4. Egg dosa

Crack an egg onto a dosa while it cooks. Go for a thin dosa with vegetables, and use less oil.

5. Anda paratha (lighter version)

Egg spread on a whole-wheat paratha. Cook with minimal oil and serve with curd.

6. Egg and vegetable sandwich

Sliced boiled eggs or bhurji in whole-wheat bread with cucumber, tomato and mint chutney.

7. Egg poha or egg upma

Add scrambled egg to poha or upma for a protein upgrade on a classic.

8. Egg curry with roti (weekend option)

A tomato-onion egg curry. Make extra and have it the next day.

Quick comparison

Breakfast	Prep time	Eggs	Protein (approx.)
Boiled eggs	10 min	2	12 g
Masala omelette + roti	10 min	2	15 g
Egg bhurji + toast	10 min	3	22 g
Egg dosa	15 min (batter ready)	1–2	9–15 g
Egg sandwich	10 min	2	16 g

Watch-outs

• Butter and cheese add a lot of fat quickly. Use oil sparingly.
• Cook eggs fully. Avoid raw or runny eggs, especially from roadside stalls.
• Don’t eat eggs alone. Add vegetables or fruit so the meal has fibre too.
• High cholesterol or heart disease: ask your doctor how many eggs suit you.

Keep planning

• High-protein Indian non-veg diet
• Healthy Indian breakfast ideas (vegetarian)
• All guides

Sources

• ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT 2017)
• ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians (2024), nin.res.in

Photo credits

[Photographer name], [licence], via [Pexels / Unsplash / Wikimedia Commons]

General information only, not medical advice.

Last checked: 10 October 2026 · Sources at the end

Eating non-veg gives you an advantage when losing weight: eggs, chicken and fish are high in protein, which keeps you full. The risk is in how Indian non-veg food is often cooked, with plenty of oil, cream and frying. This plan keeps the protein and cuts the extras.

At a glance

• Main idea: half the plate vegetables, a quarter lean protein, a quarter roti or rice (plate method).
• Best proteins for weight loss: eggs, chicken breast, fish, prawns, curd and dal.
• Biggest wins: grill instead of fry, choose tomato-onion gravy over cream, and keep rice and naan portions in check.

Smart swaps

Instead of	Try
Butter chicken	Chicken tikka or home-style chicken curry
Fish fry	Fish curry, steamed or tawa-grilled fish
Chicken biryani (large plate)	Small portion of biryani + raita + salad
Naan	Whole-wheat roti
Omelette in lots of butter	Omelette with 1 tsp oil and vegetables
Cold drink	Buttermilk, lemon water (no sugar)

A sample non-veg weight-loss day

1. Early morning: water; tea or coffee with little or no sugar
2. Breakfast: 2-egg vegetable omelette or egg bhurji + 1 roti
3. Mid-morning: 1 fruit
4. Lunch: chicken curry (3–4 pieces, light gravy) + 1 roti or 1 small katori rice + 2 katori sabzi + salad
5. Evening: buttermilk + 1 boiled egg or roasted chana
6. Dinner (light and early): grilled or curried fish + a large serving of sautéed vegetables + dal; skip rice or keep it small

This is an editorial example, not a calorie-counted prescription. Adjust portions for your body and activity.

Tips that make the biggest difference

• Measure oil. Use about 1 teaspoon per person per dish.
• Remove chicken skin and visible fat from mutton.
• Make vegetables the bulk of the meal, not just a side.
• Eat dinner earlier, and don’t make it the biggest meal of the day.
• Walk daily. 30–45 minutes of brisk walking supports any diet.

Watch-outs

• Rolls, shawarma and fried chicken from street stalls are high in oil and refined flour. Keep them occasional.
• “High-protein” doesn’t mean you can eat unlimited amounts. Portions still matter.
• Crash or “only chicken and eggs” diets are hard to keep up and miss out on fibre.
• If you have diabetes, high cholesterol, kidney disease or another condition, get a plan from a doctor or dietitian.

Keep planning

• High-protein Indian non-veg diet
• Indian vegetarian diet plan for weight loss
• All guides

Sources

• ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians (2024), including “My Plate for the Day”, nin.res.in

Photo credits

[Photographer name], [licence], via [Pexels / Unsplash / Wikimedia Commons]

General information only, not medical advice.

Last checked: 10 October 2026 · Values are approximate · Sources at the end

If you eat eggs, chicken or fish, reaching your daily protein target is fairly easy. The common problems are elsewhere: butter chicken swimming in cream, fried fish, and meat crowding vegetables off the plate. This guide shows how to get the protein without those extras.

At a glance

• How much you need: about 0.83 g per kg of body weight a day for healthy adults (ICMR-NIN 2020). Calculate yours.
• Best everyday sources: eggs, chicken breast, fish, curd and dal.
• Cooking rule: grill, roast, steam or make a light curry. Deep-fry rarely.

Non-veg protein sources and how much they give

Approximate values. They vary by cut, recipe and portion size, so check the IFCT 2017 tables or the label.

Food	Typical serving	Protein (approx.)
Egg (whole)	1 large	6 g
Egg whites	3 whites	10 g
Chicken breast, cooked	100 g	25–30 g
Chicken curry (home-style)	1 katori with 4–5 pieces	15–20 g
Fish (rohu, surmai, pomfret), cooked	100 g	18–22 g
Prawns, cooked	100 g	20 g
Mutton (lean), cooked	100 g	20–25 g
Curd	1 katori (150 g)	5 g
Dal, cooked	1 katori	7 g

Healthier ways to cook Indian non-veg

Chicken

Tandoori or tikka (oven or air-fryer), dry masala chicken, or a home-style curry made with tomato and onion rather than cream. Remove the skin.

Fish

Steamed or baked fish, fish curry with a light tempering (Bengali jhol, Kerala or Goan curry with less coconut), or pan-grilled fish with very little oil.

Eggs

Boiled, bhurji, omelette or egg curry. See our egg breakfast ideas.

Mutton and red meat

Keep these occasional rather than daily, and choose lean cuts. Skim the fat off the top of the curry.

Don’t drop the vegetables and dal

Non-veg meals often push vegetables off the plate. The balanced-plate idea still applies: half the plate vegetables, then the chicken or fish, then a moderate amount of roti or rice. Dal and curd are still useful because they add more protein and variety. See the plate method.

A sample high-protein non-veg day (about 70–90 g)

1. Breakfast: 2-egg masala omelette + 1 roti or 2 slices of whole-wheat bread
2. Mid-morning: 1 fruit + buttermilk
3. Lunch: chicken curry (4–5 pieces) + 1–2 roti + sabzi + salad
4. Evening: 2 boiled eggs or roasted chana
5. Dinner: grilled or curried fish + small portion of rice + dal + sabzi

This is an editorial example, not a prescription. Adjust portions for your weight, activity and goals.

Watch-outs

• Restaurant gravies (butter chicken, korma, “malai” dishes) can be very high in cream, butter and oil.
• Fried items such as chicken 65, fish fry and kebabs fried in oil are fine occasionally, not daily.
• Processed meats (salami, sausages, nuggets) are high in salt. Keep them rare.
• Food safety: cook chicken and eggs thoroughly and store leftovers in the fridge.
• Kidney disease: if you have it, ask your doctor before raising protein intake.

Keep planning

• Indian non-veg diet plan for weight loss
• High-protein Indian vegetarian diet
• All guides

Sources

• ICMR-NIN, Nutrient Requirements for Indians (2020), brief note (PDF)
• ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians (2024), nin.res.in
• ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT 2017)

Photo credits

[Photographer name], [licence], via [Pexels / Unsplash / Wikimedia Commons]

General information only, not medical advice.