Chai-time snacking, upgraded

What the usual suspects cost

• Samosa — ~260 kcal each
• A handful of bhujia (30 g) — ~170 kcal, and nobody eats one handful
• Vada pav — ~290 kcal
• Two Parle-G… become eight — ~220 kcal
• Cutting chai with sugar — ~90 kcal per cup

Swaps that don't feel like punishment

• Roasted chana instead of bhujia — 110 kcal with 6 g protein and real fibre.
• Roasted makhana instead of chips — 95 kcal a cup, and you can eat a lot of it.
• Dhokla instead of a samosa — 110 kcal for two pieces, steamed not fried.
• Sprouts chaat instead of bhel from the cart — 120 kcal, 8 g protein.
• Chai without sugar twice a day saves ~90 kcal — that's a gulab jamun every single day.

Make it stick

Willpower at 5 pm is a losing game. Instead, keep the swap within arm's reach — a dabba of roasted chana on your desk beats a promise. And log the snack when you eat it; evening snacks are the most forgotten entries in every food diary, and often the difference between "why am I not losing weight" and "oh, there it is."