Our calendars fill up as the holiday season draws near with get-togethers, parties, and festivities, frequently accompanied by luxuriant feasts and mouthwatering delights. While it's important to enjoy these happy times, doing so might be difficult for people who want to eat a diet that's high in protein and balance.
The good news is that you can still achieve your dietary objectives while enjoying the festivities or fasting during auspicious occasions. In reality, you can increase your protein consumption during the holiday season without giving up any of the pleasure with a little forethought and imagination. To help you make protein the star of your holiday diet and keep you energised, full, and on track with your health objectives throughout the celebration, we'll present a variety of helpful tips in this article.
According to research, increasing protein consumption may aid in building lean muscle mass and strength. Eating fish, poultry, nuts, and beans as sources of nutritious protein can reduce your chance of developing heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. But if you are vegetarian, there are many options for protein intake like buckwheat, soy, legumes and more. Additionally, these protein sources help with weight management and lower the risk of premature death.
Protein serves as the building block for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood, in addition to providing nutrition. For those with diabetes or those at high risk, it can reduce post-meal glucose and hike insulin levels when ingested before carbohydrates. Protein is necessary for the growth and operation of immune cells in your body, as well as for the formation of skin, hair, and nail cells.
Here's how you can add protein to your festive diet:
Snack On Nuts:
Almonds and other nutritious nuts are a rich source of protein, as are walnuts to some extent. You can indulge in your own homemade nutty trail mix whenever the urge strikes. You might also give eating some seeds, such as flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds, a try.
Add Protein To Each Meal:
You should consume protein with each meal and snack you have. Eating foods high in protein on a regular basis makes you feel full and can help maintain blood sugar levels between meals. Both plant-based and animal-based protein sources are available, and many of them are ready to eat.
Eat Protein First:
Choosing to have your protein first at breakfast, lunch, and dinner helps to ensure that you won't be overstuffed after eating the carbs, vegetables, or other sides. Since protein requires more energy to digest and makes you feel fuller, it also aids with weight control. When consumed before carbohydrates, it can help reduce post-meal rises in insulin and glucose levels.
Kuttu, Or Buckwheat Flour:
Protein is also found in vrat-friendly flours such as kuttu or buckwheat flour. Since you are unable to consume traditional grains, buckwheat can help you increase your protein consumption while providing a healthy alternative. Many different foods, such as kuttu ki poori and kuttu ka dosa, can be made.
Use Sprouts:
You can include any sprouting legume you desire, such as green moong, black chana, lobia, rajma, cowpeas, horse gram, green peas, etc. The amino acid composition of your meals can be improved simply and effectively by adding sprouts to them. Thus, having sprouts on hand is a great idea. To obtain the additional protein benefit without cooking a separate dish entirely, you can add them to poha or any other rice preparation.