Our excitement is at an all-time high as the festive season approaches. Diwali is the festival of lights that we are currently waiting for after celebrating Navratri, Durga Puja, and Karwa Chauth. Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is one of the most important Hindu festivals, and it is joyfully observed all over India. Furthermore, a big part of the festivities is the cuisine. Even while it can be challenging to resist festive treats, this time of year is often when proper eating is sacrificed. But don't be alarmed! During the festivities, you don't have to give up all of your favourite foods; simply replace them with something healthier.
Use Natural Sweeteners: Regardless of how many sweet foods are served, festivals remain incomplete without them. Consuming sweets can undoubtedly have an impact on your health, increasing your risk of weight gain and disorders like diabetes. Kheer, halva, fruit salad, and rava sheera can all be sweetened naturally by adding dates, cardamom, anjeer, and saffron.
Sugarless Drinks: Switch to plain soda or sparkling water if you plan to drink instead of sweet syrups, sweetened carbonated beverages, and fruit juices. It will also assist you in consuming less sugar overall, in addition to drastically cutting the calories.
Cut The Fried: Here is a way to avoid consuming too many fried foods during the festival season. Think about roasting all the foods you would often fry. Not only do roasted foods taste nice, but they also appear to have some intriguing health advantages. It enhances the texture and depth of flavour in the food you are cooking. To eat nutritious food during Diwali, steam the wadas, bake the samosas, bhajias, spring rolls, and cutlets rather than frying them.
Homemade Dips: Try curd-based dips, which are lower in calories and fat and healthier for you, if you're used to dipping your kebabs and cutlets in mayonnaise. Protein, calcium, and probiotics are all stuffed into yoghurt. Otherwise, choose one of the well-known Indian chutneys, such as the hot green coriander chutney or the sweet yet sour tamarind chutney.
Dark Chocolates: While it may be enjoyable to have the entire bar of chocolate to yourself, overindulging puts you at risk for weight gain. Instead of giving white and milk chocolates as gifts this season, try switching to black chocolate. Dark chocolate has antioxidant-rich cocoa, which may help prevent excessive weight gain. White chocolate, on the other hand, has no cocoa and consequently none of the health advantages.
Switch The Milk Tea: During the festive season, it's tempting to overindulge in sugar, so if you notice that you're doing so, pour a cup of cinnamon tea. Due to cinnamon's impact on blood sugar, the warm tea might even assist lower blood sugar levels.
Reduce Salt: Just as crucial as watching out for the sweet tooth is keeping an eye on the urge for salt. Reduce your salt intake and switch to raw nuts instead of salted ones because they are rich in protein, fibre, and heart-healthy fats.
Add Fruits: Pick fruits as a snack rather than Indian sweetmeats. Fruits are abundant in vital nutrients and offer a host of health advantages. Additionally, they will satiate your sweet tooth. Additionally, it might have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Fruits, as opposed to sweetmeats, often have little calories and a lot of fibre. Save the sweets for special occasions.
DIY Sweets: Try making festive treats at home with healthy substitutions for the traditional components rather than purchasing them. You can choose from a variety of selections, including whole-grain cookies, carrot cake, ghia katli, energy balls with dry fruits, and coconut barfi or ladoo. Create treats with nuts or chikkis (the original Indian energy bar). Nuts are a powerful source of carbohydrates, protein, fibre, and healthy fats that make you feel full right away.