Alongside the festivity, the corona’s pandemic is already started to spread with the second wave again. So, it is important to control your health and start wise eating at this festival of sweets.
In our previous article, we had discussed the good and bad of eating sweets. Today, we are going to discuss how to avoid eating an excess of sweets and stay healthy.
Festival of sweets
Diwali is the occasion of lights, and the celebrations of this festival can never be perfect without sweets. It is a festival in which various yummy sweets and dishes are being prepared.
Festivals like Diwali are just celebrated only once a year. This festival is celebrated even before it is supposed to be like outings; guests visit, dinner parties, etc. happen, which are inevitable.
Most of us often indulge in sweets and other sinful foods to enjoy every part of the festival. A time comes when sickness and tummy troubles abound – and then we have to try for some easy ways to get rid of those extra kilos.
We all know that consuming fried foods and sweets prepared during Diwali is unhealthy for us – particularly for people with diabetes.
Tips to avoid eating extra sweets
Below tips will help you stay away from this vicious cycle of sweet binging, feeling guilty, weight gain, wrong methods of losing weight, weight gain, feeling guilty again.
Consider making sweets or snacks at home
If you can get your family together and get back to the traditional preparation of sweets and treats at home, with fresh ingredients, you can enjoy the festivals guilt-free and without any negative impact on your health during the season.
- Think of fresh chaklis made with rice, besan, or urad flour and fried in fresh oil versus the readymade, packaged chaklis from unknown sources.
- Make a few things at home with fresh ghee, healthier sugars, and protein-rich lentil flours, and then you can enjoy these sweets safely, like a Besan Ladoo or an almond halwa. Do not use full-fat milk if you are making sweet items at home.
Most shop owners or individual manufacturers of snacks may not use fresh oil for making these goodies each time. Home chefs use urad flour and rice flour with spices added for both flavor and ease digestion.
Try making the snacks at home, and you will notice a dramatic difference in flavor. You will find them better for your digestion.
Check the source before buying from shops
Earlier sweets and treats were used to make at home, as a way for the family and community to come together. High-quality ingredients and fresh fats were used to make these goodies (1).
However, if you are going to buy sweets from outside, consider your sweets’ source and origin.
- You might know that shop owners may reuse fats, which makes them rancid, use toxic food coloring and ingredients that might not be the best for you.
You also need to ensure that fats will not be reused, and no food colors or preservatives are used in these sweets.
Also, avoid eating sweets from unknown places or when someone offers them to you if you are susceptible to falling ill.
Do not go empty stomach
Suppose you are planning an outing or visiting your relative’s home. Eat a small snack before you head out.
Choose snacks like boiled corn, mix veggie salad, a fruit bowl, sprouts, veggie soup, yogurt with crushed nuts, whole wheat bread sandwich, etc. This will keep you full and thereby prevent binging/overeating.
Plan a balanced meal
The best way to support yourself through the festivals is to ensure that you have balanced meals before indulging in sweets.
- If one meal goes for a toss, make sure the rest of the meals are absolutely on track. E.g., If you have a dinner party planned, make sure your meals throughout the day (breakfast, lunch, snacking items) are very much balanced and healthier.
- Enjoy a healthy sweet or treat after a nutritious breakfast, which has enough fiber, proteins, and vegetables.
- When you know that you will be eating more sugars than usual in these treats, cut all the sugars in the rest of your meals.
- Start your day with ample fiber and protein to ensure stable blood sugar levels. Add a digestive drink of boiled jeera and ajwain and sip on this drink thrice a day.
- Support your body with better digestion and make sure that you are moving around and doing some exercise. This will allow you to sail through the festival season without problems.
Continue your workout schedule
Do not even think or procrastinate about your daily exercise routine. Do not forget to work out.
- It will definitely help you maintain your metabolism in high gear, helping you burn calories faster.
Give it a try to a workout before going for an outing with family or joining any party. The spiked metabolism would help you burn better when you eat at the party.
Pick healthier snacks and desserts
Choose dry fruits/fruits/kheer/phirni/shrikhand (you can make it using hung curd)/dark chocolates/til or peanut chikkis/dink laddoos (gum arabic)/ sheera/ date rolls/ date-walnut mithai, etc. over any other sugar-loaded sweets.
Related read l Top 5 desserts for diabetes, every now and then
- Sweets made out of jaggery or organic honey are good to go. Remember, we need to take care of the portions too.
- Please choose baked food items over deep-fried ones. Read here in detail.
- Serve snacks like dhokla, masala peanuts, unsalted nuts, dry fruits, sprout-chaat, fruit salad, idlis, and baked chaklis.
- Try to avoid drinking alcohol, any diet soda, or artificial sweeteners and juices. Go easy with them as they are the major dehydrators and contain empty calories.
Instead, try lemon water, Jal jeera, flavored milk, spiced buttermilk; fresh fruit juice would be some better options here.
Keep yourself hydrated every time.
Drink water frequently throughout the day – consider these 8 healthful times to drink water. Drinking water after regular intervals, it will surely satiate the false hunger.
Get more antioxidants
The firecrackers are going to pollute the air. The pollutants (free radicals) have easy access to our bodies as we breathe.
- Neutralize the free radicals by consuming adequate antioxidants through colorful fruits, berries, and vegetables.
If you are a Diabetic…
During Diwali, you want to please your sweet tooth. However, people who have diabetes need to be extra cautious in their sweet intake.
It does not mean that you have to give up on sweets entirely. But you have to be careful and should limit the portions of your meal – particularly sweets. Try these sugar-free recipes to enjoy your Diwali to the fullest.
I have seen many people skipping sweets on Diwali, and having it at other times of the year is also not good. We could not blame the festivals for rising glucose levels. Be wise in eating sweets each day, be it a festival or a working day.
My Words
This time, considering the coronavirus pandemic, you need to be more cautious of health – may it eating sweets or lighting firecrackers.
You should be aware of what we suffer through if we continued eating sweets over several days. Overdoing traditional items made at home or bought from outside – will lead to an imbalance in your blood sugar levels and affect your health.
Try to balance and compensate for the sugar overload or excess sweets. In our further section, we will highlight a few tricks to know what to do next.
Enjoy the festival, stay mindful throughout, and have a great time! Happy Diwali!!