Diwali 2023: The festival of lights, Diwali, is right around the corner. Every year, the festival brings immense joy and it is an occasion to unite and eat lots of varieties of food.
However, it is important to be mindful of what we eat and what we avoid. Ruchika Jain – Chief Clinical nutritionist, Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj told Financial Express.com that staying healthy during the festival season is a difficult task.
“Distributing Diwali sweets is a tradition where everyone indulges and gets a lot of calories to gain. Staying healthy during the festival season is a difficult task. The only key here is to maintain discipline on what to eat when to eat, and how much to eat. Festivals also cause a lack of sleep, inflation or bloating, late-night indulgences, and traveling. Festivals are the right time to focus on health,” Jain said.
Tips to stay healthy during Diwali 2023
According to Jain, you should take the following steps this Diwali:
- Hydration is the key to staying healthy. Before going for a party or outing, have plenty of water. This will keep your stomach full, and you will eat less.
- Prepare home-cooked sweets- Remember those days when shops and malls were not the situation in every part of the city and our parents & grandparents used to make those sweets at home. Making sweets at home could be tedious but one can make small portions and have healthy food.
- Replace artificial sweeteners with a healthy option of honey. Lots of fruits and nuts also have natural sugar, you can use them instead of white crystal sugar. Tweaking the recipe with healthy options is always good.
- Healthy snacking: Avoid fried, packed, and bakery products, instead go for snacks like dhokla, khandvi, roasted nuts mix, etc. Snacks that are baked, sundried, or air-fried are a better option than deep-fried foods.
- Mindful eating: It is very important to remember what you have eaten during the day and what you should eat next. For example, if you ate one sweet in the morning avoid it for the rest of the day.
- Portion control is the key as it helps you get the benefits of the nutrients in the food without overeating. It’s really important to understand what should be consumed and in how much quantity.
“Those who have co-morbidities like diabetes, BP, obesity, thyroid, and other underlying conditions must be mindful of their eating,” Jain told Financial Express.com.