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Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of India’s most anticipated and celebrated festivals among the Indian diaspora worldwide. It’s a time of joy, togetherness, and exchanging gifts and sweets. However, the traditional way of celebrating Diwali often involves indulging in high-calorie sweets, and oily snacks, which can take a toll on your health. Celebrate the triumph of light over darkness this year with healthier desserts. In this blog, we explore various tips and ideas so you can enjoy Diwali without compromising your well-being.

Balance of Energy Intake and Expenditure

Uncontrolled food intake, especially during the festive season, can lead to increased inflammation, poor digestion, slowed metabolism and weight gain. Thus, ensuring we stay healthy while enjoying our festivals to the hilt is a concern that needs to be addressed during the festive season. Therefore, we are encouraged to practice healthy eating according to the tips for healthy eating. This will help us enjoy the meal during the festive season without compromising our health.

1. Plan your meals

Diwali is synonymous with a happy get-together of friends and family over sumptuous foods and snacks. Eating out, overindulgence in food and lavish meals for guests and families are the most usual ways of spending these holidays together with loved ones. Unlike a usual day, Diwali meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner tend to be high in fat, sugar, salt and refined flour or maida. If the temptations are too much to resist and you end up eating for the better part of the day, restrict your dinner intake. Or if you have a friend’s Diwali dinner party to attend, plan your meals for the day. Keep lunch and breakfast small and light. If it is a lunch you are attending, plan your breakfast and dinner.

2. Intermittent Fasting

Eating food in a window of 8 to 10 hours gives the digestive system and metabolism longer breaks. This allows the body to better handle many of the negative effects of a relatively not-so-healthy diet like rebalancing insulin spikes, detoxifying, reducing inflammation, etc.

3. Focus on fibre-rich food

Limit your intake of fried foods and foods made from refined ingredients. While at a party choose to have salad and stir-fried vegetables instead of fried snacks. Fibre leaves you feeling full without causing you to gain weight. Eating raw or steamed salads in one of the meals is also a good and easy way to keep the system balanced and avoid many of the health-related pitfalls commonly associated with festivals.

4. Enjoy a Diwali snack at evening snack time

Do not have Diwali snacks accompanied by any regular meal (for example sweets with lunch/dinner). You can have it as a small meal (for example as a tea-time snack). Remember, portion control is the key. Avoid munching these snacks or sweets throughout the day.

5. Prefer healthy replacements

You can prefer dry fruits over sweets or fried snacks. You can also experiment with cooking methods. (for example baked Chaklies, roasted chidwa over fried chidwa and date rolls without sugar.)

6. Choose to eat salads

Salads provide our body with fiber. A nutritionist would advise salads to be eaten every day since it is the right way to eat. During Diwali especially, when we eat so much oil and ghee-based food, cleansing the system becomes a necessity. This Diwali, make a conscious choice to include a lot of fiber in your food. When you have guests over for a Diwali feast, serve them lots of tasty and healthy salads as well.

Some of our Favourite Salad Recipes:

Spinach, lettuce and cherry tomatoes in honey lemon dressing salad

Mixed Sprouts, fruits and veggie salad

Pumpkin Spinach Salad With Tahini Dressing

Mexican Quinoa Salad

Cauliflower and Squash Base Warm Salad

Zucchini Broccoli Salad

7. Exercise

Apart from controlling your food intake during the festive season, it is important to burn calories too. So don’t skip your workout. Give at least half an hour to walk, jog or cycle every day as cardio is the quickest way to burn calories, reset your metabolism and reduce inflammation.

8. Prioritize Mental Health

Amidst the joy and celebration, it’s essential to prioritize your mental health. Diwali can be a stressful time for some due to various reasons, such as family dynamics, financial pressures, or the need to meet social expectations. Take time to relax, meditate, or engage in stress-reduction activities like deep breathing exercises. Ensure that you’re not overextending yourself and have realistic expectations for the festival.

Tips for the Preparation of Healthy Food during Diwali

Instead of using refined oils, use good quality A2 ghee or coconut oil in traditional recipes.
Reduce the sugar content of traditional sweets such as laddoo by using natural sweetening substances such as raisins, cherries or dried apricots. Sweeteners like monkfruit sugar and stevia are also good options.
Fried foods such as Muruku can also be prepared without oil in a microwave oven.
Prepare meals in small serving sizes.
Serve fresh fruits as dessert.
Reduce the serving of sweetened beverages and ensure that flavored water is always available for guests.