Festival of Lights: Easy Diet Tips for a Healthy, Happy Diwali

Diwali is the time of diyas, crackers and family get together; it is also the time for snacks and sweets, which just means a hundred reasons for you to put on the holiday weight. It can be a trying occasion, having to battle between indulging and abstaining from the mouth-watering, ghee- infused, festive treats.

Here are a few tips that will help you to enjoy a guilt-free Diwali without compromising on your health:

Make Mithai at Home

Not only are the sweets bought from markets high in calories, they also take away the fun from mithai-making as a family. Get in the holiday spirit and bring your family together to make your own mithai. That way you can make them a little healthier and keep watch on the caloric content.

When making the sweets yourself, avoid artificial sweeteners and opt for natural ones like dates, jaggery and figs. Make use of skimmed milk and honey while making desserts. Minimise the size of the sweets and add extra dried fruits and nuts or keep fresh fruits along with the indulgent snacks, so that the healthier option is also available.

Stay Hydrated and Fibre-ated

During the festival season, it's snack time all the time and with all the rush, people sometimes forget to drink enough water. Low fluid intake can make you feel weak or tired, but make sure that you replace all sugary beverages and aerated drinks with water, lime juice, green tea or buttermilk.

Drinking a lot of water will also make your stomach feel partially full, stopping you from taking that tasty mithai half the time. Also, dietary fibres help in cutting down calorie count. So, indulge in fibre-rich foods.

Say no to Food Colours and Preservatives

Stay away from sweets that use artificial food colours and chemical preservatives, as these can cause damage to your kidneys and liver and even trigger asthma attacks. So, when in doubt, opt for a dry fruit barfi over a mawa or coconut barfi, as the former at least provides some nutrients along with the calories.

Also, avoid eating sweets with silver-coating as these coatings, adulterated with aluminium are also unhealthy for you.

Avoid Alcohol

It is better to say 'No' to alcohol, as it is quite possible to go overboard in the name of celebration on this day spent with friends and family. Avoiding alcohol consumption before and on Diwali night will not only save you from extra calories, but will also allow you to properly enjoy the festivities.

Save yourself from the hangover and the risk of driving while intoxicated, as visiting family members and last-minute shopping are unavoidable during the festival of lights.

Eat Healthy Snacks

Mithais aren't the only villains during Diwali, the intake of salt and fat in the form of namkeen and farsan are very high too. One of the simplest and effective ways to make snacks healthy, is to bake them instead of frying them, chaklies and puris are irresistible either way, so you are not disappointing anyone.

The crowd-favourites like khakras and chivdas can be made healthier by cooking in healthier oils, like Olive Oil, or roast them instead.