Staying healthy over Diwali

It’s just one week until Diwali, a time when many enjoy their treats and just let go of their healthier eating patterns.  However, if you do overindulge, you will find yourself feeling bloated, heavier and more lethargic soon after. 

To stay healthy, when still enjoying the festivities, do watch my short video, where I share some practical tips that you can easily follow. 

An easy way to make it a healthy meal is by simply just adding in some vegetables.  This is one food group that so many people overlook and it’s the one I emphasise on in my programs.  Make your vegetables any way that you enjoy eating them, also including them in curries.

Keep drinking water through the day to hydrate you instead of having juices or soft drinks that are high in sugar.

It’s important during the coming weeks to keep track of what you are eating without having to count calories.  So, when you prepare your plate, keep an eye on what you putting in it and also what your portion sizes are. 

Eat mindfully, enjoy the taste, flavours, textures or what you are eating.
 
Limit your processed snacks. Yes, I know there is that temptation to eat numerous snacks and often, it’s habitual, because it’s what we have always done at this time of the year.  The problem is that most of our traditional Indian sweet foods are high in sugar and fat.  And the savoury foods, tend to be fried and are therefore high in fat and also may be too salty.

Instead make some simple swaps, so you can try and stay healthy this Diwali. Instead of fried food like pakoras or samosas why not have healthier snacks that are steamed like dhokla.   You can also bake samosas and pakoras, and I agree, they don’t taste the same as the fried ones, but you won’t have that heavy feeling after.  When making pakoras don’t use only potatoes, use other vegetables such as carrots, corn, spinach and zucchini.
 
Also, you don’t need to avoid your favourite sweet treats but reduce the serving size. I too love my sweet treats such as ras malai, which I have occasionally, but only a small portion.

And for some healthy snack recipes do check out my Diwali treats recipe book so you can make your own healthy treats using ingredients available easily.