Diwali 2022 guilt-free eating guide: Tips to relish festive treats mindfully | Health - Hindustan Times
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Diwali 2022 guilt-free eating guide: Tips to relish festive treats mindfully

By, Delhi
Oct 21, 2022 01:04 PM IST

Diwali 2022: These tips and tricks while eating your breakfast, lunch and dinner could prevent festive weight gain and digestive troubles.

Diwali 2022: Looking forward to Diwali but worried about gaining those unwanted kilos? The combination of guilt and calories is never a good one, and this is the reason you should choose neither of the two and go for mindful eating in moderation this Diwali. This is that time of the year when you want to forego your regular breakfast and munch on some Diwali-special snacks as you sit and chat with your family and near and dear ones. While going overboard could backfire in various ways, having everything in moderation would make you a winner. Choosing homemade over store-bought is another trick that could do wonders. (Also read: Weight loss tips: Best fruits to eat for shedding kilos before Diwali)

Follow moderation and mindful eating, not dietary restrictions this Diwali. (Shutterstock)
Follow moderation and mindful eating, not dietary restrictions this Diwali. (Shutterstock)

You can sharpen your culinary skills this Diwali by trying out some mouth-watering delicacies that would also taste better than many readymade eatables. Also, what you consume (or do) before and after enjoying your festive food could also make a lot of difference. Take a longer walk, eat a more fibre-rich diet, drink loads of water, do not forget your workout and add some effective probiotics to your diet for balancing out stuff that's slightly high on calorie side.

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"Diwali, is the festival of lights, get togethers, family bonding and celebration. As a nutritionist often I get asked “so what should my Diwali diet be?” I believe that festivals like Diwali is the heart of our Indian culture and heritage, so we should not follow restrictions during these events but moderation and mindful eating," says Avantii Deshpaande, Gut health expert and nutritionist.

Here are a few tips by Avantii that you can keep in mind and enjoy Diwali guilt-free.

1. Enjoy the Diwali breakfast smartly: From childhood, we have been savouring the aroma of preparations like chakli, chivda, laddoo and various regional homemade sweets. You can very well enjoy these snacks along with a breakfast which is rich in protein, for example, combine the chakli or chivda with a moong dal chilla or a paneer bhurji. Alternatively, you can have the laddoo with a glass of milk. Pohe and chakli or namkeen is a common breakfast combination during Diwali. At these times, combine this with a handful of nuts like almonds which are a good source of protein.

2. Time your Diwali delicacies: Diwali delicacies can also be savoured as a mid-meal snack in between the breakfast and lunch. Eating these as a midmeal snack will ensure portion control since you won’t be very hungry at these times. Alternatively, your 4 pm chai (without sugar) can be combined with these snacks along with some nuts.

3. Plan lunch and dinner smartly: Often the lunch or even the dinners during Diwali are with family and friends. Some of the dishes served could be loaded with calories. At such times, make it a point to start your meals with a good portion of salad, followed by a protein portion like dals with roti or rice. Always wrap up the meals with a glass of buttermilk which will be a source of probiotics.

4. Stay well-hydrated: Diwali parties, late nights and eating foods which are high in fats and sugars could cause dehydration leading to acidity and headaches. Make it a point that you have a bottle of water handy and you keep sipping water throughout the day - about eight to ten glasses.

5. Take care of your gut health: Festivities change our routine completely. In addition to this, we are having food which we do not eat otherwise. So, make it a point to include fibre-rich foods like salads and fruits, at least 5 serves in the day and 1 glass of buttermilk with meals or in between. Make sure you start the day with a glass of water with lemon juice, amla juice or apple cider vinegar to increase the stomach acid which will aid digestion.

"Enjoy the festival for three to four days and then make it point to get back to routine with workouts and regular diet. Don’t save up any extra sweets post Diwali. Out of site is out of mind," concludes Avantii.

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