Shubh Diwali: Tips For Guilt-Free Eating

This Diwali, make health your priority!

Millions celebrate the Indian festival of lights; the significance is to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. It Is also known as a festival of giving and sharing. 

Food plays a vital role in Diwali celebrations because it is an Indian festival. Festivals like Diwali are known for their joyous celebrations, which often include a variety of delicacies. 

There is something for everyone: savoury treats like chakali, sev, chivda, and sweet meals like shakkar paare, laddu, and karanji. Mostly, these dishes are full of fats and calories and are not suitable if you are on a healthy diet. Limiting yourself is challenging, but we cannot let five days of festivities undo all of our hard work. 

People with pre-existing health conditions and those trying to lose weight may find it difficult to enjoy the festivities. 

So, Toneop presents a few tips to help you have a guilt-free Diwali.

Important Tips For A Guilt-Free Eating 

1. Guilt Is More Harmful Than Calories

Guilt causes us to be stressed. While most of us manage stress well, the guilt of emotional eating and the subsequent stress on the body can cause weight gain. When cortisol levels rise, the body enters storage mode, converting everything we eat into fat. So take a breath and look at the brighter side. Healthier food options to enjoy the festival without being anxious.

2. No Salt Afternoon

The finest way to lose weight is to avoid cooked foods and salt from when you wake up until noon. 

Breakfast should consist of fruits, including pulpy ones. 

The best thing to opt for is to eat two whole fruits for breakfast and half a fruit whenever you feel hungry until lunchtime. Those who dislike fruits can combine them with raw vegetables or boiled sprouts. Include more citrus and fibrous fruits in the recipe. 

The benefit of doing so is that it provides your body with a burst of vitamins, minerals, and natural enzymes, leaving you feeling light and preparing your body to digest lunch efficiently.

3. Go On A Cleaning Spree

A cleaning spree is more of a preparatory step before Diwali, but it is comparable to a workout. So, no more justifications for gaining weight because you missed your workout! Instead of going to the gym, indulge in household chores. Believe it or not, it can help you lose weight: sweeping and mopping the floor burns about 250 calories per hour, washing the car burns over 300 calories per hour, and doing the dishes burns about 100 calories per hour. Furthermore, everyone in the house, including the men and children, can help with this! 

Moreover, domestic help is never available for celebrations, so women everywhere will be grateful.

4. Rest, Rest, Rest

Allow your body to rest after all of your hard work. We know Diwali is a lot of work besides the festivities. After all, having fun is serious business! But, unfortunately, a sleep-deprived body also goes into disaster-control mode: it perceives scarce resources and stores whatever it is fed. So make sure you get at least 8 hours of sound sleep every night and try to fit in an hour or two of nap time in the afternoon.

5. Do Not Go Overboard 

While sweets are permitted, ensure you do not overdo them in the snacks. The key is portion control. For example, stop after one laddu or karanji. Also, sweets should be consumed as a snack rather than immediately before or after a meal.

Stopping yourself from eating unhealthy foods is a lot you would be doing during the festivals; let us enlighten you with tips that can be useful to keep eating healthy and guilt-free.

Few Healthy Eating Tips To Stay Healthy During Festivals 

1. Regarding eating your favourite festival foods, moderation is key. Portion control can assist you in limiting your calorie intake. Fill the plate with smaller portions and avoid refilling it.

2. Dietary fibre-rich foods should make up the majority of your plate.

3. If possible, hold the lunch party during the day rather than at night.

4. Before going to a party or get-together, eat some fruit or a small meal.

5. Avoid fasting the entire day before going to a party because it will not help you control your intake and instead cause you to overeat.

6. Begin your meal with a liquid beverage such as soup, buttermilk, or lime water to help suppress your appetite. Avoid beverages with added sugar.

7. Begin your meal with a protein option to increase satiety. Protein-rich foods can include pulses, sprouts, curd, buttermilk, grilled chicken, fish, and so on.

8. Choose one fried savoury snack and one sweet delicacy at a time. Consume neither at the same time. If possible, choose roasted or baked savoury snacks over deep-fried ones.

9. When drinking, choose beverages with no added sugar.

10. Aside from water, keep yourself hydrated by drinking about 2-3 litres of fluids from soups, smoothies, lime water, coconut water, infused water, and so on.

11. Avoid packaged, ready-to-eat foods; the more processed foods consumed, the fewer nutrients are available.

12. Regularly exercising for at least 30 minutes per day could help you easily maintain weight during the holiday season. Do not follow the crowd; instead, pursue activities you enjoy. Brisk walking, jogging, Zumba, aerobics, yoga, Pilates, HIIT, or strength training are all excellent options.

Moving on to the things to remember when trying to eat guilt-free.

Strict Don'ts For Guilt-Free Eating 

1. Do Not feel bad about eating what you want!

Seriously, how did food become so guilt-inducing in the first place? 

Feeling guilty is a choice; be aware when you allow negative thoughts and feelings to drive guilt, which only serves to exacerbate the situation in the long run.

2. You Do Not Have To Do Penance For Eating

Do not skip meals, overwork yourself, or deprive yourself afterwards. 

Inversely, planning to compensate encourages more eating. So instead, make it your goal to feel better when you finish eating than when you started.

3. Stop Sweetening Your Tea And Coffee

It is simple as it seems and allows you to save the sugar for your favourite ladoo. Instead, you can go for herbal teas for health benefits.

4. Keep An Eye Out For Hidden Sugar

It is critical to read the label. For example, if sugar is mentioned in the first three ingredients of any product, avoid eating that food for the time being.

5. Do Not Entirely Go Sugar-Free.

It may aid calorie reduction, but it will keep your sweet cravings alive, causing you to consume far more meetha throughout the day. So instead, pounce on low-calorie sweet dishes like moong-dal halwa, almond-phirni kheer, coconut and nuts burfi or homemade makhana kheer for healthy options and guilt-free sugar consumption.

6. Do Not Use Festival As An Excuse

You are mistaken if you believe you can eat whatever you want now and take care of your health later. On the contrary, your health should be your priority every day, and you should strike a balance.

If you must eat a heavy dinner, eat a smaller lunch. Also, remember to eat a healthy, substantial breakfast every day. It is critical to start your day with good nutrients, as this will help keep your cravings at bay throughout the day.

7. You Must Look After Your Friends And Family

We all give mithai boxes, chocolates, and cookies to our friends. We must stop doing that and start thinking about what we offer our loved ones. This Diwali, let us change how we express love to our close ones by gifting them healthier substitutes than mithai ka dabba.

That soan papdi has places to go than in your stomach!

Remember, not what you eat during the holidays determines your health's fate, but how consistently you make healthy choices throughout the year. See the difference by following these healthy eating tips.

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