How to choose healthier sweets this Diwali season; Know here!
The countdown to Diwali has begun and after following two years of Covid restrictions, people are looking forward to celebrating the festival with all their near and dear ones. While it is the perfect opportunity to attend multiple get-togethers and eat to one’s heart’s content, it is also important to choose the festive food mindfully if one wants to avoid health issues and sudden weight gain.
The good news is there is no dearth of healthy Indian sweets that one could have without feeling guilty. Sugar and maida are two ingredients that can cause inflammation in the body which can increase your chances of chronic diseases. Have high-protein and high-fibre mithais and sweeten your Diwali delights with natural alternatives. Also, never go overboard. The key is to consume everything in moderation.
Choose sweets with a milk base
“Milk has protein and fats. Even if sweets are cream-based, the glycaemic index will be lower. So, pick chena (milk protein) over rasmalai (milk fat) and biscuits or cake which has both sugar and maida. Chena has the most amount of protein, followed by rasmalai and then biscuits,” says the nutritionist.
Pick fibre-rich sweets
“Besan is high in fibre, millets come close second. Have besan ladoo over ragi sweets and atta ladoo. Besan has the highest fibre followed by ragi and atta,” adds Rastogi.
Pick sweets with natural sugar or artificial sweeteners
Rastogi says fresh dates that have fructose and fibre which is much healthier than artificial sweeteners are safe to consume in moderation.
Moderation is key
Rastogi says eating in small portions can help you indulge in Diwali festivities and at the same time not face any adverse effect of it.