How To Eat Right & Stay Healthy This Festive Season!!

Transcription

1 How To Eat Right & Stay Healthy This Festive Season!! Here is that time of the year again, when you can neither stop binging on small pieces of mithai (sweets), nor can you ditch the guilt that comes with it as the festive season in India is a time to celebrate with family & friends. So, what can you do to stay fit this festive season without compromising on sweets. Well, prepare your body in advance. You can adapt ten days before the festive season begins, to prevent adding those extra inches of weight and guilt. Idea is to act smart and plan your intake in a way that you feel full throughout the day and resist temptations. From opting for a healthy breakfast and staying hydrated, to having super foods like aloe vera juice and popping some herbal pills, which improves digestion and keep blood sugar levels in check. 1

2 During the festivities, it would definitely be torturous to control your eating and follow a strict diet. However, a few tips can help you enjoy the festival along with keeping weight gain at bay. Diet is always about moderation and being able to make correct food choices. You could definitely indulge in sweets and fried foods, but stick to a small piece of sweets (single piece) or limited portion size, once a day. Always eat these food as individual items and not along with meals so the calories - are well distributed throughout the day. Follow your regular meal timings, prefera bly eating every two hours. Also remember to consume protein-rich food items like legumes, milk and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Whenever you indulge in fried food items or sweets, try to cut down the consumption of carbohydrates in the form of chapatti and rice. It is also essential to drink lots of water. Another good solution to maintain your weight is by selecting low-sugar and low-fat food items available in the market. Dry fruits, especially almonds (4-5) and walnuts (2-3), could be healthy replacements for sweets. While we are busy celebrating festivals, our bodies work overtime to digest the heavy festive food. They might be delicious, but they put pressure on our liver and digestive system. For instance, too much caffeine can play a spoilsport as it slows - down your digestion system & high amounts of sugar means liver has to work over time. More consumption of dairy products build mucus in the liver and results in increased build up of toxins and slower digestion. It is important to continue with - your regular physical activity, which will help burn extra calories. Limit the indul gence only to the festive season and do not let it linger post- festivities. How To Prepare Your Body For Festive Season? Heavy Breakfast to Avoid Binge Eating Why don't you start having healthy breakfast at least during this time of the year. For instance, you can go for a healthy grain like quinoa. If you are not a cereal person, besan chilla with less oil or made on non-stick pan would be perfect. Besan chilla, made of two third besan and one third oats, not only tastes good, but keeps you full through the day. 2

3 Cut Down Your Calorie Count Cutting down on calories at work that you gain on every day basis can help you compensate for the ones you will gain with festive sweets. For instance, avoid drinking 4-5 cups of tea or coffee when at work or skipping a cola bottle with lunch as this will help you cut down on calories. Too much caffeine intake (more than two cups a day) slows down the detoxification process of the liver and slows down digestion as well. Instead, switch to green tea. Sweets Made of Natural Sweeteners You can alternately also go for sweets made at home with natural sweeteners - like dates, pure honey or jaggery. For a change, you can ditch that kaju barfi and instead go for apple or lauki kheer as they taste a lot like phirni but are absolute ly calorie free, especially when made with raisins and honey or jaggery instead of sugar. If savoury and not sweet is your weakness, you can have snacks made using airfryers. Super Foods You Need Now Aloe vera, the best antacid, sip 2 tbsp of aloe vera juice every morning till festive season begins. Aloe vera ensures that your acidity levels are intact & also aids in better digestion. If you are diabetic, ensure you add a teaspoon of amla juice to it, which keeps the body's blood sugar within normal range. Stay Hydrated One can stay hydrated with plain drinking water or with healthy beverages such as nimbu pani with very less sugar or honey, iced green tea and buttermilk. 3

4 Early Morning Magic Potion Having warm water with lemon juice and a few drops of honey on an empty stomach in the morning helps in reducing body weight. Warm water also helps in treating constipation by making bowel movements easier. Detox for Damage Control You can also go for Triphala churan, one teaspoon with warm water for ten days at bedtime before the festivities begin. This will detoxify your body and help prevent deposition of fat by increasing your digestive capacity. Triphala churan assists natural internal cleansing, gently maintains regularity, supports healthy digestion and absorption and acts as a natural antioxidant. Increase Fiber Intake Fiber cleanses the digestive system and puts less pressure on the liver to digest food. Add some oats to your diet that have high fiber and protein content. Switch to Lighter Oils Heavier oils such as sesame seed oil and vegetable oil put a lot of pressure on the liver. Switch to oils like flax seed and olive oil that are easier to absorb by the body. How To Eat Healthy During Festive Season? Make Time for Breakfast People who skip a morning meal tend to eat more poorly through the day and also exercise less. Eat a breakfast comprising protein and fiber, they will stabi - lize your blood sugar and keep you going till mid-morning. 4

5 Smaller Portion Size Don't deprive yourself of your favourite treats. Think about portion sizes and eat smaller portions. You will find that small helpings of your favourite dishes are far more satisfying than overdoing it. Small portion size of fried snacks, sweets and other fatty preparations will help in keeping weight under control. Never Skip Meals Skipping lunch to compensate for a high calorie dinner is a terrible idea. Eating small regular meals, in addition to dinner, will keep your blood sugar stable and prevent cravings and you are far less likely to overeat. Eat Before You Step Out Before leaving for a party, eat a light snack. A salad or a fruit with a spoonful of peanut butter or almond butter or you can have a glass of soya milk and fruit - chaat, which can curb your appetite and make you less likely to fall for tempta tion during the party. Avoid Second Helping Howsoever tempted you are, be firm and put your plate down after you are through with your first helping. Eat Slow Instead of filling up your plate to brim, take fewer things at one time. Eat them slowly and gradually. Light Dinners Try to keep lunch parties instead of dinners. Have early and light dinners. 5

6 Stockpile Fruits & Vegetables Any meal should comprise a large portion of fruits & vegetables. Be it cucumber sticks, a mixed salad, a fruit chaat or whole fruit, make them a part of your diet during these times. Practice Healthy Cooking Try and make your favourite dishes healthier. Make brown rice pulao, sweeten kheer with jaggery and opt for fruit salad instead of ras malai. These simple changes will make an impact over time. Use Low Fat Ingredients While preparing sweets at home, try using low fat (skimmed) milk and other - dairy products; rather than using refined sugar, either switch to artificial sweet ener or if possible, substitute with natural sugar like honey, jaggery and dates. Use of Dalda i.e. vanaspati ghee is to be avoided every time; use whole wheat flour instead of refined flour for making sweets & snacks. Choice of Sweets Prefer sweets like ladoos (suji, coconut, etc), kheer, gajar (carrot) or lauki (bot - tle gourd) halwa. They are nutrient dense and have fewer calories than fried sweets like gulab jamun, jalebi, etc. Try to have sweets and high calorie foods in the first half of the day, during festival season. Dry Fruits Over Deep Fried If there is a choice between dry fruits and sweets, opt for dry fruits. Even if dry fruits are equally high in calories at least they are not empty calories. Most of the snacks and sweets are made of refined flour, which holds very less nutritive value. 6

7 Drink Water Before Snacking To bring in the feeling of fullness, drink water before snacking, this will definite ly bring down your craving and will make you eat less. Gulp few sips of hot water after having sweets for better digestion. No Carbonated Drinks - All of us tend to offer and drink a lot of non-alcoholic beverages during the course of the day and with meals. Don't overdose on juice either, whole fruit is way better. Try to stay away from carbonated drinks & sodas as they add unnec essary empty calories, which will be very difficult to burn later on. Share Gifted Sweets Don't keep all the sweets and chocolates that you get only for your indulgence, be generous & share them with young ones in the family, relatives, neighbors and people in the area or those who are less fortunate. Exercise Regularly The benefits of exercise are known to all of us. Continue with regular exercise routine, motivate yourself to run an extra mile- to bust stress and keep yourself feeling good or if you are indulging in sweets. A moderate and daily increase in exercise can help offset the increase in eating and calories. 7

8 Healthy Festive Season Recipes Fruits & Makhana Kheer Pumpkin & Apple Soup Dry roast and grind 1/2 cup of makhanas to a powder. Boil 500 ml low-fat milk for 5 minutes, add makhana powder, stir and boil for another 5 minutes. Let the mix cool down. Add 1/4 tsp cardamom powder and 1 cup of chopped fruits (apple, pear, pomegranate & banana). Serve hot or cold. Pressure cook 1 cup chopped red pumpkin, 1 cup apple (chopped) and 1 inch cinnamon stick in a cup of water. Cool and blend the mix. Transfer to a pan and add the seasonings ( a pinch of rock salt, pepper to taste). Switch off the gas flame, add 1 cup of low- fat milk and stir well. Serve hot. Oats & Carrot Kheer Rose Barfi Soak 4 tbsp of oats and 8-10 pieces of raisins in 1 cup of milk for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile wash and peel the skin of carrot and grate it. Take a pan, add the remaining 1 cup milk and the grated carrot, boil the milk with carrot for 5 minutes in low flame. Now add the soaked oats and raisins, again boil for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp of cardamom powder, 4-5 pcs of broken almonds and 2 tsp of honey/jaggery powder. Mix well and serve hot or cold. Mix 3/4 cup low-fat paneer, 3 tbsp low-fat crumbled mava and 2 1/2 tbsp powder sugar and knead it into soft dough. Add a tbsp of water if required, divide the mixture into two equal portions. Add 1-2 drops of rose color to one portion of the dough, spread the white portion on a greased thali and flatten the surface with a spatula. Then spread the pink colored mixture over the white colored mixture and flatten the surface. Refrigerate the plate for at least 1 hour and cut into barfi sized pieces and serve. 8

9 Ways To Detoxify Your Body After The Festive Season Drink Warm Lime Water With Honey Every Morning This stimulates the digestive system, and helps to keep away from constipation. Also, the lemon helps the liver function, which in turn helps the digestive system break down complex foods better. Honey, on the other hand, fights any type of infection present in the stomach. Drink Lots of Green Tea It is loaded with polyphenols, which function as powerful antioxidants. One of the most powerful compounds in green tea is the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (CGCG) which is great for cleansing one's body from impurities and toxins. Drink Milk Regularly in Measured Quantities Milk contains a big package of nutrients that is especially important for bone health, which makes your body stronger while doing away with impurities. Yogurt is also very good for the digestive system. Keep Away from Caffeine Stay away from caffeinated drinks since the caffeine interferes in the body's process of absorbing nutrients. 9

10 Drink Lots of Water Water flushes the toxins out of vital organs and carries nutrients to your cells. Increase Foods With Fiber in Your Diet Dietary fibre plays a role in modulating the immune system and therefore, results in a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and obesity. Many whole plant foods are rich in different types of dietary fibres. Oats, wheat, corn and rice bran are high in insoluble fiber. Having oats and muesli in the break fast is a great way of incorporating fibres in your diet. Take Vitamin Rich Foods This is an essential nutrient that the body cannot produce enough of on its own. So, it is important to make sure you balance your vitamins in your diet and for this a balanced diet is a must. Cut back on the sweets a bit and concentrate on foods from all the major groups- fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy, grains and a little bit of healthy fats Exercise Get back into an exercise regime. Even a 30 minute brisk walk will help you shed those extra kilos. 10

11 Recipes To Detox Post Festive Season ABC Juice Take 1 apple (chopped), 1 beetroot (chopped) and 1 carrot (chopped). Blend all these ingredients together, add a squeeze of lemon and drink immediately. Oatmeal With Nuts & Fruit Boil 30 gms of oats with 180 ml milk for a minute or soak in curd for half an hour. Add the remaining ingredients like 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder, 1 tsp chia seeds, 1 apple or banana (chopped), 5-7 almonds (chopped) and enjoy this perfect detoxifying breakfast. Sprout Bowl Take 1 cup moong bean sprouts, par boiled with turmeric and a pinch of salt, 1 grated carrot, 1 cup chopped onion, tomato, onion salad, 1 tbsp of pomegranate seeds & coriander leaves, 1/2 tsp of chilli powder, cumin powder & chaat masala with 1 tsp lemon juice. Mix all the ingredients and eat as a snack or a satisfying meal. Pressure cook the 1/2 cup of assorted root vegetables (carrots, beets, sweet potatoes) with water for 1 whistle. Add 1 cup of mixed vegetables (onions, cabbage, red-yellow peppers) except spinach and boil for few minutes. Season the vegetables with 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 tsp of cumin powder and - turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon - powder, salt & pepper to taste and add green beans. Allow it to adopt the flavours and slowly pour in 3 cups of vegetable stock and let it simmer with a covered lid for about minutes. Now, add 1 cup of spinach and 1/2 tsp of lemon juice and serve hot. Detox Salad Cleansing Soup Take 1 grated carrot, 1 chopped cucumber, 1 katori of red cabbage (shredded) and colored peppers (cubed), 1 katori broccoli florets (blanched), 1 katori low-fat paneer cubes, 1 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves, 1 tsp of sesame seeds & pumpkin seeds, 1 lemon (juiced), salt and pepper to taste. Mix all these ingredients together to make a power-packed and delicious salad. 11

12 Thus, watching what you eat plays a major role in ensuring you control your calorie intake during the festive season, but burning the calories you consume is equally important. So, don't skip your workout. If you don't have a fixed routine, take half an hour out to walk, jog or cycle everyday as cardio is the quickest way to burn calories. Remember, let nothing dull your sparkle, especially not during the festive season. Go by our easy to follow tips and stay high on the joy and low on the weight. 12

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