Written By: Tavishi Dogra | Updated : December 12, 2023 6:27 PM IST
Medically Verified By:
The past month has been abuzz with festive vibes! It's been a whirlwind of joyful gatherings from Navratri, Durga Puja, and Dusshera to Dhanteras, Diwali, and Bhai-Dooj. This season brings everyone together friends, families, colleagues, and the entire community for a delightful feast of togetherness and deliciousness. In these festive times, we all understand that food takes centre stage. The aroma of namkeens, the lovely sweetness of gulab jamun or lassi and the joy of sharing bites weave together a rich experience of flavour and togetherness. Everyone joins in enjoying these culinary delights, adding to the essence of these festivals. But here's a little secret you can enjoy the festivities with a mindful twist. Yes, it's time to embrace a celebration that's fun and supports your well-being.
Sheryl Salis, Registered Dietitian and Founder of Nurture Health Solutions, Saffola 40 Under 40 Nutrition Partner, serves up mindful moments featuring simple and easily adaptable steps. Eating right maintains a healthy lifestyle while indulging in feasts.
Let's start with a simple tip: downsizing without feeling down. Settle for smaller plates and watch your portion sizes shrink. Pour that sugary beverage into smaller glasses it's a small switch, but it adds up! Chew your food slowly, savouring every bite. Use your plate as a portion guide load up half with veggies, a quarter with protein, and the rest with whole grains. And sip some water before diving in it helps distinguish between genuine hunger and mere thirst.
Give your festive menu a healthy makeover by opting for whole grains. Choose oats, whole wheat, or millet for a nourishing twist. Full wheat wraps are a hit say goodbye to refined flour. Even for coating cutlets, go for coarsely ground oats, like breadcrumbs or semolina, instead of the usual suspects.
Don't let sodium sneak up on you while you get carried away and overindulge in treats. Try a squeeze of lime on your salad instead of reaching for the salt or chaat masala. Using tamarind, kokum, and amchur powder can help manage sodium intake. Also, fresh meat beats processed options. Enjoy pickles, papads, or chutneys in moderation. As for added sugar keep an eye on it. Added sugars are refined sugars and syrups added to the foods and do not occur naturally in the food, nor do they provide any nutrition. Use fresh fruits over packaged fruit juices, less sugar in your tea, and swap flavoured yoghurt for the plain variety small steps, big difference.
