5 Cheat Foods You Can Indulge In This Festive Season Without Gaining Weight

Festive eating and weight gain go hand-in-hand. You deviate from your diet plan and give in to your sugar cravings eating just two kajukatlis, and your waistline increases exponentially. You wonder why? Well let’s do the maths here. One kajukatli has approximately 50 kcals; eating two at a time will add 100 Kcals to your diet. Now during the entire festive season, say 10 days of Navratri, you eat two kajukalis every day, that’s 1000 calories extra during those days. And, the festivities have just begun. Also, we are just talking about one sweet, what about the savouries, other sugary snack that is all around during these festivities. Mind you, that 30 minutes daily walk will not be enough to burn off these excess calories, but a smart move would be to take charge of your diet. Bring in healthy diet tweaks to enjoy the festivity and keep your weight in control.

Here are some smart and healthy diet tips along with some cheat food options from Shilpa Joshi, Head- Metabolic Nutrition, Fitterfly; Vice President of Indian Dietetic Association to help you keep your weight in check during the festive season:

1. Homemade sweets over store mithais & farsans

Ditch the namkeens – bhujias, chips, chakli that are packed and sold in the market as they are loaded with preservatives and are high in salt. Likewise, stop buying ladoos and barfis in abundance from the mithai shop. Instead, try to make fresh homemade sweets and savouries. While preparing them at home you can use healthy ingredients and keep a tab on the sugar and refined flour that goes in the making of these festive foods.

Quick tip: Use natural sweeteners like jaggery or stevia to prepare your sweets. If you are pressed for time and cannot put in efforts to make ladoos and pedas, try preparations like kheer, fruit yoghurt, shrikhand, paneer ka mithai like Sandesh.

2. Fruits, make them a part of festive foods

There needs to be this cultural transition happening. Festivities should not be synonyms to sweets but fruits and healthy eating. Stop gifting or accepting sweet boxes during festivities. Instead, wish people with fruits and buy some for yourself. You can try various recipes with fruits – fruit salads, smoothies, custard, fruit desserts and the options are plenty. The plus point is that you can be as experimental as possible with fruits and never go wrong. And they keep your belly and waistline from expanding.

However, keep in mind to choose fruits low in GI (glycemic index), so they don’t raise your blood sugar levels after consumption. Your best picks are apples, plums, cherries, grapefruit, pears, oranges and dried apricots.

3. Have nuts and dried fruits handy

Munching on nuts or having them as a snack is a good idea; they are a healthier alternative to high- carb high-sugar snacks. But don’t go overboard with them because they are high in calories too. Alternatively, you can use nuts as a dressing for salads or desserts too. Your best picks: almonds, raisins, dried apricots, dried figs, sunflower and sesame seeds. You can have cashew and pistachio, too but in moderation—just a few pieces, not a handful of them.

4. Don’t miss out on healthy beverages

Stock up with healthy beverages like low-fat lassi, chass, coconut water or lime juice. One thing that we often tend to miss during festivities is to remain hydrated adequately. Staying hydrated can maintain the optimum fluids that the body and also keep your cravings in check. This will help you stay alert and keep a tab on your calories too.

5. Opt for healthy flours

Give the maida or white flour a miss and opt for other healthy flours like kuttu atta, rajgira flour and millet flour to make your sweets and savouries.

Even if you follow all these suggestions and try to eat healthy during the festive season, there could be fluctuations in your blood sugar readings leading to a situation of crisis. The reason: You should know how these healthy foods affect your personal glycemic response, which is simply how your blood sugars react to certain foods. Remember, no two people will have the same glycemic response to the same food. Getting a meal mapping done with expert help can help you choose the right foods for your body type and indulge without guilt but in moderation.

Other useful tips:

1. Cook small portions so you don’t have to consume them for a prolonged period

2. Avoid having foods that are refrigerated for more than a few days

3. Avoid deep-fried foods

4. Avoid replacing sweets and savouries for meals. Have meals during your meal times and treat sweets as desserts

5. Don’t forget to exercise even during the festive season

6. Always opt for the healthy options for your cooking – low fat, natural sweeteners, etc

7. Replace your packaged fruit drinks with homemade lemonades or freshly squeezed out juices.

8. Don’t deviate from your diet plans