Diwali 2022: Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar suggests to eat puri, halwa and lots of mithais; read to know more

Diwali 2022: Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar suggests to eat puri, halwa and lots of mithais; read to know more

From following a culturally compliant diet to curating your own special Diwali menu, here’s a complete guide to indulging in the festive season in the right spirit

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Thursday, October 20, 2022, 07:45 PM IST
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Diwali is almost here! And with the festive season kicking in full steam, healthy habits and pre-planned diets tend to take a backseat. So to keep you healthy and without any guilts after the festive season is over, celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar shares a complete guide to indulging in the festive season in the right spirit.

Follow a sustainable and culture compliant diet:

The whole idea of being on a diet is to get healthier, fitter and leaner. If one must achieve that then the diet must be one that is sustainable, and culture compliant. Diwali is a good time to figure out if you are on a sustainable diet. If eating a regular Diwali meal amounts to breaking your diet, then it means that your weight loss plans are going to be unsuccessful this time too. Essentially what this reveals is whether your diet fits into the game plan of the weight loss industry. These unrealistic guides are not a culture fit, instead they focus on the guilt around occasion based feasting and take advantage of the same to sell detox plans or packages that are often extreme and doomed to fail. A wholesome diet will teach you to eat without guilt, and there really is nothing wrong in enjoying your poori’s or Halwa.

Curate a special Diwali menu:

The healthiest Diwali menu is one that sticks to the basics. - be it a simple spread comprising homemade mithai, one freshly fried item,  one sabzi, one dal, some roti and rice accompanied with chutney, pickle or papad, all served with love and attention to detail. To have a more authentic celebration bring out your traditional silver thalis or kansa (metal plates) and have a leisurely sit down dinner over conversations. Indulge your guests with time and attention rather than an overwhelming variety of dishes, breaking the monotony of heavy and multi-course Diwali meals with a touch of simple sophistication.

Don’t mistake mithai as the villain:

The alternative to the fear of mithais is learning about their goodness and educating yourself about the basics. Ghee, one of the biggest components of most mithais, helps keep the intestines in good shape and ready to take on the load of overeating during Diwali. It is an essential fat and helps assimilate fat soluble vitamins like A D E, and K while protecting bones, skin and immune function as the season changes. Sugar or jaggery is therapeutic when mixed with nuts, ghee, basan, atta or gond (Edible Gum from the sap of the Acacia tree) or suji all of which are nutrient dense and delicious. Having said that avoid packaged sweets as they are often low grade variety picked up by someone with their bottom line in mind and not keeping your waistline or taste preferences in check. Have homemade sweets. A homemade mithai eaten once a day over three to four days of the Diwali week won't land you in trouble. The actual game changer in blood sugar regulation is really the last sweet at night so keep a lid on that instead.

Dry Fruits are Your Best Friends:

Sergejs Rahunoks

Dry fruits are great when eaten the way they are meant to be - first thing in the morning as a snack or turned into a mithai. Nuts and dry fruits are an amazing source of amino acids, minerals and phytonutrients. It is a myth that cashew nuts are full of cholesterol. It has zero cholesterol and actually helps regulate it.”

Do five rounds of  Surya Namaskar instead of gym:

While the festivity might make us feel laid back, keep up with your regular exercise routine but bring it down a notch if staying awake late. Five rounds of Surya Namaskar will save on travel time to the gym, cost less, leave you feeling fresh and help smoothen the digestive processes after bouts of overeating. It's not the body but the entire lifestyle that needs to be prepared in the run up to Diwali and even post that. Fitness is a compounding effect of small steps taken in the direction of health and harmony every single day.

These tips are picked from Rujuta Diwekar's recently released audio book Eating in the Age of Dieting which is available on Audible.in.

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