How to Control Your Weight for Diwali Snacks 2021
As we are approaching the end of 2021, everyone is starting to get into a festive mood. Of course, it is primarily because the Christmas season is only a month away. With that said, even before the holiday season begins, there are still more festivities in November alone. One of these celebrations is Diwali.
Diwali, also known as Deepavali or the “Festival of Lights”, is celebrated by thousands of Hindu families all over the world. During this time, families transform their homes with decorative lights, exchange gifts, share feasts, and perform prayers to deities. Considering that there is a great population of Hindu locals in Southeast Asia, it is not surprising that Diwali is a common festivity celebrated in these countries.
Much like any other festivities across cultures, Diwali is also known for its lavish feasts to commemorate the event. After all, what better way to celebrate and have with your loved ones than over a banquet table, right? It is enticing to dig into a table filled with savoury and sweet delights. Moreover, there are certain types of snacks, especially traditional desserts, that are typically served during Diwali. As the celebration only comes once a year, it is more likely that you would indulge yourself in these sweet treats.
As countries filled with foodies, it makes sense how much food plays a major role in celebrating Diwali. But what happens after the celebrations have died down?
You might be trying your best to avoid the scale, even days after the holiday, fully knowing that you gained weight from all the binge eating you have done during the holiday. Unfortunately, we tend to be swept away by the high spirits during holiday celebrations, which, in turn, result in high-calorie intake. What’s worse is that it usually takes months to shed off the weight you gained from a couple of days of celebrating with food.
We know that 2021 is the best time we can get to enjoy the celebration and feast on Diwali snacks 2021 like we used to. With that said, if there’s anything that the past year also emphasized is that maintaining our health is very important. A part of keeping a healthy body is maintaining a healthy weight. Yes, you have all the right to celebrate, but you need to be more mindful about what you consume.
To help you, here are some tips on how to control your weight while celebrating Diwali. We will be covering some of the Diwali snacks 2021 you might want to stay away from and some tricks to keep yourself disciplined while still enjoying the festivities.
Diwali Snacks 2021 That You’ll See
The celebration of Diwali usually spans five days, where most days offer a mountain of traditional snacks. Traditionally, Indian sweets called ‘mithai’ are usually the centre of the celebration in terms of food. These sweet treats represent a deeper meaning in relation to celebrating Diwali. It is typically first offered to the deities during prayer time and then shared by the family and friends. They are also often gifted and exchanged among family, friends and neighbours to celebrate the joy of the festival.
‘Mithai’ can either be homemade or store-bought. However, many of these snacks are fried foods made from sugar, chickpea flour and condensed milk. Because Diwali is all about celebrating the sweetness of life, letting go of any bitterness in life. That is why special sweet versions are often made to mark the festival, containing ingredients such as coconut, cardamom and of course, sugar.
As most of these festive Diwali snacks 2021 are sugar-laden or fried, they tend to be high in calories. Moreover, these treats are only a portion of the food served during the days-long event. Most days of Diwali also involve lavish meals. There are many opportunities for you to be carried away and binge eat. Also, we are all guilty about indulging in food and not burning enough of them off through activity, which can lead to weight gain in a short amount of time.
To go into more detail, here are some Diwali snacks 2021 commonly served. Furthermore, to know how to control your weight, it is best to know the ingredients and calorie count for these treats. So, if you spot these in a celebration you’re attending, you might want to avoid or control yourself from overeating them.
Boondi Laddu
Boondi Laddu is a sweet ball-shaped snack made of fried sugar-soaked batter using chickpea flour, milk, and ghee. It also combines other ingredients such as nuts, seeds, and fragrant spices like cardamom. A single Indian Boondi Laddu contains 185 calories and 14 grams of fat
Rava Laddu
Rava laddu is another spherical treat, made with coconut, sugar, semolina, nuts, milk, ghee, and raisins. The Indian term rava refers to semolina, while laddu also means “sweet balls”. One Rava laddu usually contains about 303 calories and 12 grams of fat.
Gulab Jamun
Gulab Jamun is a berry-sized snack that uses milk solids, flour, and leavening agent. In Hindi, “Gulab” translates to rose and “Jamun” means berry. So, these snacks are usually soaked in rose flavoured sugar syrup. A piece of Gulab Jamun usually has about 149 to 150 calories and 7.3 grams of fat.
Jalebi
Jalebi is one of the most popular Indian sweet snacks. The batter is fried in a pretzel or circular shape, which is then soaked in sugar syrup. Jalebi can be served either warm or cold. A piece of average-sized jalebi has about 150 calories.
Murukku
Murukku is a spiral-shaped savoury snack. It is usually fried, giving its signature crunchy texture. The batter is made from rice flour, urad dal flour and basic spices like red chilli powder, hing, sesame seeds, salt and ajwain. The term “murukku” is derived from the Tamil word for “twisted”, thus the dough being twisted to create round-shaped spirals. One murukku can contain 120 calories
Medu Vada
Medu vada is a traditional South Indian fritter. It is often made with black lentils, spices and curry leaves. Medu is a Kannada word that means “soft”, while vada means “crispy Indian fritters”. Medu vada is similar to a doughnut, made in a round shape with a crispy exterior and soft interior. A medu vada can contain up to 73 calories.
How to Control Your Weight During Diwali
The energy of celebrating Diwali can be invigorating, leading us to diverge from our normal eating habits. The amount of food surrounding you can also easily trigger your appetite. If you want to control your weight during the holiday, you need to know how to stay disciplined. It’s a mind over matter situation. Here are some tips you can follow:
Plan your Meals
With the festivities of Diwali, it is easy to get caught up gorging on food. As mentioned, throughout the days of celebration, it usually involves parties or get-togethers with heavy meals. To avoid succumbing to the indulgence of these feasts, make sure to plan your meals. Let’s say you are going to have a heavy meal, balance it out with lighter and healthier foods throughout the day. Being mindful and planning your meals will give you more control over how many calories you consume within the week.
Also, avoid unnecessary snacking. As we have established, Diwali snacks 2021 are usually within hand’s reach around the house. So, it is easy to grab several bites while enjoying the company of friends and family. Be conscious of how much you are eating and your level of hunger. You might feel hungry but it can be your mind playing a trick on you. Drinking water can help ease out that feeling. However, if you do need to grab a snack, opt for eating real foods. For instance, fruits, vegetables, and nuts can satisfy hunger but do not contain added sugar or unhealthy fats that may affect weight gain.
Stay away from fried, sugar-laden, and unhealthy delicacies. Instead, indulge in foods that boost your metabolism. Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and cashews can give the benefit while helping achieve glowing skin. You may also want to incorporate protein-rich foods such as milk, chicken, eggs, curd, and paneer in your meals. Also, drinking vegetable juice once a day may help to keep your metabolism in check.
Do not wait until after Diwali or the end of 2021 to start going on a diet to lose weight. Be aware of what you eat even during the festivities.
Control your Food Portions
People usually use the excuse of celebrations to eat more than they usually do. And we get it, you want to enjoy spending time with your family and friends as much as possible, and that usually includes food. However, there are ways on how you can still enjoy your meals and control your weight at the same time.
A part of controlling your meals is also controlling your portion sizes. People who eat large portions of food tend to gain weight more easily. The best way to avoid this is to control your food portions. Place only small portions of food on your plate. Try to fill your appetite up to only 80%, not more than that. Besides, it is not that you are gonna starve during Diwali. You have more opportunities to eat throughout the coming days.
To trick yourself into eating less, you may also want to try using a smaller plate for your meals. Using a smaller plate gives the illusion that you’re eating a lot of food. Also, eating slowly and taking time to chew your meals can help you become full easily.
With that said, do not confuse eating small portions of food with starving yourself. Some people think that just because they eat less, skip meals, and stay hungry that they will gain less weight or shed off more. That’s not true. Starving yourself leads to low blood sugar levels, which slows down your metabolism. In turn, it makes your body bloat when you do decide to eat. Also, skipping meals increases the possibility of overeating on your next meal. It is still best to stick with three portioned meals a day, interspersed with healthy snacks to keep your hunger in check.
Remember that you have total control over how much good goes into your body.
Drink water
Aside from what you eat, what you drink will also determine how you control your weight. During festivities, it is not common for people to catch up over a glass of alcohol. Of course, controlling how much you drink is essential. If you do drink, make sure to consume several glasses of water after every alcoholic drink and other beverages.
Water tends to be an ignored ingredient during Diwali. However, always remember that less water intake can lead to bloating and weight gain. Ditch health drinks and fruit juices, hydrate yourself with water. You can also try other options such as jal-jeera, nimbu pani, coconut water, instead of aerated drinks.
Don't Skip Exercise
Another common mistake people make during holidays is that they skip exercising. Again, do not rely on a post-Diwali workout to lose the weight you have gained. If you are consuming more calories than you normally do, it is important to burn those calories at the same time.
Diwali might be hectic with all the preparations, and you might want to stay and chat with family afterwards. That would not do you any favours, especially regarding your weight. Make time to exercise or do physical activity. It can be as simple as taking regular walks or stretching. If you are unable to go to the gym, you can try to exercise at home or go for a quick run.
Exercising can start slowly from beginning workout progressing to advanced workout but remember to ensure your body are taking break in between for recovery.
At least, if you do indulge yourself with food, you are making sure that you are burning off those calories.
Modify your Recipes
As mentioned earlier, Diwali snacks 2021 can either be homemade or store-bought. In 2021, there are various options for these snacks that are readily available in your local market. However, much like other store-bought food items, they tend to contain a lot of unhealthy preservatives, sugar and calories. The ingredients plus overeating can all lead to gaining excessive weight.
To avoid those risks, why not try making Diwali snacks 2021 yourself. By making your version of these sweets at home, you have control over what goes into them, thus controlling how many calories are in them.
Rather than going for traditional recipes that are usually also laden with sugar and fat, you can try and modify your recipe. You can try to make low-calorie versions of these snacks. Here are some tips on how you can do so:
- Go for dried fruits instead of chocolate chips or candies
- Flavour your dishes with herbs and spices rather than butter
- Use low-fat milk instead of heavy cream
- Instead of frying, try baking, steaming, or grilling your food
- Substitute soda or sparkling water in place of sweetened beverages
Again, we understand that you want to make the most of the Diwali celebration. However, a few days of binge eating is not worth it for how much work you need to put in afterwards to shed the weight off. Besides, it’s not like 2021 is over just yet. There are other festivities such as Christmas and New Year that allow you to eat more delectable meals.
With that said, if you do end up giving in to the indulgence of Diwali, it is not over. You can still put in the hard work after to make sure your weight is in check. If diet and exercise alone do not work, there are other alternative weight loss solutions that you can check out.
Let us take this time to have fun and celebrate. However, there is a way to get into a festive spirit without losing track of your health and weight goals.