Smart ways to keep a check on your calories during the festive season

By N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe

New Dehi, Aug 29 The one thing the pandemic has been unable to disrupt is your sweet tooth. Many of us have thrown caution to the wind, with no gyms and lockdown as a great excuse to indulge. With the festive season just around the corner, celebrations and sweets are very much on the top of your mind.

In India, sweets are positively entrenched in our culture as happy celebration foods. It started with Ganesh Chaturthi, followed by Onam and the list goes on.

But you can build our immunity and maintain a fit lifestyle if you limit your calories and consume wisely. Due to the limitation of outdoor activities, the body’s metabolism has gradually slowed down and and hence one must make a conscious effort to maintain our calorie consumption during this season.

Overindulgence in sweets can lead to a lot of health drawbacks. Excessive sugar calories can push one back on their diet/fitness regimen by adding empty calories, in the current situation maintaining one’s general fitness is of utmost priority. At the same time, one cannot forego sweets entirely as festive celebrations would be dull without them.

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Nutritionist Ishi Khosla suggest four ways to smartly consume your sweets this festival season.

Practice healthy and homemade cooking: With everyone mastering their cooking skills during the lockdown period, it is advisable to cook your sweets at home rather than purchasing. This is will not only help you monitor the ingredients and its quantities that go into it, but will also enable a sense of satisfaction of it being self-made.

Portion control: It’s always better to take small helpings of your favourite meals and treats rather than depriving yourself of it. Monitor your portions and don’t overeat. Compensate when you can if you have had two helpings of laddoo’s for lunch, give it a skip during dinner.

Don’t forget to exercise: Remove a small amount of time during the day to burn the excess-calorie intake. It does not have to be a heavy session. Even light exercise is a must and should not be skipped! Even a thirty minute workout can go a long way!

Cook smartly: Sugar and calories goes hand in hand. Therefore, resorting to sugar alternatives like low calorie sweeteners is a smart way to celebrate this festival. Low calorie sweeteners provide sweetness with minimal calories and you don’t have to compromise on your craving! In addition to it, low calorie sweeteners are absolutely safe to consume as well.

Renowned Chef Sanjeev Kapoor suggested, “Since I have a sweet tooth, the festive period is extremely exciting owing to the treats and sweets that are prepared. One just cannot imagine celebrating a festival in India without our traditional sweets! However, I personally choose to opt for a low calorie sweetener like Sugar Free Green instead of using Sugar in many of my sweet/dessert recipes. It gives the same sweet taste, with none of the sugar calories, so my family and I don’t have to worry about any excessive calorie consumption or weight gain in our festivities”

Nutritionist Ishi Khosla also added, “With our movement being curtailed, our appetite falls but cravings increase. It is important to monitor your daily sugar intake especially during festival season. Modak’s and ladoo’s are very inviting, so make sure to invite the right kind of calories too. Switch sugar to low calorie sweeteners and celebrate through a healthier way”

Lastly, don’t hold back on the celebrations, especially with your family and loved ones. The boost of love and warmth is definitely needed during trying times like these.